Are there specific treatments for AuDHD? What guidelines say (2026)

No treatment has been designed for AuDHD as a single condition, and few trials have looked specifically at people who have both. Clinically, AuDHD is two diagnoses, ADHD and autism, and the Australian guidelines for each one were written for that condition. When both are present, the guidance asks clinicians to plan support for both and adjust how it is delivered for the person in front of them.

That can feel frustrating when you are looking for a clear answer. It reflects where the research is: the overlap is common, with a 2021 meta-analysis finding that 38.5% of autistic people currently meet criteria for ADHD, yet trials that look specifically at people with both are still limited. The sections below set out what the guidance does say, so you can take it to your clinician.

This guide is general information. It does not recommend any treatment for you.

The Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) guideline from 2022 has several recommendations that apply when someone is autistic as well as ADHD:

• Co-occurring conditions are treated under their own guidelines. Recommendation 2.2.3 says treatment for co-occurring conditions should be offered, follow best-practice guidelines for each condition, and be delivered in a way that accounts for ADHD symptoms.
• Treatment is multimodal. Recommendation 3.1.1 asks clinicians to offer both medication and non-medication supports, and to shape the plan around the person's preferences, needs, goals, strengths and any co-occurring conditions.
• ADHD medication is adjusted more slowly. Recommendation 5.1.7 says dose changes should be slower and monitoring more frequent when a person has another neurodevelopmental condition, and it names autism as an example.
• The same choices are offered. Recommendation 5.6.1 says people with ADHD and a co-occurring condition such as autism should be offered the same medication choices as anyone else with ADHD.
• Information covers both. Recommendation 2.3.1 asks clinicians to explain how ADHD is treated and supported when a person has a co-occurring neurodevelopmental condition.

Our guides to ADHD treatment options and therapy for ADHD cover the ADHD side in general.

Autism CRC's National Guideline for supporting the learning, participation and wellbeing of autistic children and their families was launched in February 2023, and its recommendations were approved by the National Health and Medical Research Council. It focuses on children aged 0 to 12 and on supports that are not based on medication, such as therapies delivered in the community or clinic.

Its scope table places outcomes related to conditions that co-occur with autism, including ADHD, outside the guideline. Its recommendations on working in partnership with families, individualising supports and choosing goals that matter to the child still apply to an autistic child who is also ADHD, while the ADHD side is covered by ADHD guidance.

The autism assessment guideline also asks clinicians to give recommendations for support whether or not a diagnosis of autism is made, with enough detail to follow, including how to access and fund them.

In 2020, a group of UK clinicians and researchers published guidance in BMC Medicine on identifying and treating people with both ADHD and autism, based on expert consensus. It is one of the few documents written for this group. It describes:

• Psychoeducation about both conditions, repeated over time rather than given once.
• Changes to the environment at home, school or work, such as lighting, noise, clutter and routines, guided by working out what triggers difficulties.
• Parent and carer programs, where the parent learns behavioural and environmental strategies to use at home.
• Adapted psychological therapy, with slower pacing, shorter sessions, more structure and visual supports. For younger children it puts behavioural approaches first.
• A cautious approach to ADHD medication, described as start low and go slow, with clear goals, close monitoring for side effects and regular review. It states that there are no recommended medicines for the core characteristics of autism.

The authors are open about the limits. Their guidance draws on clinical experience and published research for each condition, and for some approaches, such as adapted cognitive behavioural therapy for adults with both, they note there is no published evidence yet on the modified versions.

Most of what is written about supporting people with AuDHD comes from guidelines built for one condition and from expert consensus, rather than from trials in people who have both. The five AADPA recommendations listed above are clinical practice points or clinical consensus recommendations, based on expert opinion and clinical experience, rather than evidence-based recommendations. The AADPA guideline itself notes a lack of research on co-occurring conditions in some groups, and the UK consensus describes several approaches as not yet well researched for this group.

In practice, that means a good plan is usually built and reviewed with your clinicians over time, with goals you have chosen. You can ask your clinician how they will check whether each part of the plan is helping, and what they will change if it isn't.

If you are under 25 and a paediatrician or psychiatrist has diagnosed autism and written a treatment and management plan, Medicare rebates apply to up to 20 allied health treatment services in your lifetime, with up to 10 per referral. The NDIS funds supports for people who meet its disability requirements, and Thriving Kids supports children aged 8 and under with low to moderate support needs, outside Queensland. Our guide on the NDIS and autism assessment explains how NDIS eligibility works for autism.

These questions can help you get a plan that fits both conditions:

• Which of my difficulties do you think relate to ADHD, which to autism, and which to how the two interact?
• Which guideline recommendations are you following for each condition?
• How will you adjust therapy for sensory needs, processing time or routine?
• If ADHD medication is part of the plan, how will dose changes and side effects be monitored?
• What goals are we working towards, and when will we review them?

If you have not yet been assessed for both, our guide to getting an AuDHD diagnosis in Australia covers the steps, and our AuDHD guide covers what having both can be like.