Failing to focus

[DNC24]

Is it common for autistic people to have a hard time focusing on things that require great attention?

As a musician, I have found that a majority of the time I'll sit down to practice and after 5-10 minutes I will be very tired and groggy, finding it almost impossible to stay awake and focus. This makes me agitated and depressed, and I can't continue.

Sound familiar?

 

[Fino]

It sounds like you're sleep-deprived. But at least you have a sure-fire way of getting some sleep--just sit down to practice!

 

[DNC24]

It sounds like you're sleep-deprived. But at least you have a sure-fire way of getting some sleep--just sit down to practice!

No, I don't have any problems with sleep, and at other times I'm fine.

 

[Neri]

ADHD is commonly co-morbid with Autism, up to 50-70%, according to commonly quoted statistics, so it could be worth getting screened for that, in case that's what's going on for you.

 

[DNC24]

ADHD is commonly co-morbid with Autism, up to 50-70%, according to commonly quoted statistics, so it could be worth getting screened for that, in case that's what's going on for you.

So this sounds more like an ADHD symptom?

 

[Neri]

So this sounds more like an ADHD symptom?

It's in the name Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. And don't think that those of us with it are jumping off walls and manicing around all the time. I am constantly tired these days I wish I were more hyperactive, but I am diagnosed with Autism (ASD2) and ADHD (combined types) and I also "e2", (also a musician, actually I worked as a vocalist, professionally, when I was younger). I get the extreme tiredness when trying to do things, learn new things, clean my kitchen, lots of things. I think it's exacerbated by my Autism being half of the story and my ADHD being part of the story. But, yes, you could also be a "AuDHDer," like me, and many other's here, and all through the online Autism community. It's worth looking into, because if you have it, it's treatable, unlike Autism.

 

[marc_101]

Is it common for autistic people to have a hard time focusing on things that require great attention?

As a musician, I have found that a majority of the time I'll sit down to practice and after 5-10 minutes I will be very tired and groggy, finding it almost impossible to stay awake and focus. This makes me agitated and depressed, and I can't continue.

Sound familiar?

Yep and then no. Problems with "executive function" are very common with ASD. Most people can focus intensely on something they care about (hyperfocus). At the same time, they have problems focusing for everything and the "care about" (aka, special interests) can change often. Many are also diagnosed with ADHD, although some doctors think that two labels is redundant because ASD is broader and already captures ADHD traits. Sometimes the two diagnoses are practical: a way to justify prescribing stimulant medications, but then again, many argue that stimulants don't work well for autistics.

I was diagnosed with ADHD in the past. Stimulants helped a little bit, but I can only tolerate the tiniest amount. And I don't need anything when I'm obsessed about a topic.

If you're a musician, at some point you sat down and practiced a lot. What has changed? Could it be something else? Any physical problem? Did you lose interest in music? Do you have problems focusing on any task?

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Is it common for autistic people to have a hard time focusing on things that require great attention?

As a musician, I have found that a majority of the time I'll sit down to practice and after 5-10 minutes I will be very tired and groggy, finding it almost impossible to stay awake and focus. This makes me agitated and depressed, and I can't continue.

Sound familiar?

Depends. If you are sleep deprived or burnt out, then no, you really can't focus. That requires a lot of mental energy, and if you're "running on empty", forget it.

ADHD is, as others mentioned, a common co-morbidity. However, the most interesting argument that some have against the existence of ADHD is the fact that if given something like a video game they like to play, many people with the condition can sit for hours at a time quite highly focused. They are given consequences and rewards in a video game. It is dopamine triggering. Now, it may be that this is a key element to how to focus and accomplish things if you do have ADHD. Does whatever you are tasked to do have consequences for failure and rewards for success? Two, do these consequences and rewards come at a frequency that it keeps the person engaged? Three, is whatever they are doing actually interesting to the person?

Autism, when combined with a special interest, often leads to intense focus, intrusive thoughts about the topic, etc. If a special interest becomes a career, then I would never stand in the way of an autistic person on a mission, because this person will run you over and keep on moving. For example, like him or not, Elon Musk is highly focused and doesn't give a thought to all the people who hate him or is trying to short his stock or all the bad media coverage or any of that. He pushes forward, mind on the mission, and I would never make bets against him. We can make a list of other highly influential people in the arts, sciences, business over the many years that had a lot of autistic traits, among them an intense level of focus on their special interest.

So, it may be that music might not be your special interest right now, or you're just mentally tapped out right now, or if you do have an ADHD condition you may have to create several short-term goals that you can stepwise attain, like levels in a video game, get the dopamine hit, next goal, dopamine hit, and so on.