"Each of the 39 wedges in the circle represents one question in the Autism Symptom Dimensions Questionnaire. The traits associated with each question (listed below) are grouped into key symptom factors—the main aspects of behavior that evaluators look for when they assess someone for autism."

Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-autism-spectrum-isnt-a-sliding-scale-39-traits-show-the-complexity

[Image: Graphic shows a chart resembling a color wheel with 29 wedges, each representing one trait from the Autism Symptom Dimensions Questionnaire. The traits are grouped by color into 10 key symptom factors including basic social communication, repetitive motor behaviors and restricted interests. Five concentric circular dotted lines represent possible scores of one to five, with five indicating a higher degree of neurodivergence. The 39 traits are listed alongside the chart.

Image: Amanda Montañez; Source: “The Autism Symptom Dimensions Questionnaire: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a New, Open-Source Measure of Autism Symptomatology,” by Thomas W. Frazier et al., in Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, Vol. 65, No. 8; August 2023 (data)]

https://preview.redd.it/cmcurhp21d2h1.png?width=2000&format=png&auto=webp&s=a23111cb248166edf362c9281394f8eb146e06b7

CW: medical invalidation, misdiagnosis, research ethics issues

I’ve got a long and honestly pretty upsetting story about a research experience, and I’m going to try to lay it out as clearly as possible.

I work in clinical research at a university, and I like participating in studies outside my field/department when I can. I signed up for a study on the reliability of adult ADHD diagnosis. I was diagnosed with autism + ADHD a little over a year ago, and the study advertised a comprehensive psychological evaluation, which sounded interesting.

The assessments they used included a clinical interview, selected DIAMOND modules (Anxiety, Mood, ADHD), the Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale‑IV, Conners CPT‑3, COWAT, Trail Making Test A/B, MMPI‑3, and some WAIS‑V subtests. Everything was administered by a grad trainee. The supervising licensed psychologist never met me but still signed the diagnostic report.

The “diagnostic” report they gave me said they ruled out ADHD. They claimed my executive functioning issues, attention problems, working‑memory weaknesses, etc. were better explained by “persistent anxiety and depression,” which they said they diagnosed me with, with diagnostic codes included. Their justification was that my CPT‑3 scores were mostly average with mild deficits, and that I had slightly elevated MMPI‑3 validity scales. (If you’ve ever taken the MMPI, you know it’s not exactly neurodivergent‑friendly.) The implication was basically that I over‑reported symptoms and it was “just anxiety.”

A huge red flag: they told me this report was equivalent to a medical report that could be used for accommodations or treatment. As someone who works in research, I know how serious it is to blur the line between research and clinical care. That alone is a problem I reported to the IRB.

But that wasn’t the only issue.

During the interview, I mentioned I had an autism diagnosis. They took that single comment and, in the report, said my profile was “inconsistent with autism” and that they ruled it out. They did not do any autism assessments or explore it further. They also claimed to rule out bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders, and a current eating disorder… none of which were assessed. They literally just took my word for past history and then declared those conditions “ruled out.” They said they ruled out a current eating disorder because I mentioned I had one in the past. Again, they didn’t assess or verify if I didn’t have a current eating disorder; they just took my word for it and said it was ruled it by them.

They also suggested I might show signs of a Cluster C personality disorder (specifically avoidant PD), which I’m pretty sure was them misinterpreting autistic traits.

I talked through all of this with a coworker/friend who is a neuropsychologist. She knows the program director and, with my permission, reached out. According to her, the director spoke with the psychologist, who is now “willing to talk to me and soften his conclusions.” He also said the IRB’s only concern was that a grad student was listed as PI instead of him. But the last update I got from the IRB was that they were still investigating, and I specifically asked whether the consent form I signed matched the approved version because there were irregularities there too.

The director told my coworker that the psychologist would be more involved in explaining results in the future, but honestly, I don’t feel like the seriousness of this situation is being acknowledged. This is a potentially dangerous way to run a research study, especially when they’re ruling out conditions they didn’t assess for, contradicting existing diagnoses, and presenting research as clinical care.

