The Remix: Can You Be More Than One Type of Neurodivergent?
The short answer? Yes.
The longer answer? Not only can you be more than one type of neurodivergent, it is actually incredibly common. In fact, it is often the rule rather than the exception.
For years, even the medical community got this wrong. Until relatively recently, diagnostic manuals told doctors that a person couldn’t be diagnosed with both Autism and ADHD at the same time. We now know that was incorrect.
If you feel like you are “collecting labels,” stop. You aren’t. You are just discovering the different facets of your unique operating system.
The “AuDHD” Phenomenon
The most talked-about combination in our community right now is AuDHD (Autism + ADHD).
Living with both can feel like an internal tug-of-war.
- Your Autistic side might crave routine, silence, and familiarity.
- Your ADHD side might crave novelty, stimulation, and chaos.
One part of you wants to organize the closet by color; the other part wants to throw everything on the floor and start a new hobby. This contradiction can be exhausting, leading to what we call “burnout cycles.” Understanding that you have both helps you find the balance—like needing a quiet room (Autism) but having a fidget spinner or a podcast playing (ADHD) to keep the under-stimulated brain happy.
Other Common Co-occurrences
Neurodivergent traits rarely travel alone. They tend to cluster together:
- Dyslexia & Dyspraxia: It is very common for those who process language differently to also process movement and coordination differently.
- Tourette’s & ADHD: High energy and impulse control regulation often go hand-in-hand with tics.
- Anxiety & Everything: Let’s be honest—living in a world not designed for you creates anxiety. This is often a secondary result of being neurodivergent, rather than a separate condition.
Why Recognizing the Mix Matters
If you only address one part of your neurodivergence, you might miss the bigger picture.
For example, if you treat your ADHD with medication or strategies that increase your focus, you might suddenly find your Autistic sensory sensitivities becoming much more obvious. You haven’t “gotten worse”; you’ve just cleared the noise so you can hear the other instruments in the orchestra.
You Are Not “Too Much”
It is easy to feel complex or difficult when you have multiple forms of neurodivergence. But at Spectrum Threadz, we see this complexity as depth.
Whether you identify as AuDHD, a dyslexic creative, or a “Neuro Spicy” mix of everything, your experience is valid. You don’t need to pick a team. You just need to find what works for you.
