Is the “Conflicting Brain” Narrative Helpful in ADHD and Autism?

It is often claimed that people with both ADHD and autism have a brain at war with itself: routine and predictability pulling in one direction, while impulsivity and distraction pull in the other. The implication is that these traits are in direct conflict, creating internal chaos.

This idea is neat, simple, but completely unhelpful. The reality is more complex. And if we want to offer real support to people navigating life with both ADHD and autism diagnoses, we need to stop clinging to metaphors and start looking at what is actually happening underneath.

Diagnostic Labels Are Based on Symptoms Not Cause

There are no biological or neurological markers for autism or ADHD. The diagnoses are based entirely on observed behaviour. We see traits, we give them a name, but we rarely ask why those traits are there in the first place.

In practice, both diagnoses point to delayed or disrupted development:

• Autism focuses on social interaction (Part A) and related behaviours that might affect social interaction (Part B).

• ADHD focuses on executive function: how you plan, regulate, initiate and inhibit impulses.

Both suggest something has interfered with development in specific areas, but the labels do not tell you what. They are shorthand: useful at times, but ultimately limiting.

The Value of a Cognitive Profile

If we change our perspective from that of a symptomatic approach to an approach of individualised cognitive understanding things will begin to look very different. At Aspiedent, we take time to understand what is going on underneath the symptoms. It is here, that we can identify things that may be getting in the way of both a person’s communication and executive functioning.

So the truth is that it isn’t your brain in conflict with itself with ADHD battling against autism, it is in fact how your brain has developed and that you have not found effective strategies to manage this yet. As a result, your brain feels chaotic.

Processing Difficulties

The key is to investigate the underlying issues. A common area of difficulty we see in our profiling of autism is processing. Take for example slow processing, this often shows up in an individual as difficulty in managing sudden and unexpected change because of difficulties processing the implications of this change.

Processing issues can also appear as inattentiveness because oral information cannot be fully processed in real time. In a desperate attempt to cope, the person may just process for literal meaning, or process parts and then get accused of not paying attention.

All that is required is an understanding of something as fundamental as how you receive information. Focus on how to manage slow and/or fragmented processing and life will get a lot easier in both areas.

Routine vs Impulsivity

Alternatively, slow processing may cause someone to insist on routine because then there is much less to process and that makes it easier to cope with everyday life. But processing issues can exist alongside and independently of impulsive urges, which could act to destroy the routine and cause processing overload and confusion.

This could easily be seen as a conflicting brain, but it is not. Processing issues can cause someone to stick rigidly to routine to make life easier, but this could be at the expense of self-expression. Urges have strong emotion behind them. When you struggle to control emotion (another executive function) then they can take over, just as with everyone else who has this difficulty. But pay attention and they could indicate what really matters to you. Routine can become a prison. Deep down, you may actually desire a life that is a bit more varied and interesting. Gradually working to extend, will enlarge that prison in a way that does not overwhelm.

Labels Can Mislead

In conclusion, the mistake may be in pathologising symptoms. These labels can be liberating, even cathartic, but they distract us from obtaining real understanding and can even lead us towards false assumptions about what is really going on.

An individualised approach that focuses on cognitive understanding can help us strategise and improve our quality of life, by better understanding yourself, having the tools to articulate your unique cognitive profile and equipping yourselves with strategies that play to yourself enables you to take control of your life, form relationships and achieve your goals. Who doesn’t want that?

How We Help

If you have been told your brain is at war with itself, we would encourage you to dig deeper. There is no war, there is just a need for understanding how your various traits are interacting with each other. Some interactions will decrease difficulty; others will increase difficulty. Understanding will help identify the right strategy or strategies.

We specialise in profiling the cognitive traits that sit underneath autism, ADHD, and everything in between. When you understand those traits, you stop managing chaos and start building control.