The Forums › Forums › Emotional Journey › Other › 12 Autist develops relativity theory
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March 29, 2011 at 1:13 pm #89386
Read the article. To hit the highpoints this 12 year old taught himself calculus, algebra, geometry and trigonometry in a week and is now tutoring the subjects to his college classmates. He’s on a fast track for a pHD research project.
Why am I posting this on a forum about ADD? Because to me autism, bipolar, add, adhd and everything inbetween are just examples of human beings with different brains. I’ve always joked that I should have gone to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, but now I wonder if I was really joking. Our brains WORK differently. And as such… we have real contributions to make. Same goes for this twelve year old. Articles like this make me really embrace that my brain is different, not deficient. That it isn’t broken, but that it just runs in a very different way. We’re motorcycles in a world of oxcarts. You can’t drive or maintain them the same way.
Anyway! Just thought I’d share the insight and reinforcement this gave me.
– Justin
REPORT ABUSEMarch 29, 2011 at 1:32 pm #102757The problem with viewing ADHD in this manner is that you have the same neurophysiology as other human beings as does the autistic boy in the article I would imagine. The neurochemistry and active parts of the brain are the differing factors. People with ADHD, of which I am one, think different because of the active parts of the brains and the chemicals being accepted, etc. It is important to stress that we are NOT a different species or mutation, e.g. X-Men. We lack the ability to control our attention, which has both positive and negative repercussions. ADHD sufferers are not savants generally speaking and should not be grouped with that sub-type of autism at all.
I prefer the analogy that ADHD people are drivers who drive too fast and do not perceive the rules of the road rather than as merely speed demons. We don’t just think fast, but lack the ability to control how long we think about something or when it is time to move on to a new topic. This includes hyperfocusing/perseverating about things irrelevent to the task at hand.
I am sorry, but my view is that ADHD is crippling in a world where adults are asked to conform to the expected norm.
REPORT ABUSEMarch 29, 2011 at 1:46 pm #102758I see where you’re coming from here… and I completely agree with you that ADHD is crippling in this society. I got interviewed over the phone for regional radio yesterday and my heart was RACING. I had to sound eloquent on a subject that directly effected me, without any of the conversational cues you can get by ACTIVELY watching someone. So there was a bit of (un-noticeable) overlap.
I’m not saying that ADD/Autism are the same… but what I am saying is that our brain chemistry also has the ability to be a gift as well as something that requires consistent work and self awareness. I’m also not saying that we’re a different species, but that brain chemistry wise, we are different. We have a permanent disability, which effects each and every one of us in a very unique and different way, but we have tools and techniques to help us interact with the world around us.
I guess I posted the story to show that people who aren’t “normal” can contribute amazing things that “normal” people either can’t do, or can’t do easily. That would be my message, and my intent.
REPORT ABUSEMarch 29, 2011 at 3:38 pm #102759Here it is in a nutshell: the debate that rages among ADD sufferers. Some see the disorder—or the creativity and mental agility that often flow from it— as an amazing “gift.” And in some ways it is. Some ADDers have helped change the world. But others point out that the Trojan Horse was a gift. They see the inability to translate that mental agility into action because of procrastination, daydreaming, and lack of focus as more of a debilitating curse.
Perhaps we also should ask all the people who live and work with ADDers what they think. My sense from several posts on this site is that many people who have the disorder are largely oblivious to—or in denial about—the relentless pain and frustration they cause their spouses, parents, kids, and others who care about them. That should be factored into the equation, too, ¿no?
REPORT ABUSEMarch 29, 2011 at 3:57 pm #102760Very well put, Wgreen. I call this the Dr. Lara Honos-Webb vs. Dr. Charles Barkley conflict. The former representing the gift side with its anecdotal examples of success and the latter following the certainly less heartening doctrine that ADHD is a curse that must be struggled with constantly.
I have to admit that the latter camp is more appealing to me. From my own experience, the creativity and the speed of coming to a decision or understanding a concept do not make up for the inability to put those concepts into action or lead to problems when they are not suited to a situation that calls for careful review. Improper focus and inhibition have led to social, educational and professional failure on numerous occasions in my own life. This is the “does not achieve at the level of one’s ability” criterion that so often applies to ADHD.
REPORT ABUSEApril 12, 2011 at 9:30 pm #102761
AnonymousInactiveApril 12, 2011 at 9:30 pmPost count: 14413librarian_chef: Hear! Hear!
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