AuDHD Evaluation & Care for Adults
When you're both autistic and ADHD — comprehensive, integrated evaluation and ongoing care for the way these two neurotypes actually interact.
For a long time, clinicians treated ADHD and autism as mutually exclusive — if you had one, you couldn't have the other. The DSM-5 only formally allowed dual diagnosis in 2013, and most practitioner training hasn't caught up.
Research over the past decade has dismantled the old assumption. Studies suggest that 30 to 50 percent of autistic adults also have ADHD, and a similar proportion of adults with ADHD meet criteria for autism. AuDHD isn't a niche presentation. It's common, often missed, and harder to evaluate well than either neurotype alone.
What makes AuDHD distinct isn't just having both. It's how the two neurotypes interact in a single brain — sometimes amplifying each other, sometimes contradicting each other, often making both harder to recognize than either would be in isolation. Most providers still evaluate ADHD or autism in isolation. Neurokin treats AuDHD as the integrated profile it actually is.
If you've spent years suspecting that one diagnosis didn't quite explain you, or if you've been identified as one but always felt the other was true too — you're in the right place. AuDHD is its own thing. Evaluation that takes both seriously is rare. We make it our specialty.
What Is AuDHD?
AuDHD is the term used when a person meets diagnostic criteria for both autism and ADHD. "Au" for autism, "DHD" for ADHD — pronounced "oh-D-H-D" by most of the community.
It's not a separate condition from autism or ADHD. It's not a new diagnosis category. It's the recognition that the two neurotypes co-occur often enough — and interact distinctly enough — that thinking of them together usually serves people better than thinking of them apart.
Both autism and ADHD are neurodevelopmental differences. Both involve how the brain processes information, regulates attention and energy, and navigates the world. They share some underlying
features (executive function differences, sensory sensitivity for many, social and communication patterns that don't fit neurotypical defaults) — and they diverge sharply in others. The combination changes the picture. An autistic person without ADHD often has strong routines and predictability needs. An ADHD person without autism often craves novelty and stimulation. An AuDHD person needs both — and the conflict between them is often what burnout, anxiety, and feeling like "I don't quite fit any explanation" trace back to.
Why AuDHD Doesn't Fit Either Label Alone
When both neurotypes are present, they interact in ways that often confuse evaluators trained to think in single diagnoses.
You crave routine and you crave novelty — at the same time.
Autism often involves a deep need for predictability, consistent routines, and known environments. ADHD often involves a craving for stimulation, novelty, and change. AuDHD adults frequently describe feeling pulled in both directions: building elaborate routines they then can't stick to, or seeking change and then being destabilized by it. Neither pure-autism nor pure-ADHD frameworks capture this internal contradiction well.
You're sensory-sensitive and sensory-seeking.
Many autistic adults have low sensory thresholds — bright lights, loud noises, or specific textures can be overwhelming. Many ADHD adults seek out sensory stimulation — caffeine, music, busy environments. AuDHD adults often experience both: overwhelmed by certain sensory inputs while craving others. This combination is common enough that researchers now describe a distinct "AuDHD sensory profile."
You hyperfocus and you can't focus.
Autistic special interests and ADHD hyperfocus look similar from the outside but feel different. AuDHD adults often have both: deep, sustained engagement with specific topics or projects (sometimes for years) alongside profound difficulty starting or maintaining attention on anything outside that zone. Neither "autism focus" nor "ADHD focus" frameworks alone explain this fully.
You mask AND you act on impulse.
Many autistic adults — especially women and AFAB individuals — mask heavily, suppressing autistic traits to fit in socially. Many ADHD adults struggle with impulse control, saying or doing things before thinking them through. AuDHD adults often experience an exhausting cycle: high-effort masking that depletes executive function, followed by impulsive moments when masking breaks down. The pattern is distinctive and rarely caught by single-diagnosis evaluation.
Why Integrated Evaluation Matters
If both neurotypes are present, why not just get evaluated for ADHD and then separately for autism — same information, two appointments? It doesn't work well. Three reasons:
Each evaluation can mask the other.
Autistic special interests can present like ADHD hyperfocus. ADHD overwhelm can look like autistic burnout. ADHD impulsivity can be misread as autistic rigidity breaking down. A clinician evaluating only for ADHD often misses the autism. A clinician evaluating only for autism often misses the ADHD. Both happen frequently.
The interaction patterns are diagnostic.
The contradictions described above — sensory sensitivity AND sensory seeking, routine cravings AND novelty cravings, masking AND impulsivity — are themselves part of how AuDHD is identified. A clinician looking at one neurotype at a time often dismisses the contradictions as "unclear presentation" rather than recognizing them as the AuDHD signature.
