Imagine there are children in a playground. One is playing hyperactively with the monkey bars while yelling. The other is quietly daydreaming in the sandbox. Why do you think so?

In the Neurodiversity Rainbow, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are two distinct neurodevelopmental conditions with hidden abilities and challenges that may not be obvious on the ‘outside’. They are both often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or underdiagnosed.

Autism is a suite of neurological differences across many areas, including attention regulation. Other areas include sensory processing, information processing, emotional regulation, memory, and language and development.

ADHD is a neurological difference predominantly in attention regulation and is characterised by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. 

These two disorders sit on opposite ends of the spectrum. However, the spectrum is not straight, as both conditions have overlapping symptoms. 

Here are a few examples.

Example 1: A person is easily distracted. Is it because they have difficulty concentrating? What if that person had difficulty focusing because they have abundant attention to many things? 

Example 2: A person interrupts regularly. Is it an impulse control issue, or is it an issue with reading social cues and knowing when it is appropriate to talk, when they should be listening, and how to find a gap in the conversation?

Example 3: Someone doesn't listen. Is it because they have difficulty concentrating, or is it a sensory processing issue where it is hard to understand the information when surrounded by external stimuli like lights and noise?

Example 4: What if someone is quickly sucked into something stimulating, or is it hyper-focused to a point where they are stuck on one idea and can't let go because their focus is so strong?

Exploring the Neurodiversity Rainbow

The Neurodiversity Rainbow gained popularity in the early 2000s and has remained the visual symbol of the Neurodiversity movement. The use of the rainbow was popularised to show support and celebrate the neurological differences among people. The same movement popularised the statement 'different us, just different, not less' to emphasise the importance of accepting individuals who are neurodivergent.

Each neurological difference has 'labels' or specific names for them, such as ADHD, Dyslexia, and Dysgraphia. You can think of it like a rainbow.

But of all symbols, why did the movement opt for the rainbow?

Because if each area is represented by one colour and each neurological difference can overlap or have similar or even shared symptoms and causes, then a rainbow can be created.

To visualise this, imagine blue represents attention regulation, red represents emotional regulation, orange represents sensory regulation, and so on. So, with enough additional colours, blue can be part of a rainbow. 

The Diagnosis Perspective for ASD and ADHD

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), ADHD centres on attention with criteria assessing inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. In contrast, the diagnosis criteria for Autism focuses on the social aspect, such as how well you relate to your peers and do what everyone else is doing.

For example, if you aren’t talking at four years old, it could be evidence of Autism. Similarly, asking questions like "Daddy, why won't the other kids talk to me?" when you're 18 months old, with none of your peers talking in complete sentences, is also evidence of Autism.

If we look at the differences in attention regulation as either overregulation or under-regulation, the neurotypical brain will lie in the middle of a straight-line spectrum. 

Neurotypicals (people who don’t identify as autistic, ADHD, etc., aka neurodivergent) are neither overregulated nor underregulated, meaning they can concentrate and let things go when necessary. 

ADHD, conversely, is characterised by under regulation. 

In contrast, Autism is often characterised by overregulation. 

However, any deviation from the norm adds to the evidence of an Autism diagnosis.

In real life, under-regulation of attention looks like inattention and impulsiveness. In contrast, overregulation looks like stubbornness, inflexibility, not giving up, and not letting go when you really should have let it go.

I know what it feels like not to let go when I should let it go. When I was little, I designed a large maze with a computer that required me to manually calculate and enter a number code into each of the several thousand cells. Each cell was one little room in this maze, taking all my time in a day. I wasn't even looking forward to doing it, but I kept doing it anyway because I knew there was no other way but to finish it. That is an example of overregulation or an extreme ability to force me mentally to do things even if I don't want or need to do them anymore.

In contrast to my experience, ADHD is powered by stimulation and emotional energy. When something is fun, engaging or externally motivating, they can move with incredible energy toward that finish line. None of this slow and steady stuff. More like, "Let's put on a 16-hour dance party, and no one eats or sleeps until it's done!"

Both have their strengths and challenges, especially in academic, social, and professional settings

Four Points to Remember

Discussing the differences between ADHD and Autism is a massive topic to navigate. However, in terms of attention regulation, it can be summarised in the four following points:

1.   Autism and ADHD often look similar on the outside, but the same behaviour may have a different underlying cause.

2.   ADHD is a difference in one area (attention), whereas Autism is a suite of differences over many areas.

3.   Attention can be under/over-regulated

4.   Autism is an uneven profile of abilities or gaps in their skillset.

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Remember, we're all human and can be different but still be one community.