A way to think about adult ADHD, autism, and AuDHD as patterns of dimensions rather than categorical labels. Explore the common archetypes, key under-measured dimensions, and build a dimensional map of your own.
Categorical diagnoses often fail to capture how adult presentations actually show up — particularly for high-masking, late-recognized, or AuDHD profiles. Several clinical and research frameworks have emerged to describe these patterns more functionally.
A cluster distinct from traditional ADHD-Inattentive, characterized by daydreaming, mental fog, lethargy, and slow processing speed.
Shifts focus entirely to six clusters of executive function — activation, focus, effort, emotion, memory, action — offering a purely dimensional approach to attention.
Proposes seven types (Classic, Inattentive, Overfocused, Temporal Lobe, Limbic, Ring of Fire, Anxious). Peer-reviewed validation is limited, but its public popularity reflects the real clinical demand for dimensional profiling beyond the DSM triad.
A distinct profile (regardless of sex) marked by high camouflaging, intact superficial social mimicking, intense but socially-acceptable special interests, and high internalizing distress.
Though removed from DSM-5, this term remains a widely-used conceptual archetype for lower-support-needs, verbally-able presentations.
Reclassifies symptoms by neural systems — Cognitive Systems for executive function, Arousal/Regulatory Systems for sensory processing, and so on.
Organizes psychopathology into hierarchical, continuous dimensions rather than discrete categories — capturing trait variation that crosses diagnostic boundaries.
Demonstrates that ADHD, Autism, and DCD share substantial early symptom overlap, requiring holistic functional profiling rather than single-diagnosis thinking.
A machine-learning approach finding that functional cognitive profiles map very poorly to rigid DSM diagnostic boundaries.
Co-occurring autism and ADHD isn't simply additive. The intersection produces a distinct interactive phenotype — with internal opposing forces (routine vs. novelty, systemizing vs. impulsivity) that create friction points standard single-diagnosis frameworks miss.
The paradox of craving routine while seeking novelty creates a distinct pattern that requires a different assessment lens than either ADHD or autism alone.
Two axes frequently absent from off-the-shelf screening tools, but which substantially alter how an adult profile reads and what kind of support actually helps.
Measured by tools like the CAT-Q. High masking can invalidate observer-based assessments and strongly correlates with severe autistic burnout.
Conceptual distribution — camouflaging effort (CAT-Q range) against reported burnout / somatic distress.
Temporal processing differences are clinically significant but rarely measured. "Present-Hedonistic" (ADHD-typical) vs. "Future-Anxious" (autism-typical) orientations alter daily functioning in different ways.
Conceptual radar comparison of temporal dimensions across baseline archetypes.
Adjust the sliders below across five key dimensions. Watch how the combination shifts the overall pattern. This is a reflection tool — not a diagnostic instrument — meant to illustrate how functional profiles can vary across people who might share the same diagnostic label.
Adjust sliders to generate a profile summary.
This is a reflection tool, not an assessment. For a structured clinical evaluation of your adult ADHD, autism, or AuDHD presentation — with three deliverable documents to take forward — start with the starting point tool.
This page is for reflection and education. It is not a diagnostic tool and does not create a therapist-client relationship.