howdy

autism-fucking-rocks

I saw this tweet about how things don't always "occur" to adhd people and I thought I could relate to it as well, although I'm autistic and not adhd.

For example - if I have a headache, it simply won't occur to me to take pain meds. I know I have a headache. I want the pain to stop. I am aware of the existence of pain meds. But the idea never occurs to me to take them until someone else suggests it.

The example they gave in the tweet was that if someone says hello to them, it may not occur to them to say hello back and yep... I do that as well.

I just never realized that other people may not do these things.

alixir93

This is called executive dysfunction and it’s very common for both adhd and autistic people! <3

autism-fucking-rocks

I was under the impression that executive dysfunction was being unable to transition between tasks. Like that feeling when you're trying to get up and make some food, but your brain won't let you no matter how hard you try. Is that something different?

innocent-until-proven-geeky

They are both forms of executive dysfunction! Executive dysfunction simply means one of your executive functions isn’t working. The executive functions are:

Emotional control
Task initiation
Working memory
Self-monitoring (interoception, something a lot of autistics struggle with)
Flexibility
Organization
Planning & time management
Self control

What you’re experiencing and what you already considered executive dysfunction are both issues with task initiation, and I think what you’re experiencing is also an issue with planning.

The reason ADHD and autism are so similar is that the executive functions are impacted; among other symptoms and traits, they are both executive functioning disorders. Which is why you experience this thing that a lot of ADHDers experience, and why ADHD and autism have such a high comorbidity rate.