I’m frustrated, and I’m not sure what else to do besides follow up with the IRB (even though I know they can’t share much). My coworker sent a new statement from me to the director, but we haven’t heard back yet. I just want participants to be protected, and I needed to vent.

EDIT: I really wanted to thank you all so much for your support and encouragement. I was feeling pretty insecure about how much I should push this, and y’all have helped and encouraged me so much. And made me feel less alone. I also really appreciate the people who gave ideas for further reporting! Those are useful suggestions. I had considered reporting to the licensing board but worried that was too far, but I’m really considering it again now.

I do also want to give more context for where it’s at right now. The last I heard the IRB is continuing its investigation. The program director talked to the PI, that resulted in the email where he said the PI was open to “softening some of the conclusions.” Apparently the PI was also encouraged to be more involved in feedback sessions and be more careful about ruling out conditions that weren’t assessed. Though it did seem the PI was shifting some of the blame to the trainee. But the PI was also “open to meeting” with me to help me understand how the conclusions were reached. “It seems like one of her major concerns was the different outcome from this evaluation compared to other evaluations that she’s had, so perhaps such a discussion could help her understand how that happens.”

So I’ve requested a meeting with the program director directly, and I sent another follow-up email to the IRB today. Again, thank you all so much for your words of support!! It helped so much. I’ll update if anything happens.

Dear Audhd community,

I hope you are all well and happy. I came here to ask for advice. May I ask how did you work out an identity crisis? I am 35 and I am realising a lot of things lately when it comes to masking and people pleasing... I am not quite sure who I am! It hit me hard when I realised that even when I am completely on my own I feel blank? Like, it went so far that I am masking even from myself ! I do not know what I want or what I actually like and how I feel. I feel so lost and confused, and that it shouldn't be that way. I know it is somewhere inside me but soon as any natural, first, (mine?) reaction, to absolutely anything, come out I push it down and I think what others expect from me in the first place then I adjust myself. I hope I explained in a way it makes sense and there is at least one person here who can relate... Where do I look for help? What helped you to find yourself and to start trusting yourself? I hate the fact that to be able to feel ok I need validation or confirmation from outside.. otherwise I just don't trust myself 😬

Hi, r/AuDHD
I'm a community member and student researcher studying how senses and attention work in neurodivergent individuals, including what helps, what gets in the way, and what most research misses. Most research on us focuses on what’s 'broken' or how we fail to meet neurotypical standards. I’m not interested in that. I want to understand how we interact with the world around us.
Who can participate:
* Adults 18+
* Self-identified autistic, ADHD, AuDHD, or neurotypical individuals
* No formal diagnosis required
What's involved:
* Anonymous Google Forms survey
* 10-15 minutes
* No personal information collected
 
Survey Questions –  https://forms.gle/o4QkryWuuihkKk196

Hi to all!

I (an autistic woman myself) am conducting a research regarding the effects of autistic camouflaging on mental health, and I would appreciate your participation!

Link to the study: https://maastrichtuniversity.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a2vuFD4kHiIf8A6

Purpose:

This research is about the relationship of masking/camouflaging behavior in autistic people and their mental health, and the mechanisms that mediate this relationship. The factors which we want to investigate are aspects of the self and social support.

Participant selection:

This study regards people 16 years or older who have a formal Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis without co-occurring intellectual disability, and are fluent in the English language.

Procedure:

You will be asked to fill out an online questionnaire, with the survey lasting approximately 10-15 minutes.

Data handling:

The study is anonymous and no personal data will be stored. Research data can be published and re-used in other research, but only in such a way that they cannot be traced back to you. For the duration of the study, the data will be stored confidentially, on university servers and will only be accessible by the researchers.

 

More information is available in the information and consent form in the study.

The study will be available from: 14/05/2026 – 14/10/2026

I also aim to follow up and share the study results once it has been successfully conducted, as I understand the importance of these topics not only being researched, but also be shared with the public.

