Screening tool for ADHD, autism, trauma overlap
Build a self-assessment web app that helps adults and parents untangle overlapping symptoms of ADHD, autism, and complex trauma (CPTSD) - a scored questionnaire plus educational breakdown of which traits point to which condition, with referrals to specialists, testing services, or coaching. Monetize through a detailed paid report, affiliate links to diagnostic/therapy providers, or a clinician directory.
What to build
A scored self-assessment web app for adults and parents that disentangles overlapping ADHD, autism, and complex trauma (CPTSD) traits, with a plain-English breakdown of which symptoms point to which condition and referrals to specialists or testing services.
Adults and parents struggling to tell ADHD, autism, and CPTSD apart lack an accessible first step before costly clinical evaluation, creating room for a self-guided differentiation tool.
Demand
Adults self-diagnosing or seeking clarity before therapy, and parents trying to understand a child's overlapping traits, want a low-cost, immediate way to make sense of confusing symptom overlap.
- Hacker NewsNews
ADHD, autism or complex trauma? [pdf] reached 205 points and 216 comments on Hacker News, indicating strong engagement with the differentiation question.
- Existing clinical screenersAnalysis
Widespread use of ASRS, AQ-10, and RAADS-R as free online self-screeners shows an established pattern of people turning to short quizzes before seeking formal diagnosis.
Stack
- Next.js
- Supabase
- Stripe
- Typeform or custom React quiz form
- Vercel
- ConvertKit for email capture
Solo + AI difficulty
The quiz UI and scoring logic are straightforward to ship with AI assistance in days; the hard parts are writing clinically defensible content and framing results to avoid implying a diagnosis.
- Entry threshold
- Low technical barrier - a quiz and content app is a weekend build - but credibility requires clinically grounded content (ideally reviewed by a therapist) and careful disclaimers to avoid medical-advice liability.
- Window
- 12-24 months
Where to find first users
- r/ADHD and r/autism
- ADHD/autism parenting Facebook groups
- TikTok neurodivergent creator partnerships
- Product Hunt launch
Competitors
Counter-signals & risks
Self-assessment tools for ADHD, autism, and CPTSD risk giving misleading pseudo-diagnoses without clinical oversight, exposing the operator to liability and regulatory scrutiny in the US, GB, CA, and AU.
The signal has no historical match and a low confidence score, meaning there is no demonstrated market traction or competitive precedent yet.
Established clinical screening tools like ASRS, AQ-10, and RAADS-R, plus existing telehealth diagnostic platforms, already cover parts of this need, raising differentiation risk.
Original title: ADHD, autism or complex trauma? [pdf]
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