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ADHD and Autism
Is There a Connection? By Kelly Burgess
At that time Kennedy wasn't thinking about autism simply because it wasn't yet on her radar screen. All she was trying to do was to find out how best to help her sons. "At this point I was still completely focused on the diagnosis of ADHD and was running around like a madwoman, trying to figure out where my three very different sons fit into this ADD/ADHD spectrum," she says. "The leap from ADHD to autism was made almost accidentally."
That accident was precipitated by a woman named Joni who ran the state council of Children and Adults With Attention Deficit Disorder (CHADD). She was particularly interested in children with severe cases and suggested to Kennedy that she do some research into autism, particularly Asperger's syndrome, a type of autism.
"When I looked at the checklist, my head just began reeling," says Kennedy. "Not only did it describe Sam's behavior so well, but I realized that my husband also had the classic pesonality traits of a person with pervasive developmental disorders."
Shortly after, Diane and Tom attended an autistic diagnostic interview for Sam. During the interview, as the doctor asked questions about Sam, Tom would reply, "I'm not so sure about him, but how did you know that about me?"