 

Contact:

Alexandra Varouxi (Master’s student)

alexandra.varouxi@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Dr. Johannes Stauder (Responsible researcher)

h.stauder@maastrichtuniversity.nl

Research Title: Camouflaging Behavior and Mental Health in Autistic Adults: Examining the Roles of Perceived Social Support, Self-Concept and Self-Acceptance

Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience

Ethics Review Committee Psychology and Neuroscience Reference Code: OZL_248_06_02_2022_S43

• Hi friends and fellow audhd research and resources enthusiasts!

Good news: r/audhd has received a makeover! We have a new mod team, a new banner, a new logo, new rules, new post flairs and last but not least, a newfound drive to help this subreddit grow and thrive.

In this post, I will lay out the changes that have been made. Please familiarise yourselves with these changes as you continue contributing to our community in the future.

Thank you all for being a part of this!

~Amy

________________________________________________________________________

Mod team

We've had a few changes in the mod team. Please join me in welcoming u/Conscious_Lab_43, u/NotJustMeAnymore, u/Pigufleisch, u/nasbyloonions and u/peacefularuvi to the mod team!

They each have their unique points of view, backgrounds, experiences and interests, but they all share their love for knowledge and a willingness to help out those seeking it.

________________________________________________________________________

Rules

The rules can be found in our side bar, though I'd like to list them here as well.

(1) Be respectful & constructive.

Engage with others in a civil and helpful manner.

Harassment, hostility, or dismissive behaviour will not be tolerated.

Be on your best best behaviour.

(2) All posts require moderator approval.

All submissions are reviewed by moderators before being published.

Moderators will remove posts they deem inappropriate for the r/audhd community.

This process is done entirely by humans and may take some time, so please be patient.

If your post has not been approved within 48 hours, feel free to reach out via modmail.

If you disagree with a removal, feel free to discuss it through modmail as well.

(3) Use the correct flair.

Choose the flair that best fits your post.

This helps keep the subreddit organised and ensures users understand the context of your submission.

Moderators may adjust flairs or remove posts if they are incorrectly labelled.

See "Post flairs" below for a detailed overview.

(4) Be transparent & honest.

Clearly state the purpose of your post, your affiliation (if any), and how any collected data will be used.

Misleading information, hidden agendas, or deceptive practices are not allowed and may result in an immediate and permanent ban.

(5) Respect privacy.

Do not request or collect sensitive personal data without clear, informed consent.

All posts must comply with GDPR and other applicable data protection laws.

(6) No spam or excessive self-promotion.

Avoid posting the same or similar content multiple times.

Promotional or market research posts should be reasonable, relevant, and not overwhelm the community.

Not posting in good faith and merely spamming the same message to several subreddits will result in a permanent ban.

(7) Provide context.

Posts should include enough information for users to understand what they are engaging with.

Low-effort submissions, such as posts containing only a link with no explanation, may not be approved.

Be prepared to answer any questions moderators or users may have regarding your post.

________________________________________________________________________

Post flairs

We've overhauled our post flair system. When you create a post, please select the fitting post flair, so we can keep everything organised.

• Academic Research

Institutional research affililated with a research faculty.

• Student Research

Research conducted as part of a high school assignment.

• Amateur Research

Personal research not tied to any institution or company. Personal interest, data collection, citizen science, etc.

• Commercial Research

Market or product research related to developing a product, service, or startup, asking for feedback on apps and other tools, a stimming object they created, etc.

• Resource Sharing

Sharing useful articles, papers, tools, videos, or findings.

• Resource Request

Asking for recommendations, sources, or research materials.

• How to Research

Questions or discussions about research methods.

Things like: "I want to find resources on RSD, how would I go about finding those?"

Or "'please give feedback on my survey questions!"

• r/audhd Meta

Posts about the subreddit itself.

________________________________________________________________________

If you came to r/audhd looking for a community of fellow audhders to hang out with, share stories with, exchange tips, support each other, infodump on your special interests, etc. and are disappointed to not find that here: no worries! We've got you, over at r/AutisticWithADHD.
________________________________________________________________________

If you have any questions, remarks, feedback, etc., please share them in the comment section, or reach out to us through modmail.

Cheers,

~Amy, on behalf of the mod team