Long before I knew anything about ADHD, I recognized that I do much better if I get some form of helpful support from almost anyone, with almost anything.
If I just have someone involved in a task with me (even if it’s just through talking about it), I can usually get motivated more easily. Often, I end up doing a great job at something I might not otherwise have had the motivation to begin.
Turns out, researchers have uncovered some science explaining my constructive response to support.
A new-ish hypothesis holds that people with ADHD (and other neurodiversities) have a genetic predisposition to excel beyond the average neurotypical at various endeavors when in a nurturing environment. Known as the Orchid Hypothesis, it likens ADHDers to orchids—plants that will blossom in a dazzling array of shapes and colors, that far outlast any other flower, when they are cared for well.
The theory holds that the same genes that allow us to thrive in positive environments also cause us to fare less well in stressful ones—neglect, abuse, criticism, lack of love.
In other words, the genetic markers for ADHD give a person a much greater sensitivity and response to being both neglected and nurtured.
In the book The Orchid and the Dandelion, W. Thomas Boyce, M.D., likens neurotypical people to dandelions, hardy flowers that can thrive in even rugged conditions. Orchids, on the other hand, will only blossom if well cared for.
These ideas are examples of how nature and nurture work together: Genetics positions us with the potential for various traits and the environment shapes how they unfold.
The same ultra-sensitivity that causes women with ADHD to wither in hostile or careless environments, allows us to soar beyond the average neurotypical in supportive circumstances.
The journalist David Dobbs outlines the hypothesis in a fascinating article in the December 2009 issue of The Atlantic entitled “The Science of Success.”
All of which is to say that we ADHDers have deep reserves of resilience, creativity, strength, enthusiasm, and all-around power.
These are gifts worth protecting and excavating. Remember this.