Understanding how to support children with unique learning needs starts with comprehending the challenges they face. Parents and educators who work with children with ADHD or autism spectrum disorder know they have to use a distinctive, tailored approach for each circumstance. By psychological assessment of how both conditions impact similar domains of development, we can gain insight into which areas require attention.
Social Skills
Social skills are vital to a student’s learning, growth, and success in early childhood. A child’s ability to cooperate and communicate with the people around them is essential in most school settings, as well as understanding non-verbal cues, managing frustration, and forming relationships with peers.
ADHD and ASD can impact a child’s social skills. ADHD may cause impulsivity, making it difficult for children to focus on tasks, listen to others, and communicate effectively, while ASD affects social skills, making turn-taking, imaginative play, and communication more challenging.
Hyperactivity
Another area of overlap between ADHD and ASD is hyperactivity. As the term “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” suggests, individuals with ADHD often struggle with restlessness, staying seated, and maintaining focus during lessons. They may fidget, squirm, and get easily distracted by new activities or stimuli.
While less common, some children with ASD may also exhibit hyperactive behaviors or restlessness. In ASD, hyperactivity can stem from sensory sensitivities or be associated with self-stimulatory behaviors, known as “stimming,” which serve various purposes of self-regulation, self-soothing, or self-expression.
Executive Functioning
ADHD and autism can impact executive functioning skills and higher-order cognitive processes that help children regulate their thoughts, actions, and emotions. In ADHD, kids often struggle with planning and organizing tasks, managing time effectively, initiating and sustaining focus, and controlling impulsive behaviors.
Executive functioning difficulties are also possible for children with ASD, although they may look different than in ADHD. Individuals with an ASD diagnosis may struggle with flexible thinking, prefer routines and sameness, and experience difficulties in working memory, which affects problem-solving and following multi-step instructions
Addressing Both ADHD and ASD
Learning to support a child with a co-occurrence of ASD and ADHD requires a careful approach from parents, educators, and doctors. It is important to carefully track and understand the symptoms associated with each condition and identify which disorder contributes to specific learning and behavioral challenges.
A clear understanding of the underlying causes of issues allows the development of individualized treatment plans, which incorporate behavioral interventions, therapy, and medication if appropriate.
The best tool to help students is early diagnosis. Visit WPS and learn about the (CAARS) Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales and (ADOS®-2) Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule™, Second Edition ADHD and autism assessment tools, available to identify learning differences early so each child improves their chances of success.