If you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD but still feel like something is missing from the picture — or if you’ve wondered whether your challenges with focus, social situations, and daily life might involve more than attention alone — you’re asking a question that many adults eventually arrive at.
The overlap between ADHD and autism in adults is significant, and it’s one of the most common concerns I explore in my practice. Many of the adults I assess have carried an ADHD diagnosis for years, sometimes decades, and are looking for a more complete understanding of how their brain works.
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You have an ADHD diagnosis, but treatments haven't addressed everything you experience
You struggle with social situations in ways that go beyond distraction or impulsivity
You have intense, focused interests that others sometimes find unusual or excessive
Sensory experiences — textures, sounds, lighting — affect you more than they seem to affect others
You've been told you're 'too much' and 'not enough' in different areas of your life
Executive functioning challenges feel like more than just an attention problem
Routines and predictability are important to you, but you also struggle with follow-through
You've researched autism on your own and thought, 'this sounds like me'
These experiences sit right at the intersection of ADHD and autism — and untangling them matters, because the strategies that help with one don’t always help with the other.
Until 2013, clinicians couldn’t even diagnose both conditions in the same person — the diagnostic manual treated them as mutually exclusive. That’s changed, and we now understand that ADHD and autism co-occur frequently. Current research suggests that 50–70% of autistic adults also meet criteria for ADHD, and many adults with ADHD have autistic traits that were never identified.
The confusion makes sense when you look at the surface-level similarities. Both involve executive functioning differences. Both can affect social relationships. Both are associated with sensory sensitivities. But the underlying reasons are different. An adult with ADHD might miss social cues because their attention drifted. An autistic adult might miss the same cues because they process social information differently. The behavior looks the same; the cause is not.
This distinction has practical consequences. Stimulant medication may improve focus for someone with ADHD, but it won’t address the social communication differences or sensory processing patterns associated with autism. When both conditions are present, both need to be recognized and addressed.
I provide comprehensive autism assessments for adults for adults that specifically address the ADHD-autism overlap. My evaluations are designed for adults who are often skilled at masking or compensating, which means standard screening tools sometimes miss what’s actually going on. Through a thorough, evidence-based process conducted via secure video, I help adults across California get the clarity they’ve been looking for.
If you’ve already been assessed and are looking for ongoing support, individual therapy can help you develop practical strategies that account for both ADHD and autism — rather than treating just one piece of the puzzle.
Telehealth only (no in-office visits)
Licensed in California only
Whether you’re seeking targeted skill-building, help navigating work or relationships, or a space to better understand yourself, therapy can help.
A: Yes. Research shows that ADHD and autism co-occur in a significant number of adults. Since 2013, clinicians can diagnose both conditions in the same person, which reflects what many adults have known about themselves for years.
A: A comprehensive assessment looks at the underlying patterns — not just the surface behaviors. Social difficulties, executive functioning challenges, and sensory sensitivities can be present in both, but the reasons behind them are often different.
A: It’s quite common. Many adults receive an ADHD diagnosis first, sometimes in childhood, and only explore autism later in life when certain challenges persist despite ADHD treatment.
A: Yes. All of my services — including comprehensive autism assessments that address the ADHD overlap — are available 100% virtually via secure video to adults anywhere in California.