Is there an ADD/ADHD Autism connection?

You may already know that I have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder.  I was diagnosed about 8 years ago.  That revelation changed my life.  All these things that seemed "wrong" about me finally made sense.  I always wondered why I wasn't able to live successfully the way other people so easily seemed to. I always messed everything up it seemed.  The fever pitch was when I was put on academic probation during my first college stint.  I was smart; I always tested well.  But trying to pass college classes?  Impossible.

I began to read, read, and read up some more on ADD as well as work on behavior modification.  That helped immensely.  Once I understood how my brain worked, I went on to be very successful in the military as well as college. 

Then Kekito came along in 2007.  My son progressed beautifully until he was close to a year old.  Suddenly, and slowly at the same time, I realized he was "different".  At first I thought, "OK, he has ADD".  Then it became more apparent that it was actually Autism.



Kekito sharing with me his discovery of Dandelions.

 I didn't know much at the time about Autism.  The more I learned, the more I pondered the possible connection to ADD/ADHD.  There were so many symptoms of Autism that seemed to overlap with my very own diagnosis.  So much so, to the point that I found myself googling "Asperger's in adults".  I started to wonder if maybe it was Asperger's I had after all.  But I knew that couldn't be because I was all too clearly able to empathize with others (Theory of Mind).  That is the singular difference I've noticed.  That, and the fact that in Autism the symptoms seem tenfold at least.

Day in and day out I wish that I could find some research on the possibility of a connection.  I can't help but wonder if ADD is on the highest functioning end of the spectrum.

These are my reasons for wondering:

- They are both neurological disorders that likely have strong genetic factors.
- Both affect the production and levels of various facets of body chemistry.
- Both affect sleeping patterns/behaviors.
- Both affect the ability to relate to others socially.
- Personally, I have an incredibly difficult time understanding sarcasm (just as one would with Autism).
- Both have various sensory processing problems.
- Personally, I have a remarkable memory for various types of facts.
- From what I have seen so far, both are very visual learners/thinkers.

Mommy, you simply must smell this!

I could go on about each of these topics- but I think that's better left for another day, another post.

I really hope someday I can find some sort of research either linking the two together, or conclusively setting them apart.  Until then, I'll keep on wondering. 

What do you think about the possibility?