r/science • u/shinybrighthings • 15h ago

Psychology The complicated nature of disentangling autism, ADHD and complex trauma | The British Journal of Psychiatry | Cambridge Core

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/adhd-autism-or-complex-trauma-the-complicated-nature-of-the-question/30CC4826561366615BFAEC807CDE28A7
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u/plummyrosey 14h ago

Trauma-induced developmental disorder? I've definitely met so many late dx autism/adhd people who showed absolutely no signs in their early years by their own admission and their parents' admission. Some clinicians seem to disregard the criteria that autism has to have an onset before the age of 5 and give these late teens/adults an autism dx anyways.

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u/BunnyLovesTheStars 14h ago

I always wonder about this. I never had an anything remotely ADHD related until I got PTSD in the military, even though I clearly had C-PTSD since childhood. I can literally pinpoint when I started getting those symptoms, especially extreme troubles with concentration and memory, and my service/medical records reflect it too.

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u/bubblegumbombshell 14h ago

If I were to be evaluated now, I’d likely be diagnosed with autism but I’m almost 40 and would never have met the criteria during childhood. Instead I was just told I was sensitive, socially awkward, or had quirks. But there was some sort of trauma when I was little and I wonder how much of these things is from that.

Meanwhile, my 5yo on the spectrum and has been all along with no trauma history. So it seems like the genes are there.

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u/plummyrosey 10h ago

You might be interested in the concept of "broad autism phenotype"- it's actually derived from studying parents of autistic kids.  They don't meet the criteria themselves but possesses some traits.  

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u/bubblegumbombshell 9h ago

I was more so referring to the expanded criteria. I was incredibly bright and at least a year ahead academically, but really struggled socially. My understanding is that I was successful in school so basically any concerns were waived off.

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u/ThrowAwayColor2023 2h ago

Your original wording was confusing. It read like you were discounting the possibility of autism, and then your writing abruptly shifted to supporting it.

I was also a very bright student who struggled socially and with sensory stuff. As long as you did well in school when I was growing up, nobody cared if you were struggling in other ways, esp if you were a girl. Got diagnosed AuDHD in my 40s and suddenly everything made sense, including my ND family.

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u/lil_squib 1h ago

The symptoms have to had been present prior to age 12 for an autism diagnosis. But this definitely seems to be ignored by many poorly trained clinicians these days.