ONE TINY TRANSITION, ONE COMPLETELY DERAILED DAY

Why switching tasks can feel physically impossible for the AuDHD brain—and how to make transitions less expensive

One tiny transition can somehow derail an entire AuDHD day. In this episode of Authentically ADHD, Carmen explores why stopping, starting, switching tasks and unexpectedly changing plans can feel disproportionately exhausting when ADHD and autism share a nervous system.

We unpack the neuroscience behind task-switching costs, executive functioning, autistic inertia, time perception, working memory, uncertainty and sensory regulation—without turning your struggles into another character flaw. You’ll also learn practical ways to build gentler bridges between activities, including transition warnings, repeatable routines, physical starting cues, recovery time and minimum-viable transitions.

Because you aren’t lazy, dramatic or failing at adulthood. Your brain may simply be changing tracks while the train is still moving—and somebody forgot to build a proper station.

Research specifically examining everyday transitions in adults with co-occurring ADHD and autism remains limited. This episode draws from related research on adult ADHD task switching and time processing, autistic inertia, response initiation and cognitive flexibility.

Luna-Rodriguez et al. found selective difficulty during complex attentional set-shifting conditions in adults with ADHD: Selective impairment of attentional set shifting in adults with ADHD

Mette reviewed research on time perception in adults with ADHD and reported evidence of altered performance across several timing processes: Time Perception in Adult ADHD: Findings from a Decade

Rapaport and colleagues’ qualitative research explored the pervasive and sometimes extreme nature of inertia and task-switching difficulties reported by autistic people: “I live in extremes”: A qualitative investigation of autistic inertia

Greaves-Lord and colleagues discussed a co-created clinical approach to understanding and supporting initiation difficulties or “stuck states” in autistic adults: Clinical stance on response initiation in autistic adults