The Connection Between My Overexcitabilities And Neurodivergent Conditions
"Dabrowski talked about OE's - over-excitabilities ("superstimulatabilities"), and how the gifted were extremely sensitive in a variety of areas. It's a stimulus-response difference from the norms. It means that in these 5 areas a person reacts more strongly than normal for a longer period than normal to a stimulus that may be very small. It involves not just psychological factors but central nervous system sensitivity."
I find Overexcitabilities to be an interesting concept. I can definitely relate to them. These overexcitabilities are said to be typical for the gifted, but they also seem to be traits that are typical for the neurodivergent.
It seems logical that neurodivergents who have these overexcitabilities fit in with what's called "Twice Exceptional" or "Dual Exceptional" which are terms used for being Gifted and Disabled. Of course, we know that being both gifted and disabled is often something that's highly debated against.
I actually believe that it's possible that overexcitabilities that are extreme could actually cause neurodivergent conditions. I was actually hinting this about myself when I say that I believe that my neurodivergence is connected to being an ultrasensitive person who is mainly a visual,picture thinker and overall rightbrained,nonlinear processor as well as a nonconformist.
The five areas are:
"Psychomotor
This is often thought to mean that the person needs lots of movement and athletic activity, but can also refer to the issue of having trouble smoothing out the mind's activities for sleeping. Lots of physical energy and movement, fast talking, lots of gestures, sometimes nervous tics."
I can relate to psychomotor excitabilities.
I have lots of physical energy which I interpret as restlessness. Because of discipline at home, my physical energy was internalized a bit. However, I'd constantly move around in my desk when I was at school. I'd talk a lot in class too. Those are well known hyperactive signs of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I have a tendency to be fast talker which psychiatrists saw as my being manic, but it's also common in ADHD. It can be part of the cluttering speech style. Nervous tics - well.....I know about those. I thought it was just being nervous or anxious.
I was a very fast runner in junior high and high school. I ran track briefly. I was always a very good swimmer. When I would be in the pool, I wanted to go swimming for hours and that shows that I have excessive energy. My Dyspraxic-related coordination problems were factor into my not being interested in athletics except for football. Football was different because I was very fast. I had quick reflexes which I actually think were connected to my nervousness.
"Sensual
Here's the "cut the label out of the shirt" demand, the child who limps as if with a broken leg when a sock seam is twisted. Also a love for sensory things -- textures, smells, tastes etc. or a powerful reaction to negative sensory input (bad smells, loud sounds, etc.) The kids tend to be sensitive to bright lights (squinting in all the family photographs, etc.), harsh sounds. A baby who cries when the wind blows in his face, for instance; a toddler who cries at the feel of grass on bare legs and feet. Another important aspect of this is aesthetic awareness -- the child who is awed to breathlessness at the sight of a beautiful sunset or cries hearing Mozart, etc."
I am very physically sensitive. I am very ticklish all over my body. I get rashes easily. As a little child, I was scratching my legs a lot and my parents had to get the carpet replaced. I am easily bothered by bright lights including especially florescent lights. I'd squint when taking pictures because I couldn't tolerate camera flash. I do have strong sense of smell and taste. I am very easily influenced by music. Meditation and Classical Music can deeply relax and calm me while Techno and other High Energy music can make me very hyper to the point of almost mania, and I even believe that drugs and fast beating electronic music is a very dangerous combination which tends to be common thing at raves. I am very sensitive to temperatures. When I was living on the ship, I was getting sick a lot from cold temperatures while nobody else was. Heat also made me sick easily. The vestibular system (inner ear) is part of the ear that is important for equilibrium which plays a big part in balance and coordination. It is attuned to the effects of gravity and motion. Problems in those areas are typical of people with Dyspraxia. I believe that due to my being very physically sensitive, my vestibular system (inner ear) is easily overstimulated. It is an ultrasensitivity to gravity and motion. Dr.Harold N. Levinson did diagnose me as having as having cerebellar vestibular dysfunction which he believes is the root of most neurodivergent conditions after I performed irregularly on all the tests. The Veteran Affairs neurologist confirmed that I have an abnormal cerebellar system.
Imaginational"
"These are the dreamers, poets, "space cadets" who are strong visual thinkers, use lots of metaphorical speech. They day dream, remember their dreams at night and often react strongly to them, believe in magic (take a long time to "grow out of" Santa, the tooth fairy, elves and fairies, etc.)."
