Combined ADHD & Autism Assessments

Understanding AuDHD

AuDHD is the term used to describe the combined presentation of autism and ADHD. While autism and ADHD are diagnosed as two distinct conditions, when they occur together they do not simply sit side by side. The two profiles interact, and the result is often a distinct set of strengths and challenges that differs from either condition on its own.

Someone with AuDHD might experience an internal push and pull between the autistic need for structure, predictability, and routine, and the ADHD drive toward novelty, spontaneity, and change. This can show up as inconsistency that is confusing both to the individual and to those around them, and it is often misread as contradiction rather than understood as a genuine and recognisable pattern.

Why an AuDHD Lens Matters

Many clinicians are trained to assess for autism or ADHD, but not always to consider how the two conditions present when they co-occur. Traits of one condition can mask or offset traits of the other, which means a straightforward checklist approach can miss the fuller picture. A person may not appear "typically" autistic or "typically" ADHD, simply because the two profiles are moderating each other.

As a clinic, we approach every assessment with this combined presentation in mind from the outset. We do not assess for one condition and treat the other as an afterthought. This matters because an incomplete or inaccurate picture can mean a person spends years without the understanding, support, or accommodations that fit how they actually experience the world.

Female AuDHD 

Women and girls with AuDHD are significantly more likely to be missed, misdiagnosed, or diagnosed much later in life than their male counterparts. There are several reasons for this. Diagnostic criteria and the research behind them were historically developed with male presentations in mind. Many women also develop strong masking and camouflaging strategies from a young age, learning to consciously or unconsciously suppress traits in order to fit in socially. Traits themselves can present differently too, appearing as anxiety, perfectionism, or emotional overwhelm rather than the more outwardly visible signs clinicians are often trained to look for.

The result is that many women reach adulthood, sometimes after years of misdiagnosis with anxiety, depression, or personality disorders, before finally receiving an accurate understanding of what they have been navigating all along. We are particularly passionate about working with women who feel they may have been overlooked or misjudged by previous clinicians, or whose traits were never identified in childhood. Every assessment we carry out considers how AuDHD can present differently across genders, so that the picture we build genuinely reflects the individual in front of us.

Our Approach

Our assessments are carried out with a neuro-affirming, dual-condition lens as standard. We take the time to understand how autism and ADHD interact for each individual, rather than assessing the two in isolation. Our aim is to provide clarity, validation, and a genuinely accurate picture, one that reflects both the challenges and the strengths that come with an AuDHD profile.