Can a Child Have Both ADHD and Autism? Signs, Treatment & Real Parent Insights

Ever wondered why your child's ADHD medication seems to help focus but doesn't stop the meltdowns? The answer might lie in the surprising overlap between ADHD and autism that many families discover only after years of incomplete treatment.

Through Ethan's story, we explore how 30-80% of children with autism also meet criteria for ADHD, while 20-50% of children with ADHD simultaneously qualify for autism spectrum disorder. This significant overlap creates unique challenges that medication alone cannot address. When stimulants improve attention but sensory triggers, social struggles, and rigid routines persist, it signals the need for a more comprehensive approach.

At the neurological level, both conditions affect the frontal lobe—the command center for executive function, decision-making, and social communication. This explains why treating just one condition often leaves families frustrated by lingering symptoms. The holistic approach we advocate examines gut health (directly connected to brain function), sleep patterns, nutrition, sensory needs, and emotional regulation strategies. Rather than simply managing symptoms, this method targets root causes to improve overall wellbeing.

Parents, you know your child best. If you suspect there's more to your child's struggles than their current diagnosis suggests, trust your instincts and advocate persistently. Connect with teachers to observe behavioral patterns across environments, and don't stop seeking help until you find providers who listen. Remember that your child is valuable beyond any diagnostic label—they have unique strengths waiting to be discovered. Would you recognize the signs of dual diagnosis in your child? Subscribe to learn more about supporting children with overlapping neurodevelopmental conditions.

Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform and check out the video version on our YouTube channel!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Parents.
Did you know that 30 to 80% ofchildren diagnosed with autism
also meet criteria for ADHD?
And also, did you know that 20to 50% of children with ADHD
also meet criteria for autism?
And that's what we want to talkabout today the overlap between
diagnosing of both ADHD andautism in a child and what that

(00:22):
looks like, and the approach fortreatment for that.
I think this is a reallyimportant topic because this is
a question that comes up on aweekly basis in our practice and
I thought it would be great toaddress it.
Hello everyone, I'm Dr Hoke Ekoand welcome to GLOW with ADHD

(00:45):
and Autism, and so we're goingto just take a deep dive into it
right now.
Ok, so let's talk about Ethan.
Ethan is a child who recentlyworked with of course, name
changed for privacy sake and hewas diagnosed at age five with
ADHD and prescribed medication.
However, his family noticed hestill had major meltdowns with

(01:07):
sensory triggers and struggledsocially.
Eventually, right after theparents had pleaded with the
school and kept talking to thispediatrician saying something is
not quite right, like isn'tthere more to this?
Because, in spite of themedication, he still seemed to
be really struggling.
Eventually, parents stillseemed to be really struggling.
Eventually, parents were ableto get another evaluation which

(01:28):
showed he met criteria forautism.
That changed everything abouthis treatment plan.
Prescription for medicationsalone did not address the
sensory issues he was having,the social struggles, the
meltdowns when things didn't gohis way or he was told no.
So it's important to addressthe whole child, and that's what
we do at Glow Pediatrics iswhole child approach, whole

(01:51):
family approach.
So when your child has bothADHD and autism, it's essential
to address both sets of needsright.
For example, a stimulant forADHD might help with attention
but worsen anxiety, which isanother comorbid diagnosis that
often highly occurs withchildren with either autism or
ADHD and sensory overload right.

(02:11):
So the stimulant can worsen theanxiety, can worsen the sensory
overload, and that will nothelp your child.
And so that's why it'simportant to focus on a holistic
approach to treating your child.
And so at GrowPediatrics whatwe do is we create a
personalized nutrition plan,behavior plan, and what that
nutrition plan is reallytargeting is targeting gut

(02:32):
health, because absolutelycritical that we address gut
health, because the gut isdirectly connected to the brain.
If your child's brain has anyinflammation or dysregulation
going on, things don't work well.
Sleep is huge.
Think about it, parents If youdon't sleep and your child is
not sleeping all night, or yourchild sleeps for a couple of

(02:52):
hours a night, we cannot expectthat child's brain to work like
it should.
We take deep dives intonutrition, sleep, gut health,
brain health, emotionalresilience, parent support.
It's important to do thatbecause that's a holistic
approach, right Versus justfinding your medication.
Yes, medication can work, butit's not addressing the root

(03:13):
causes, which is what we want todo, so that overall, your
child's health improves and yourentire family does well.
What can parents watch for?
How do you know if your childhas both?
That's an excellent question.
So here are a few signs.
Right, with ADHD meds, yourchild may focus better but still
have meltdowns.
That's a clue.
Something else is going on.

