AuDHD Test: Can You Test for Autism and ADHD Together?

An AuDHD test usually refers to screening for both autism and ADHD. There is currently no single standard clinical questionnaire that produces an official “AuDHD score.” Instead, autism and ADHD are assessed as two separate neurodevelopmental conditions that can occur together.

Someone exploring AuDHD may therefore encounter autism questionnaires such as the AQ or RAADS-R alongside ADHD questionnaires such as the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS). These tools can help identify patterns worth exploring, but their scores need to be interpreted separately and in the context of developmental history and everyday functioning.

The reason this can become complicated is that autism and ADHD do not simply sit next to each other. Some characteristics overlap, while others can interact in ways that create a distinctive combined profile.

Is there an official AuDHD test?

Not in the same way that there are established screening questionnaires for autism and ADHD separately.

AuDHD is an informal term commonly used for someone who is both autistic and has ADHD. It is not a separate diagnosis in the DSM or ICD.

Clinically, someone may receive:

♾️ Autism spectrum disorder
⚡ Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
🧩 Both autism and ADHD

An assessment therefore needs to determine whether the person meets the criteria for autism, ADHD, or both.

This distinction matters because a questionnaire designed to screen for one condition cannot automatically establish the other. NIMH describes autism as a developmental condition affecting areas including social interaction, communication and behavior, while ADHD is characterized by persistent inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that affects functioning.

Which tests are commonly used when exploring AuDHD?

There is no universal set of questionnaires, but adults commonly encounter several established screening measures.

♾️ Autism questionnaires

RAADS-R — Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale-Revised
An 80-item questionnaire covering areas including social relatedness, sensory-motor characteristics, language and focused interests.

AQ — Autism-Spectrum Quotient
A 50-item questionnaire measuring autistic traits across areas such as social interaction, attention switching, communication and attention to detail.

AQ-10
A short 10-question autism screener used in some clinical pathways.

⚡ ADHD questionnaires

ASRS v1.1 — Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale
An 18-item questionnaire covering adult inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms.

ASRS 6-item Screener
A shorter version designed to identify adults who may benefit from further ADHD assessment.

ASRS-5
A newer six-question ADHD screener developed around DSM-5 criteria.

These tools answer somewhat different questions. They should therefore not be combined into a single numerical AuDHD score.

Can you take an autism test and ADHD test together?

Yes. In fact, looking at both profiles can be particularly useful when someone identifies strongly with characteristics of both autism and ADHD.

A simple screening approach might involve:

♾️ Autism: AQ or RAADS-R
⚡ ADHD: ASRS
🧩 Combined interpretation: comparing the patterns identified by each questionnaire

The important part is the third step.

Imagine someone receives:

📊 a high AQ score
📊 a high RAADS-R score
📊 a positive ASRS result

That does not mathematically prove AuDHD. However, it gives a stronger reason to examine whether two distinct developmental patterns are present rather than trying to explain everything through one condition.

Our separate guides explain how to interpret the RAADS-R autism test and Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale.

Why is AuDHD difficult to identify from questionnaires?

Autism and ADHD overlap in several areas. Research comparing autistic and ADHD adults finds both shared and distinct characteristics rather than two completely separate profiles.

This means the same questionnaire answer can sometimes arise for different reasons.

For example:

Experience	ADHD may contribute through	Autism may contribute through
Difficulty following conversations	Attention shifting or impulsivity	Social-language processing
Trouble switching tasks	Attention regulation	Transition difficulty or need for predictability
Intense interests	Hyperfocus and reward	Focused autistic interests
Restlessness	Hyperactivity	Stimming or sensory regulation
Sensory difficulties	Distractibility or sensory sensitivity	Autistic sensory processing
Social difficulties	Forgetfulness, distraction or impulsivity	Differences in social communication
Need for routines	Compensating for executive difficulties	Predictability and reduced uncertainty

When someone has both conditions, the mechanisms can also coexist.

A person may have difficulty switching tasks because their ADHD attention has become intensely engaged and because an unexpected transition is difficult to process autistically.

Research into adult autism–ADHD overlap increasingly supports examining shared characteristics without assuming they have identical underlying causes.

What does an AuDHD profile look like?

An AuDHD profile can contain characteristics clearly associated with either condition, but some of the most recognizable experiences arise from their interaction.

🔄 Needing routine but struggling to maintain it

Autistic predictability can make routines highly useful. ADHD executive functioning difficulties can make those routines difficult to create and sustain.

Someone may therefore function much better with structure while repeatedly losing the structure they depend on.

🎧 Seeking stimulation but becoming overstimulated

ADHD can make insufficient stimulation difficult to tolerate, while autistic sensory processing may reduce tolerance for excessive or unpredictable input.

