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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]This is low processing speed with ADHD and autism.[/b] Kids who are inattentive will get distracted constantly, and kids who are anxious and perfectionist will tend to be careful in everything they do.

You absolutely need to pay for a full neuropsychological evaluation (Stixrud's is very good, ask for Dr. Henderson). Formal diagnoses will get her extended time accommodations in school, which will become essential for keeping up her grades. She may qualify for an IEP (my son did), or a 504 plan, and be eligible for a resource class in place of an elective, where she can catch up on work and get time management help from a teacher. She might also benefit from a social skills group to get her to be more flexible socially.

My son is like this. His processing speed was measured at the 4th percentile! When he was little, it would take him 10 whole minutes to tie his shoes! After school he would take all available time for homework. He could not stop himself from daydreaming. In high school, he went to bed after midnight and got up at 6am.

What helped:

1. Adderall, the most powerful stimulant for ADHD. While meds for ADHD aren't supposed to shorten processing speed, they do in practice because they reduce kids' tendencies to daydream and distract themselves.

2. Nagging, ie "executive unction coaching" by us, the parents. He needed multiple reminders to get up, get dressed, eat and go out the door, and after school, to do his homework, eat dinner, shower and get into bed. CONSTANT REDIRECTION for 18 years, OP. It was difficult for the family. We couldn't outsource it, because the most critical times were outside of business hours, in our own home. We had many arguments to try to get him to lessen his rigid thinking about everything.

And now, in college, our lives are much better. One, he has less work than in high school. Two, the work is to his liking, WHICH IS KEY TO HIS PRODUCTIVITY. People with this profile are capable of hyperfocus and also extreme rejection. High school in that regard was very difficult for my son, because he had a lot of required busywork he just didn't like. Now in college he takes only classes he likes.
And with maturity, I hope he will be able to better tolerate things he needs to do but doesn't like doing (like filing taxes).

[/quote]

I wanted to say that maybe it's ADHD with autism in your child's case but this is not universal. I have the very similar child (above) and she has questionable ADHD and no autism. She did 2 full neuropsych exams (first at Children's and then we private-payed for one at Stixrud) and independent of each other (they had no idea of what the other found) they came to the same conclusion.  No autism at all.  Possible atypical ADHD. 
Kids are complex.  (Humans are complex!)[/quote]

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