(03:35):
Your child can have both socialcommunication struggles and
executive function issues.
The part of the brain that'saffected in both autism and ADHD
is the frontal lobe, and that'sthe part of the brain that
deals with executive functioning, so like making decisions, not
being impulsive, followingthrough on plans, communication,

(03:57):
executing projects thosecritical skills that are
important to everyday functionis controlled by here, and
that's the parts of the brainalso that's involved with both
ADHD and autism.
It's important to recognizeyour child can struggle with
both things right and thatsensory.
And then you see your child hassensory issues, like they may

(04:19):
not want certain materials totouch their skin, they may not
want their certain foods mixingtogether on the plate, they may
be affected by loud sounds andcover their ears or run away
Sensory things, like they justhave.
They're very specific and likethey have to have a certain
routine.
If anything changes then it'slike they have a meltdown and

(04:44):
they can't handle moving forwardfrom that.
These occurrences can be veryfrustrating for both the child
and the parent.
If you see that happeningalongside hyperactivity, that
gives you a clue that maybethere's something else going on
with your child.
And if that sounds like yourchild, you're not alone.
We are here to help.
At GLOW Pediatrics, weunderstand that parenthood is a

(05:06):
journey.
I, a mommy of three, it'sdefinitely a journey.
As a pediatrician, I'm stilllearning every day because every
child is different.
How do we help our children,who may have both things going
on?
As parents, we are ourchildren's first advocates.
You know your kids more thananybody else parents, so please
advocate for your children andif your doctor says no, go find

(05:27):
another one and keep askinguntil you find help and somebody
listens and gets you the help.
Talk to your teachers, get toknow your teachers so that they
can give you a clue into arethey seeing the same things that
you're seeing at home, atschool?
That really helps, especiallyif we can see the behavior
happening in both places right,especially if we can see the

(05:47):
behavior happening in bothplaces right.
But again, at Glow Pediatrics,we're here to work alongside
your family on this journeycalled parenthood.
And if you have any concerns,we offer telemedicine evaluation
, medical evaluation of autismand ADHD in several states
across the country.
We offer parent coaching,parent-led ABA therapy.
We offer personalized nutritionplans to address gut health,

(06:11):
address brain health, addresssleep constipation, picky eating
, aggressive behavior, becausewe know for a fact that our
children, if we don't look atthem from a whole perspective,
holistically, we don't make asmuch impact as we could.
So at glow pediatrics, ourprocess is to look at the whole

(06:32):
child, the whole child and allthe environment that the child
is in, and see what changes canbe made so that this child can
be the best version ofthemselves.
And guess what?
We found that as we work withthe children, we're impacted,
it's the parents, the wholefamily.
So when we do personalizedplans for our children, we want
the entire family to participate, because it makes such a

(06:53):
difference.
Parents, if you're not sure, ifyou feel like there's something
more going on your child, youare not crazy.
Ask for help.
Reach out to us.
Book a consult, call onglowpediatricscom.
Please subscribe to our channel, share it with those who need
to hear this message and we lookforward to serving you.
Have a wonderful day.
Remember your child is morethan a diagnosis.

(07:14):
Your child is valuable, yourchild.
Your child wants to be seen andheard by you.
You're the best parent for yourchild and never, ever, forget
that.
We want to be detectives of ourchildren and we want to find
what their strengths are andboost those right, because

(07:35):
that's how you look beyond adiagnosis and look at the
potential for your child.
So have an amazing day and lookforward to serving you.
Take care.