I have a child with ADHD, anxiety and OCD. Lots of ASD behaviors (stimming, rigidity, sensory issues, strong interest in a coupe of topics) but they do NOT have ASD because they have strong friendships and don’t struggle socially.

Getting the medication right for both the ADHD and the anxiety/OCD is critical — we recently made some medication adjustments for ADHD and it made a huge difference in also managing the OCD.

Regardless of the diagnosis, treat the symptoms- meds and therapy were critical for my DC, and it took almost two years to get the right combination. Even now, evenings are really hard once the stimulant has worn off.

Do they struggle with social cues? That’s a huge indicator for ASD.

My non ASD ocd niece looks like anxiety meltdowns and compulsive behavior.

My ASD son has cognitive flexibility issues (and related meltdowns around that) but he has no compulsion to touch a doorknob six times.

My kid (14yr old) has both and just started treatment 4 months ago and it's been night and day the past couple of months. I'm not saying they're "cured" or "fixed", but they've been in a much much better place of late.