Scared of Misdiagnosis: ADHD or Autism?

@ flameember ADHD is NOT a branch off of autism. They are two distinct conditions with some over lapping traits. Many people have both.

It's better to know what you're working with. It's scary to have that uncertainty. I just heard a quote that said, in essence, "Face and name your monsters. They are much less scary than anything your head can dream up." We are all here for you. Also, you're still you. Saying "autism" isn't going to change that. You'll just have better access to resources to help with your struggles.

Adhd is a branch off of autism, so tbh it's natural so feel that way. They, to an extent, go hand in hand. I still wonder about it, and I was re-diagnosed last year. It's good to re test for stuff like this every few years. Before last year, I had tested back in kindergarten. Adhd then, adhd now. I don't like referring to it all as a spectrum because the whole high/low funtioning thing is frankly a rediculous concept (thats a rant for another time). But I'd refer to it as we all have our bowl of soup. There are thousands of combos. My symptoms might be the same as someone else but the complexity may be completely different; everyone has their own recipe for their own specific soup. Figuring out what works best for us to cope with our little concoction is a life saver. And remember, it isn't a foe for us to defeat. It's a part of us that we get to understand and try to become friends with.

Okay autistic and ADHD here. Lots of the times, ADHD comes with autism along with the other way around. They are basically a "You can't have one without the other" duo. It's okay to get tested, they won't get rid of the ADHD diagnosis. If you believe you have autism I would suggest going to embrace-autism.com as it has helped a lot of people. It's run by an autistic woman so it's made specifically for autistic people in mind. If you are in the US, I suggest looking up CARDS (Center for Autism and Related Disorders) as they are only in 24 states. I do not know if they are in other parts of the world. Avoid Autism Speaks of course, they are just bad news.

Reminder that ADHD and Autism can be and often are coMorbid!

This is exactly how I am. I talked to my doctor and gave her my notebook with all my notes and tests and stuff. I was scared because of the fear of nobody believing me, but now that talked to her I feel more secure about getting tested for autism