Someone might therefore:

🎵 need music to work but be unable to tolerate conversations nearby
🏠 become understimulated in a quiet environment but overwhelmed in a busy one
📱 seek stimulation and then need to withdraw from it
🚶 need movement without wanting additional social or sensory input

The issue is often not simply more or less stimulation, but finding the right type and amount.

🌍 Wanting novelty but needing predictability

Novelty can increase ADHD engagement, while unexpected change may create significant autistic processing demands.

This can appear as:

✈️ wanting new experiences but needing detailed plans
🍽️ wanting variety but returning to familiar foods
💼 becoming excited about new projects but struggling when established systems change
🏠 alternating between boredom with sameness and exhaustion from novelty

🎯 Hyperfocus with difficulty directing attention

Both ADHD and autism can involve intense concentration, but attention may not always be available where it is needed.

Someone might spend hours researching a particular subject while struggling to begin:

📧 a short email
🧺 household tasks
📅 administration
📞 an important phone call
📝 routine paperwork

The contrast between high capability and inconsistent access to that capability can be particularly noticeable in AuDHD.

For a wider explanation, see AuDHD vs ADHD vs Autism.

What signs might suggest exploring both autism and ADHD?

No single characteristic establishes AuDHD. A broader combination may make exploring both conditions useful.

⚡ ADHD-related patterns might include:

🧠 persistent difficulty regulating attention
⏰ problems estimating and managing time
🚀 difficulty initiating low-interest tasks
📅 forgetfulness and disorganization
🦵 internal or physical restlessness
🗣️ impulsivity or interrupting
🎯 attention strongly influenced by novelty, urgency or interest

♾️ Autism-related patterns might include:

🗣️ lifelong differences in social communication
👥 difficulty intuitively understanding social expectations
🎧 significant sensory differences
🔄 strong need for predictability
🎯 unusually focused or persistent interests
🔁 repetitive or regulatory behaviors
⏳ additional processing needs in certain situations

🧩 When both may be relevant:

The strongest reason to investigate AuDHD is not simply having many neurodivergent characteristics. It is finding meaningful evidence for both profiles across development.

For example, executive dysfunction alone does not establish ADHD in an autistic adult. Likewise, social difficulties alone do not establish autism in someone with ADHD. Each diagnosis needs its own supporting pattern.

Can ADHD hide autism?

It can sometimes make the overall presentation harder to interpret.

For example, an ADHD need for novelty may make an autistic preference for sameness less obvious. Someone might frequently change activities, jobs or interests despite also relying heavily on predictable routines in everyday life.

Other combinations can include:

⚡ impulsivity making someone appear socially spontaneous despite underlying social-processing difficulties
🌍 novelty seeking obscuring a preference for predictability
🗣️ high verbal output obscuring difficulties with reciprocal communication
🎯 rapidly changing ADHD interests existing alongside a few enduring autistic interests
👥 strong social motivation obscuring the effort required to understand social situations

This is one reason surface-level descriptions can be misleading. Autism is not defined by being quiet, rigid or socially withdrawn, just as ADHD is not defined by being visibly hyperactive.

Can autism hide ADHD?

Yes. Autistic coping strategies can sometimes compensate for ADHD difficulties.

Someone may build highly structured routines because organization does not happen reliably without them. From the outside they may look exceptionally organized, while maintaining that organization requires substantial effort.

Examples include:

📅 extensive calendars to compensate for forgetfulness
⏰ multiple alarms to compensate for time-management difficulties
🗂️ rigid organization systems to reduce losing things
🔄 fixed routines to reduce the number of decisions required
📝 detailed lists to keep intentions available
🎧 carefully controlled environments to reduce attentional competition

The presence of effective compensation does not necessarily mean the underlying difficulty is absent.

This is why adult assessment examines not only whether someone can perform a task, but also how they accomplish it and how much support or compensation it requires.

What about masking?

Masking can complicate both autism and ADHD identification.

An adult may have learned to:

🎭 imitate expected social behavior
👀 consciously regulate eye contact
🗣️ inhibit interruptions
🦵 suppress visible restlessness or stimming
📜 prepare scripts for conversations
📅 build elaborate systems around executive difficulties
😐 hide confusion or sensory discomfort

The observable presentation may therefore differ substantially from the person’s internal experience.

Questionnaires can sometimes help identify experiences that are not obvious externally, but they also depend on self-awareness. Someone who has compensated for decades may initially describe themselves as “organized,” for example, without recognizing that maintaining that organization requires five calendars, multiple alarms and constant checking.

Our guide to Masking vs Camouflaging explores this process further.

Can an AuDHD test tell you which condition causes each trait?

Usually not, and in practice this may not always be possible.

Consider executive functioning difficulties. Both autistic and ADHD adults can experience problems involving:

🚀 task initiation
🔄 task switching
🧠 working memory
📅 planning
🗂️ organization
🎯 prioritization

The useful question is therefore not always:

“Is this autism or ADHD?”

