When Diagnoses Collide: Understanding ADHD, Autism, and Acquired Brain Injury Through a Neuropsychological Lens
When Diagnoses Collide: Understanding ADHD, Autism, and Acquired Brain Injury Through a Neuropsychological Lens
In clinical practice, individuals rarely present with neatly defined diagnostic categories. Increasingly, neuropsychologists encounter complex cases where neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) coexist with acquired brain injury (ABI). While each of these profiles has distinct characteristics, their overlapping cognitive and emotional features can blur diagnostic clarity, often complicating support planning and capacity-related decisions.
The Diagnostic Overlap: More Than the Sum of Its Parts
ADHD, ASD, and ABI all impact executive functioning, social cognition, emotional regulation, and attentional control – but in different ways. For example, distractibility and impulsivity may be longstanding traits in someone with undiagnosed ADHD, or they may reflect post-concussive symptoms after a head injury. Similarly, social withdrawal could arise from autistic processing differences or from emotional trauma following ABI.
Without specialist input, such overlapping symptoms can lead to misdiagnosis, fragmented support, or inappropriate expectations. A detailed neuropsychological evaluation allows clinicians to trace the origins of symptoms, differentiate developmental from acquired features, and identify where they may interact or compound each other.
Neuropsychologists and Mental Capacity: Clarifying the Grey Areas
When diagnostic complexity exists, mental capacity assessment becomes even more nuanced. Traditional capacity evaluations often overlook the subtle, fluctuating effects of coexisting ADHD, ASD, and ABI – particularly in relation to decision-making, planning, and risk awareness.
The neuropsychologists at our clinic approach capacity through a functional and context-sensitive lens, considering how overlapping cognitive difficulties affect real-world choices. By combining psychometric testing with clinical interviews and behavioural observation, we offer assessments that go beyond surface-level impressions to reflect the person’s actual support needs and strengths.
At The London Neurocognitive Clinic, we prioritise individualised rehabilitation – not only addressing cognitive deficits but empowering clients to understand their own profiles. Whether symptoms relate to long-standing neurodiversity or to post-injury changes, at our clinic personalised neuropsychological assessment forms the cornerstone of effective care.
