ADHD From The Neurodivergent Perspective

 ADHD From The Neurodivergent Perspective


ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is viewed as a disorder by the mainstream. Is it really a disorder? Does it really need to be medicated? Do people with ADHD really have problems with being hyperactive and/or inattentive?


DRD4 7R has been strongly linked to both ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and a behavior trait called "novelty seeking" which often underlies addiction. Scientists suggest that DRD4 7R occurred recently in human evolution between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago which was the period that anthropologists concur that humans were developing the first signs of complex societies involving agriculture, rudimentary governments, and the creation of cities for the first time. Humans were also rapidly expanding and exploring the planet. The DRD4 7R is shown to be an unusual, spontaneous mutation which became an advantage for humans, and so it became increasingly prevalent. It could explain why ADHD is very common today. 

 Even though DRD4 7R is strongly connected to ADHD with approximately half of ADHDers having DRD4 7R , it doesn't mean that all nor most DRD4 7R people have ADHD. Many DRD4 7R people aren't diagnosed as having ADHD, and it could be for a variety of reasons like not dealing with the public school system and were in schools like Montessori, Waldorf, and Sudsbury. They could have been homeschooled. They could have learned a lot of discipline, and some may have been spanked by their parents a lot. Some might have been viewed as troublemakers and delinquents. Some might even be misdiagnosed as having Bipolar Disorder. Some might even have been thought of as "he's just one of those Tom Sawyer-like boys, Huckleberry Finn-like boys." Some might have found outlets to channel their DRD4 7R traits. Some of those could be sports like football, track n' field, swimming, hockey, and basketball. They could also have been involved in creative and/or artistic outlets. There are numerous reasons that DRD4 7R gene types aren't diagnosed as having ADHD. Even neurodivergent conditions that tend to be comorbid with ADHD could mask the DRD4 7R gene traits like Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. The more severe the Dyslexia, Dyspraxia (especially if having both), the more likely they will be viewed as being disordered and placed in special education classes which tend to have negative stigma attached to them, being known by many as "retard classes". 

Thom Hartmann's view of ADHD as an adaptive trait that was helpful for hunter-gathering types makes the most sense to me,and it's seems verified by the findings of the DRD4 7R gene. He even titled one of his books, THE EDISON GENE and the book goes over the DRD4 7R gene in relation to ADHD in regards to the hunter-gatherer view, the strengths, but also how it's a mismatch for mainstream education that focus on auditory sequential teaching methods. He is the same type. He got more involved with dealing with ADHD after one of his sons was diagnosed as having ADHD, and he was recommended to take medication for it. Both Thom Hartmann and his son are the Edison Gene types.


 page 4 - 5 THE EDISON GENE ADHD And The Gift Of The Hunter Child by Thom Hartmann 


What exactly defines those bearing this genetic makeup? 

Edison-gene children and adults are by nature 

Enthusiastic

Disorganized

Non-linear in their thinking (they leap to new conclusions or observations)

Innovative

Easily distracted (or,to put it differently, easily attracted to new stimuli)

Capable of extraordinary hyperfous

Understanding of what it means to be an "outsider"

Determined

Eccentric

Easily Bored

Impulsive

Entrepreneurial

Energetic 


All of these qualities lead them to be natural: 

Explorers

Inventors

Discoverers

Leaders

 I also believe that the Edison-gene children and adults can be good at things that involve anything that involves thinking outside the box, creativity, art,athletics, sports, being an entrepreneur, intuitive healing arts, metaphysical sciences like Astrology, anything that is nontraditional, computers, electronics, massage, acting, show business, and show business.

Thom Hartmann points out that those carrying the DRD4 7 R often find themselves in environments where they're coerced, threatened,  or shoehorned into a classroom or job that doesn't fit. He said when Edison-gene children can be have great emotional and spiritual wounding when they are aren't recognized for their gifts but instead are told that they're disordered, broken, or failures. He points that the wounding can bring all sorts of problems for children, for the adults they grow into, and for our society.  He and many scientists, educations, physicians, and therapists believe that when these unique children don't succeed in public schools, it's often because of a disconnect between them---their brains are wired to make them brilliant inventors and entrepreneurs--and our schools, which are set up for children whose brains are wired to make them good workers in the structured environments of a factory of office cubicle.  I think that there are a lot of things factor in the life of an ADHDer, Edison Gene person like nurturing, upbringing,and the environment that they are in. That includes the domestic environment and the school environment. Support, love, and care is very important for neurodivergent children so they can grow up to be secure and believe in themselves. If they are abused in any kind of way and treated like they are stupid, incompetent, damaged, and/or defective(especially get placed in special education programs with the mentally retarded or being medicated), they can grow to be insecure and have low self esteem because their ultrasensitivity can make them highly vulnerable, susceptible to being strongly impacted by negativity. 

ADHD is not some widespread epidemic either. They say that 5 percent of the population have ADHD. It runs in families. It's not even new. The traits of ADHD were recognized in 1798 by a Scottish-born physician and author, Sir Alexander Crichton. ADHD was recognized to be in adults by 1978. Long time ago, ADHD was known as other things like minimal brain dysfunction and hyperkinetic disorder.   In my opinion, ADHD isn't a disorder that needs to be medicated nor fixed in some way which is a view that many health practitioners(both conventional and alternative)share. There are strengths that come with it and not just weaknesses. It's not like Diabetes that some psychiatrists compare ADHD to. ADHD is no Ritalin deficiency like Diabetes is an insulin deficiency. The ADHDers don't need Ritalin. They need themselves and not be fitted in a box that they don't fit. Mainstream education isn't for these people. It certainly didn't fit Thomas Edison. His mother homeschooled him. There really needs to be multisensory teaching methods like that are used in Waldorf, Montessori schools. They need their imagination, sensitivity, and other strengths to be nurtured and not suppressed. ADHDers aren't made to be routine 9-5 workers, and so they need to stop being trained to be like them.   Psychiatrists believe that ADHDers need to be on medication like Ritalin or Adderall to treat abnormal levels of dopamine in their brain. They view abnormal levels of dopamine in the brain as a a chemical imbalance. Maybe there is such thing as chemical imbalances in the brain, but I believe that chemistry in the brain vary in people without their having a mental disorder. It's possible that personalities that vary in us humans are in synchronicity with brain chemistry that vary in us humans. I did read about matchmaking based on brain chemistry. They seem to think that brain chemistry in people vary with personality types without viewing it as a disorder. Helen Fisher began an exhaustive review of the scientific literature and eventually came to believe that there were four broad biological personality types associated with four specific neurotransmitters and hormones: dopamine, serotonin, testosterone and estrogen. Fisher suspects we are all some combination of these four types, which she has named the explorer (risk-taking, associated with dopamine), the builder (calm, traditional, associated with serotonin), the director (analytical, tough-minded and decisive, associated with testosterone) and the negotiator (emotionally expressive and empathetic, associated with estrogen). Dopamine is said to be the chemical that is found to be abnormal concentration in ADHDers. DRD4 gene is connected to novelty-seeking. Therefore, people with the DRD4 7R and/or ADHD fit the Explorer type.  I view ADHD as just a label, and I don't mind it. I mind using the label, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I don't believe that ADHD is a disorder. That's why I prefer the term, Attention Divergent Hyperactivity Difference. That's ADHD from the neurodivergent perspective. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention-deficit_hyperactivity_disorder

 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/01/020109074512.htm 

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2002-06/your-caveman-gramps-had-ants-his-pants

 http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=6761212&page=1 http://innerself.com/Parenting/hartmann_2135.htm

 


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