The care plan needs to integrate.
Treatment that helps ADHD can sometimes worsen autistic experience (stimulants can sharpen focus but increase sensory sensitivity for some). Treatment that helps autism can sometimes worsen ADHD (rigid routines can support sensory regulation but exacerbate ADHD-related shutdown). A care plan that addresses one in isolation often creates new problems in the other. Integrated care looks at both at once.
Our Approach to AuDHD Evaluation
AuDHD evaluation at Neurokin is collaborative, in-depth, and integrated. We use longer Visit 1 and Visit 2 appointments (about 2 hours each) than standalone ADHD or autism evaluations because both neurotypes need their own depth of assessment in the same evaluation.
Our AuDHD evaluations include:
Comprehensive clinical interviews and developmental history review.
Across all three visits, structured to understand both autism and ADHD presentation in your real life — childhood patterns, current functioning, the contradictions, the masking, the patterns that don't fit either single label alone.
Validated assessment tools for both neurotypes.
ADHD-specific tools (ASRS-v1.1, Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales, QbCheck when appropriate) AND autism-specific tools (RAADS-R, AQ-50, CAT-Q for masking measurement). We use both, not just one.
Cognitive testing with Creyos when appropriate.
Measures working memory, attention, executive function, and reasoning — relevant to both neurotypes and useful for understanding your specific cognitive profile.
In-depth exploration of the interaction patterns.
Sensory profile (sensitivity AND seeking), routine vs. novelty needs, masking AND impulsivity patterns, hyperfocus AND attention difficulty — the AuDHD-specific dynamics that single-neurotype evaluations often miss.
Strengths-based diagnostic formulation.
Both autism and ADHD bring strengths alongside challenges. AuDHD often combines them in distinctive ways — pattern recognition with creative leaps, depth with breadth, focused intensity with rapid context-switching. We map the strengths as part of the diagnostic picture
Integrated written care plan.
One care plan that addresses both neurotypes and how they interact. Specific recommendations for sensory strategies, executive function tools, medication options if relevant (in NJ/NY where we prescribe), and how to coordinate with your local prescriber if you're in DC, FL, or CA
Neurodiversity-Affirming AuDHD Care
We approach AuDHD as a complex form of neurodiversity — a brain wired with both autistic and ADHD patterns interacting in ways that are uniquely yours. Not a problem to solve. Not two diagnoses to manage. A way of being that comes with genuine challenges and genuine strengths. What that means in practice:
An adult exploring ADHD later in life. After years of managing without knowing why some things felt harder than they should.
A New Jersey professional in burnout. Chronic overwhelm, exhaustion, or stress that never quite resolves with traditional treatment.
Someone dismissed or misdiagnosed. Told you're "too successful" to have ADHD, or that your struggles are "just anxiety."
A patient seeking private, discreet care. Without insurance involvement, HR records, or shared system documentation.
AuDHD Care Designed for You
Our AuDHD care is especially well-suited for:
Adults who've been diagnosed with one but suspect both. Identified as ADHD years ago but always thought autism explained more, or identified as autistic but knew ADHD was part of the picture too.
Late-identified adults. Particularly women, AFAB individuals, and high-masking adults who've spent years masking both neurotypes and never found a single diagnosis that fully fit.
Adults who've been told their experience is "complicated". Or that they have "comorbid anxiety" when the actual pattern is AuDHD-specific.
Adults experiencing burnout. Particularly the kind of cyclical, deep burnout that follows extended masking and then crashes when masking breaks down.
Professionals who function well externally and struggle internally. Often through enormous effort that's not visible to others — and that comes at a cost.
Adults whose ADHD treatment hasn't worked the way it should. Sometimes because autism is part of the picture and the care plan didn't account for it.
We also work with adults whose primary identification has been depression, anxiety, OCD, BPD, or PTSD where AuDHD turns out to better explain the underlying pattern. These misidentifications happen often. Re-evaluation can be clarifying.
Where We Practice
NJ & NY
Full Care
Comprehensive evaluation, diagnosis, treatment planning, and ongoing prescribing.
DC, FL & CA
Diagnostic & Care Plan
Comprehensive evaluation and a written care plan that you'll use with your local prescriber.
Detailed AuDHD Care by State
Neurokin provides AuDHD evaluation and care for adults in five licensed states. The exact scope of what we offer in each state depends on local prescribing rules.
New Jersey
Full Care including comprehensive AuDHD evaluation, integrated diagnosis, written care plan, and ongoing prescribing for any medication management needs (ADHD medications, anxiety/depression treatment for co-occurring conditions). Karina is DEA-licensed in New Jersey. In-person at Westfield or telehealth statewide.
