AuDHD and OCD:
How to Tell What’s What
AuDHD and OCD:
How to Tell What’s What
AuDHD and OCD overlap in ways that make all three hard to see clearly, and most of us don’t get language for it until we’ve been confused by these patterns for years. This video is for AuDHD adults, late-diagnosed Autistic and ADHD people who suspect OCD might be in the mix, and clinicians working at the intersection. We walk through where they overlap, and how to begin teasing apart what is what, including practical questions you can ask yourself in the moment.
In this video, we explore:
→ Why OCD often gets missed when ADHD or autism are already in the picture
→ How working memory shows up differently in ADHD vs OCD vs AuDHD
→ The difference between ADHD compensation and OCD compulsion (and how they can spiral into each other)
→ Why autistic people need routines, and how that’s different from OCD avoidance
→ A predictive-processing explanation of why familiarity matters
→ How to tell an autistic ritual from an OCD compulsion (look for the logic)
→ What shows up at the three-way intersection — sensory sensitivities, BFRBs, executive function strain
→ A starting place for noticing your own patterns with curiosity instead of judgement OCD commonly co-occurs with both autism and ADHD, and clinical observation suggests rates may be higher for AuDHD folks specifically. The overlap with predictive processing, executive functioning, and sensory differences means this work benefits from both neurodivergent-affirming accommodations AND targeted treatment for OCD — not one or the other.