Sometimes the more informative questions are:

⚙️ What makes this task difficult?
🎧 Does sensory load change the difficulty?
🎯 Does interest dramatically change access to attention?
🔄 Does predictability improve functioning?
⏰ Does urgency make starting easier?
🧠 What type of external support reduces the difficulty?

Understanding the mechanism can be more practically useful than assigning every experience exclusively to one diagnosis.

How is AuDHD assessed professionally?

There is no separate clinical AuDHD diagnostic procedure. Instead, clinicians assess whether the person meets diagnostic criteria for autism and ADHD individually.

An assessment may therefore explore several areas.

♾️ Autism

🗣️ social communication and interaction
🔄 routines and responses to change
🎯 focused interests
🔁 repetitive behavior
🎧 sensory processing
👶 developmental history
🏠 effects on everyday functioning

⚡ ADHD

🧠 attention regulation
🚀 task initiation and completion
⚡ hyperactivity and restlessness
🗣️ impulsivity
📅 organization and working memory
👶 childhood ADHD characteristics
🏠 impairment across different settings

🧩 Combined picture

The clinician also needs to consider:

🔀 where characteristics overlap
🧠 whether one condition adequately explains particular difficulties
🤝 whether both sets of criteria are independently met
🎭 how masking and compensation affect presentation
😰 whether anxiety, depression or other conditions contribute
🔥 whether burnout or current stress is temporarily reducing functioning

ADHD symptoms must be persistent and impair functioning across relevant settings, while autism assessment examines a developmental pattern of autistic characteristics. NIMH similarly describes both as neurodevelopmental conditions beginning during development rather than conditions defined only by current adult symptoms.

Our Route to ADHD, Autism and AuDHD Assessment explains the assessment process in more detail.

What should you do with online AuDHD test results?

Online questionnaires can be useful when they help organize information rather than simply producing a label.

If both autism and ADHD screening results are elevated, consider mapping the underlying experiences.

👶 Development

Which characteristics were present during childhood? Look for patterns in school reports, family descriptions, friendships, interests, routines and everyday organization.

⚡ Attention and executive functioning

Record examples involving:

🚀 starting tasks
🏁 completing them
⏰ managing time
📅 remembering obligations
🎯 directing attention
🛑 controlling impulses

♾️ Autistic characteristics

Consider:

🗣️ social communication
👥 social understanding
🔄 predictability and transitions
🎯 focused interests
🔁 repetitive behavior
🎧 sensory processing

🧩 Interaction between the two

Pay particular attention to situations where your needs seem to conflict.

Examples might include:

🎧 needing stimulation but becoming overloaded
📅 needing routines but struggling to maintain them
🌍 wanting novelty but finding unexpected change difficult
🎯 becoming deeply focused while struggling to control what receives that focus

These examples can provide much more useful information than simply arriving at an online test with two numerical scores.

Is an AuDHD test worth taking?

Screening questionnaires can be useful when they are treated as tools for identifying patterns rather than final classifications.

They can help you determine:

🔎 which characteristics deserve closer examination
♾️ whether autism appears relevant
⚡ whether ADHD appears relevant
🧩 whether both profiles may need consideration
👶 which childhood experiences are worth revisiting
📝 which examples might be useful during an assessment

Their main limitation is that overlapping characteristics make self-interpretation difficult. A high autism score and positive ADHD screen may support further exploration, but the important question remains whether the full developmental criteria for each condition are present.

There is therefore no single number that tells you whether you have AuDHD. The combined profile becomes clearer by examining two developmental patterns and the ways they interact.

Read next

🧩 The Complete Beginner’s Guide to AuDHD — Start with the broader AuDHD profile and how autism and ADHD interact.

⚡ AuDHD vs ADHD vs Autism — Compare the three profiles side by side.

📋 RAADS-R Autism Test — Understand RAADS-R scores and their limitations.

🧠 Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) — Learn how adult ADHD screening works.

🧭 Route to ADHD, Autism and AuDHD Assessment — Explore the next steps toward formal assessment.

References

National Institute of Mental Health. Autism Spectrum Disorder. NIMH describes autism as a neurological and developmental condition and provides information about autistic characteristics, research and support.
NIMH: Autism Spectrum Disorder

National Institute of Mental Health. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). NIMH describes ADHD as a neurodevelopmental disorder involving inattention, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity, with symptoms affecting functioning across situations.
NIMH: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Autism spectrum disorder in adults: diagnosis and management (CG142). Includes recommendations for identifying and comprehensively assessing possible autism in adults.
NICE: Autism spectrum disorder in adults

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management (NG87). Covers adult ADHD identification, assessment, diagnosis and management.
NICE: ADHD diagnosis and management

Waldren, L. H., Leung, F. Y. N., Hargitai, L. D., et al. (2024). Unpacking the overlap between Autism and ADHD in adults: A multi-method approach. Cortex, 173, 120–137.
PubMed: Unpacking the overlap between Autism and ADHD in adults