I am mainly a visual,picture thinker. That means that I think in pictures non-stop and continuously visualize things in my mind's eye. Verbal,word thinking didn't come naturally to me like it does to most children. This affected my ability to process language including listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Difficulties in these areas are symptoms of Dyslexia. I needed special education therapies to remediate the language problems. I tended to daydream a lot, and my mind would easily wander off to other worlds inside my head. This easily fits with Inattentive signs of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I am very imaginative, and I did well in school when it came to writing stories. I even wrote stories at home for fun. Writing poetry came easily to me. I was always drawn to fairy tales and mythology, and the stories would come alive inside my head like a movie. I do believe in metaphysical things including God,angels,spirits,magick,afterlife,reincarnation,pastlives and other things. Of course, I am very much into Astrology as well as Numerology. I like Tarot cards. I also even have a lot of oracle cards including especially Doreen Virtue decks. All these things appeal to my interest in the Collective Unconscious. My visual thinking helps me with the Geometrical Aspect of Astrology. Visual thinking helps me to grasp concepts. It also helps me to understand language. I use visual thinking to compensate for coordination problems by mentally rehearsing my actions before I do it.
"Intellectual
Here's the usual definition of "giftedness." Kids with a strong "logical imperative," who love brain teasers and puzzles, enjoy following a line of complex reasoning, figuring things out. A love of things academic, new information, cognitive games, etc."
I was identified as having above average intelligence,but that was after spending time in a special education classroom with mentally handicapped children. My language development from special education therapies and visual thinking strengths were factors into showing that I had above average intelligence. I did have a love of some things academic and new information. It really depended on what I was interested in. I had a strong interest in Science and World History. My 6th grade teacher told my parents that I had the capability of getting straight A's. I was a B average student from 6th to 9th grade. My level of academic ability was connected to what I was interested in as well as well as my being a visual spatial learner as well as my problems with short term memory that impacted my ability to read and listen. I really can't say that I am an intellectual type. I believe that I am far from it. I believe my interest in Astrology with a strong focus on Geometry, Harmonics and the recent Astronomical Discoveries have to do with complex reasoning,figuring things out,and a love of new information.
"Emotional"
This includes being "happier when happy, sadder when sad, angrier when angry," etc. Intensity of emotion. But also a very broad range of emotions. Also a need for deep connections with other people or animals. Unable to find close and deep friends (Damon and Pythias variety) they invent imaginary friends, make do with pets or stuffed animals, etc. Empathy and compassion. A child who needs a committed relationship will think herself "betrayed" by a child who plays with one child today and another tomorrow and refers to both as "friends." This is also the OE that makes the kids susceptible to depression.
Dabrowski believed emotional OE to be central -- the energy center from which the whole constellation of OE's is generated."
I was always a highly emotional type. I tend to overreact to things whether it's happiness, sadness, or anger. I cried easily. I was definitely known as a "crybaby" when I was a kid. I had emotional meltdowns and temper tantrums. I got into a lot of fights. This is common with Dyspraxics. I believe that these things are why I was perceived as too immature to the point that I was forced to repeat the 2nd grade. I am a very emotionally intense person. My tendency to internalize my emotions makes it worse.
I definitely have a deep need to connect with others, but I tend to be private in some ways. I can have problems trusting. I am aware of how very vulnerable I am , and I have a fear of being hurt. I am very capable of empathy and compassion. I can be easily moved by the problems of others. I can be very kind and generous to a fault. I am definitely no stranger to depression, but anxiety came first.
"Highly gifted people tend to have all 5 of these, but different people lead with different OE's. The engineer types lead with Intellectual, the poets with Emotional and Imaginational, etc. But variations in the levels of the individual OE's explain a great deal about the temperamental differences we see!"
I am not highly gifted. I don't even consider myself gifted, and I believe that my insecurity is the reason. Teachers told my parents that I was gifted too. Writing poetry came easily to me. The Veteran Affairs Neuro-Psychologist actually told me that I could take engineering classes after I did very well on block design when I did neuropsychological testing which led to Veteran Affairs Neurologists confirming my Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. I had shown irregularities in both neurological testing and neuropsychological testing.
"These five describe the unusual intensity of the gifted as well as the many ways in which they look and behave "oddly" when compared to norms."
I am unusually intense. Yes...I tended to look and behave oddly. I've been referred to as oddball or weird. As a special education student, I was definitely a very strange child. From my experiences, so were the other special education students. Even when I was out of special education and became a regular student, I never felt that I belonged. I was constantly teased and picked on by some of my peers because I gave the impression of somebody that was "different." I know that it was because of the irregularities of my speech, motor skills, and my emotions as well not just fitting male stereotypes and being multiracial.
These are ways that I can relate to overexcitabilities and how they could relate to Dyslexia,Dyspraxia,ADHD.
Because I have co-morbidity of these 3 neurodivergent conditions which have overlap with overexcitabilities, I believe that my neurodivergent conditions are actually the result of overexcitabilities that are extreme to the point that it causes difficulties in processing.
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