New York
Full Care including comprehensive AuDHD evaluation, integrated diagnosis, written care plan, and ongoing prescribing. Karina is DEA-licensed in New York. In-person at Midtown Manhattan or telehealth statewide.
Washington DC
Comprehensive AuDHD evaluation and a written care plan you'll use with your local prescriber. Same evaluation depth as our NJ/NY service — different prescribing pathway.
Florida
Comprehensive AuDHD evaluation and a written care plan you'll use with your local prescriber. Same evaluation depth as our NJ/NY service — different prescribing pathway.
California
Comprehensive AuDHD evaluation and a written care plan you'll use with your local prescriber. Same evaluation depth as our NJ/NY service — different prescribing pathway.
Real Patients, Real Progress
If You've Always Suspected Both Were True
AuDHD evaluation is the work of helping you understand both halves of how your brain operates — and how they interact. It's longer, more complex, and more revealing than evaluation for either neurotype alone.
If you've been waiting for a place that takes both seriously, this is it.
Your Questions About AuDHD, Answered
What is AuDHD?
AuDHD is the term used when a person meets diagnostic criteria for both autism and ADHD. "Au" for autism, "DHD" for ADHD — pronounced "oh-D-H-D." It's not a separate condition from autism or ADHD; it's the recognition that the two neurotypes co-occur often (in 30-50 percent of autistic adults and a similar proportion of adults with ADHD) and interact distinctly enough that thinking of them together usually serves people better than thinking of them apart.
How is AuDHD different from just having ADHD or just having autism?
The two neurotypes interact in ways that don't fit either single label. Common AuDHD patterns include sensory sensitivity AND sensory seeking, craving routine AND craving novelty, deep hyperfocus AND difficulty starting tasks, masking AND impulsivity. These contradictions are part of the AuDHD signature — and they're often why single-neurotype evaluations miss it.
Can I be evaluated for AuDHD if I haven't been diagnosed with either yet?
Yes. Many AuDHD evaluations start without prior diagnosis of either condition. If both neurotypes are present, AuDHD evaluation is more efficient and accurate than separate ADHD and autism evaluations done sequentially. We assess for both at the same time.
I was diagnosed with ADHD years ago — should I get re-evaluated for AuDHD?
If you've consistently felt that ADHD didn't fully explain your experience — sensory sensitivities, social fatigue, special interests, masking patterns, struggles that ADHD treatment didn't fully address — AuDHD evaluation often makes sense. Re-evaluation can clarify whether autism was missed and how that changes your care plan going forward.
How long does AuDHD evaluation take?
Three visits over three to four weeks. About five hours of clinical time total — longer than ADHD-only or autism-only evaluation because both neurotypes need their own depth of assessment in the same evaluation.
How much does AuDHD evaluation cost?
$2,500 total, paid across three visits ($900 + $800 + $800). The optional comprehensive written report adds $450 if you need formal documentation. We accept HSA/FSA cards directly and provide a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement. See our Pricing page for full details.
What if I'm in evaluation and you find I have ADHD without autism, or autism without ADHD?
That can happen. Sometimes what seems like AuDHD is actually one neurotype with confounding factors (anxiety, trauma response, masking presenting differently than expected). If we identify only one neurotype, your care plan reflects that — and we'll discuss the pricing implications transparently. If we find ADHD only, the evaluation completes as an ADHD evaluation. If we find autism only, similarly. We don't charge AuDHD pricing for non-AuDHD findings.
Can AuDHD be treated with medication?
AuDHD itself isn't medication-treated — medication is for specific symptoms or co-occurring conditions, not for autism or ADHD as identities. ADHD-specific medications (stimulants, non-stimulants) can help with the ADHD-related challenges. Co-occurring anxiety, depression, or sleep issues may benefit from their own medication treatment. Autism doesn't have a primary medication treatment. Karina prescribes for the ADHD and co-occurring components in NJ and NY; in DC, FL, and CA, your local prescriber handles medication management using our care plan.
Do you offer AuDHD evaluation by telehealth?
Yes. The full three-visit AuDHD evaluation can be done by telehealth in any of our five licensed states (NJ, NY, DC, FL, CA). In-person is available at our Westfield NJ and Midtown Manhattan offices. Telehealth works well for AuDHD evaluation because most of the work is conversation and assessment tools that translate cleanly to video.
What happens after my AuDHD evaluation?
You receive an integrated diagnostic picture, a written care plan addressing both neurotypes, and time to ask every question. In NJ or NY, you can stay in care with Karina for ongoing support including any prescribing. In DC, FL, or CA, your care plan is the clinical guide your local prescriber uses for any medications. Either way, you walk away with clarity and a concrete plan for what comes next.
