\u201cAll the drop-down tabs have gone away,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s that slight mourning \u2013 gosh, if I\u2019d known this 40, 50 years ago, would I have gone through all the stuff that I went through? Maybe it would have made my high school years easier because, you know, I did have a lot of mental health struggles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the diagnosis, she told the Australian Women\u2019s Weekly she would put herself in situations that she didn\u2019t actually want to be in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t really like crowds, I don\u2019t like crowd noise. I don\u2019t like being out in public to a certain extent.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo an extent, it\u2019s the job I\u2019ve got,\u201d she said. \u201cYou put on a happy face and go, \u2018No no, it\u2019s fine\u2019. Inside you\u2019re saying, \u2018Urgh\u2019 and recoiling. Even though I seemed to be outgoing as a young kid, I actually preferred being in the bush and hiding myself away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rebecca Gibney.<\/p>\n
Only in the past decade or so have autism and ADHD<\/a> been able to be diagnosed together. Until 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) \u2013 the reference used by health workers around the world for definitions of psychological diagnoses \u2013 did not allow for ADHD to be diagnosed in an autistic person.<\/p>\n About 1% to 4% of the population are autistic.<\/p>\n They can find it difficult to navigate social situations and relationships, prefer consistent routines and find changes overwhelming and repetition soothing. They may have particular sensory sensitivities.<\/p>\n ADHD occurs in around 5%-8% of children and adolescents and 2%-6% of adults. Characteristics can include difficulties with focusing attention<\/a> in a flexible way, resulting in procrastination, distraction and disorganisation. People with ADHD can have high levels of activity and impulsivity.<\/p>\n Studies suggest about 40% of those with ADHD also meet diagnostic criteria for autism and vice versa.<\/p>\n