Audhd and then some

18/09/2026

It's Friday evening and its been a busy week. I think I'm going to be on the 'vanishing' end of the spectrum this weekend 🤣

17/09/2026

Although we are moving away from terms such as “high functioning” and “low functioning,” the thinking behind them can still show up in the way neurodivergent people are treated.

Someone who appears articulate, independent, employed or able to mask may be assumed to be coping well and their support needs can be minimised or overlooked.

Someone with more visible support needs may experience the opposite: people making assumptions about what they understand, what they can decide, or what they are capable of doing.

Support needs are also not fixed. They can change depending on the environment, sensory demands, stress, health, burnout, communication demands and what is happening in someone’s life.

Instead of asking “How well do they function?”, it can be much more helpful to ask:

What support does this person need to thrive, participate and have as much choice and autonomy as possible?

A person can have significant support needs and have agency.

A person can appear highly capable and still need substantial support.

Language matters, but so does what we do with the assumptions sitting underneath it.

14/09/2026

Mental overload in AuDHD can be hard to explain because from the outside it might just look like distraction, forgetfulness, irritability or needing to withdraw.

But internally, it can feel like your brain has far too many things running at once.

Unfinished tasks. Messages to reply to. Decisions to make. Sensory input. Work. Family demands. Worries. Random thoughts. Things you’re trying not to forget.

With AuDHD, there can also be a real push and pull between seeking stimulation and becoming overwhelmed by too much input, noise, unpredictability or demand.

Eventually, even small things can feel like one thing too many. A simple question can feel overwhelming. Choosing what to eat can feel impossible. You might become snappy, lose words, shut down or suddenly need everyone to stop talking to you.

Sometimes this isn’t about “coping better.” It’s about your brain reaching its current capacity.

What helps is often reducing the load- fewer decisions, less sensory input, writing things down, cancelling something non-essential, having quiet, and allowing yourself to do one thing at a time.
Sometimes the most regulating thing you can do is make life temporarily smaller.

If this feels familiar, you’re definitely not the only one. 💜

More AuDHD resources, webinars and support at www.audhdandthensome.com

13/09/2026

One thing I really wish more people understood about Autism + ADHD (AuDHD) is that neurodivergence often does not come as just one diagnosis.

And beyond Autism and ADHD, there can be even more overlap.

AuDHD adults may also have or experience:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• OCD or Tourettic OCD
• Tourette’s or other tic disorders
• Dyspraxia / Developmental Coordination Disorder
• Dyslexia and other learning differences
• Sensory processing differences
• Sleep difficulties
• Eating or feeding difficulties
• Trauma-related difficulties / PTSD
• Emotional regulation difficulties
• Chronic overwhelm and neurodivergent burnout

For many late-diagnosed adults, receiving multiple diagnoses isn't about “collecting labels”.

Often, one thing has hidden another for years. Anxiety may have been recognised before Autism. Depression may have been recognised before ADHD. Executive dysfunction may have been interpreted as low motivation. Sensory overload may have looked like panic.

Sometimes getting several diagnoses is simply finally finding the language for experiences that have been there all along.

💛 At AuDHD & Then Some, we create affordable resources, webinars and support for adults who are trying to understand their Autism, ADHD, AuDHD and everything that can come alongside it.

www.audhdandthensome.com

12/09/2026

Sensory overwhelm can hit hard with AuDHD, especially when your brain is already trying to process noise, light, movement, emotions, demands and everything else happening at once.

Sometimes regulation isn’t about “pushing through”. It can be about reducing input, making your environment feel safer, and giving your nervous system the type of sensory input it needs.

That might look like:

* putting your headphones on
* dimming the lights
* using deep pressure
* cooling yourself down
* moving your body
* reaching for a familiar texture
* reducing demands
* using safe, predictable sensory input
* retreating somewhere quiet with no expectations

There’s no single sensory strategy that works for everyone. The aim is to build your own toolkit and notice what helps your nervous system feel more settled.

For more AuDHD resources, webinars, practical tools and our low-cost membership, visit www.audhdandthensome.com 💜

12/09/2026

AuDHD can feel like living with two completely opposite needs at the same time. ❤️

Wanting structure… but struggling to maintain routines.
Craving connection… but needing lots of time alone.
Hating clutter… but somehow creating it everywhere.
Wanting support… but finding it really hard to ask for help.
Needing rest… but having a brain that refuses to switch off.
Wanting to be productive… but getting stuck scrolling because starting feels too much.

These contradictions can be confusing, especially when something matters to you but still feels incredibly difficult to do.

It isn’t always about motivation, effort or “trying harder”. ADHD and Autism can pull us in different directions, while executive functioning, sensory needs, overwhelm, demand avoidance and fluctuating capacity can all play a part.

Understanding the why behind the contradiction can help us feel less frustrated with ourselves and start finding strategies that actually work with our brains.

💚 If you’re looking for more support with understanding your AuDHD, we have practical resources, self-paced webinars and our low-cost membership at www.audhdandthensome.com

What’s one AuDHD contradiction you experience all the time? 👇

10/09/2026

This is such a common neurodivergent experience

You can be completely out of energy, no capacity left for masking, talking, making decisions, replying to messages or doing one more tiny task, but somehow your brain is still running at a million miles per hour.

Replaying a conversation from three days ago.
Planning something that may never happen.
Wondering whether you said the wrong thing.
Analysing someone’s tone.
Remembering an unfinished task from a week ago.
Creating an entire imaginary future scenario

That combination of Autistic exhaustion + ADHD mental hyperactivity can feel particularly intense

Your body is saying: “We are finished for today.”
Your brain is saying: “Perfect. Now we finally have time to think about EVERYTHING.”

Sometimes rest for an AuDHD brain isn’t about trying to force your thoughts to stop. It’s about reducing demands, lowering sensory input and finding something gentle enough to give that busy brain somewhere else to go.

07/09/2026

Sometimes the hardest part of ADHD isn’t what other people can see, it’s everything happening underneath.

Trying incredibly hard while worrying it looks like you’re not trying at all. Feeling overwhelmed by something that seems “simple.” Forgetting things you genuinely cared about. Needing reminders, but struggling with the shame that can come with needing them. And using so much energy masking, compensating and trying to keep up that by the end of the day you’re completely exhausted.

Sometimes the effort is enormous, it’s just largely invisible.

A little more understanding, flexibility and curiosity can make such a difference.

What’s something you wish people understood about your ADHD?

07/09/2026