A little blog about mental health, autism and balancing roles
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Dr. Chisato
Jul 31, 20232 min read
Let's talk about Autism and ADHD
Autism and ADHD are two different conditions.
Autism is a neurodivergence that impacts communication and behavior. Symptoms of autism can include difficulty with social interaction, difficulty with communication, and repetitive behaviors. For example, Yuri was diagnosed with Autism because he would only play a certain way. Although he does not do that anymore. he does get very focused on certain things (right now, he loves the song "slippery fish" and about 80% of his drawing are about slipper fish- and it's beautiful!)
ADHD is a neurodivergence that impacts attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Symptoms of ADHD can include difficulty focusing, difficulty controlling impulses, and excessive activity. For example, I move constantly as I talk- and I also talk A LOT. My nickname growing up as the Duracell Bunny and it honestly makes sense!
Despite being two different conditions, there are some similarities between autism and ADHD! Both are neurodivergences. Both can cause difficulty with social interaction, difficulty with communication, and difficulty focusing. Additionally, both conditions can cause repetitive behaviors and difficulty controlling impulses.
As someone with ADHD with twins on the autism spectrum, I can honestly say that both have positives and negatives! But... What person doesn't have negatives and positives?
For example, Aki can have a hard time communicating , especially when he is frustrated! And that is okay! We are working on him to use his coping skills- and guess what? There have been so many times where he can walk away to calm himself down when he is upset! For myself, I can have a hard time knowing when to stop something. But as a positive, even though I work a lot, it actually helps me to stay at my jobs, because I know I will get bored and will not focus if I get bored!
With that in mind...
Let's jump into our Therapist Mama Bear weekly tip!
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