Sense of danger?

[Misty Avich]

Apparently autistic children and ADHD children are supposed to have very little sense of danger, but I had both Asperger's and ADHD yet had a very heightened sense of danger. Maybe it was my anxiety that made me hyper-aware of danger, I don't know.

Obviously my parents made sure I was safe, but I wasn't more vulnerable than the average child. If I was playing outside and felt unsure about a stranger then I'd run indoors. Also I remember when I was about 7 or 8 I saw mushrooms had grown in the grass in my garden and my mum warned me not to touch them, so I didn't, and she didn't need to watch me or remove the mushrooms or anything. All it took was one warning from an adult I trusted and I took heed.

Obviously I wasn't allowed out the garden gate without an adult when I was very little, but when I got a bit older I could play independently both inside and outside the garden and I just knew how to be safe.

I was an active child and loved climbing trees, but I've never broken a bone in my life, because of my heightened sense of danger. The only thing was I was often called chicken or a wimp because I did wuss out of things that I knew were risky.

Otherwise, I was a hyperactive and impulsive tomboy with behaviour problems, but just with a heightened sense of danger and so could be trusted to play without supervision. I did like to get up to mischief if I was with other kids but only if it didn't involve risk of getting hurt.

Did anyone else have a heightened sense of danger, rather than a reduced sense of danger? Is it possible to have both ASD and ADHD and not be vulnerable to danger?

 

[Judge]

Interesting reading to see this subject covered in two different articles by "Psychology Today".

One regarding ADHD, and the other focused on ASD. It would seem from reading both articles, that if anything the "overlap" between the two conditions seems relative to executive functioning deficits, and perhaps in particular impulse control.

As a young boy, yes...I was inclined to do some crazy things. Though I'll skip on the details.

I just figured these were aspects of growing up in a military household and being Irish...lol. Then again, it may indeed involve considerably more than that. Not to mention that I grew up to become a risk manager as an underwriter and later a personal investor...lol.

Also having never broken a bone in my life.....so far.

ADHD Is Not Just Lack of Focus: The Effects Can Be Dangerous

7 Executive Functioning Challenges for People With Autism

 

[Jumpinbare]

I never worried about doing dangerous stuff as a kid. Looking back as an adult, I'm quite sure my childhood would have been very different if my parents had known half the stuff I did. I was a little professor, and actively experimented with things that frankly could have killed me. I believed I knew what I was doing (and did - as far as I understood - but I didn't know how much I DIDN'T know).

I also spent a lot of time on my bike alone, fair distances from home. It never crossed my mind I was taking any risk.

 

[Good boy]

I always scared of everything as a child, but on the other side hand I did stupid dangerous things, not things that I can hurt myself because I was very smart and took risks that I understand i can do but sometimes was it really dangerous

By now I have very little fear of anything, i love to be on extremely high places but I'll always make sure I'm a 100% safe and protected, but I'll do things I'm seeing to be safe even though others might scare of it