SEND rarely arrives alone
Most SEND children and adults have more than one diagnosis. This is called co-occurrence or comorbidity. NHS and research literature consistently shows high overlap between:
- Autism and ADHD (often called AuDHD)
- Autism and learning disability
- Autism and anxiety / OCD / PDA
- ADHD and dyslexia / dyspraxia / dyscalculia
- Sensory processing differences across nearly all neurotypes
- Tourette's, tics and OCD
- Epilepsy (higher in autism and learning disability)
- Hypermobility / EDS (higher in autism and ADHD)
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Sleep disorders
- Mental health conditions (anxiety, depression, eating disorders, PTSD)
Why this matters
- One diagnosis often masks another
- Each condition needs its own strategies
- The "primary" diagnosis may not be the most disabling one
- Services often only treat one thing at a time
Common combinations
AuDHD — autistic + ADHD brains together. Often missed because traits can look contradictory (loves routine + craves novelty). Needs strategies for both.
Autism + anxiety — extremely common. Reducing sensory and social demand often reduces anxiety more than therapy alone.
Autism + PDA — see the separate PDA topic. Standard autism strategies often backfire.
ADHD + dyslexia — focus + reading processing both struggle. School support must address both.
Hypermobility + autism/ADHD — pain, fatigue, clumsiness often dismissed. Worth raising with GP.
What to do
- Keep a symptom and trigger diary
- Ask the GP / paediatrician about referrals for things that don't fit the main diagnosis
- Don't accept "it's just the autism"
- Treat each condition with its own strategy
- Remember mental health is a co-occurring condition too — treat it actively
One person, many threads. Support all of them.