| Despite the obvious differences between kids | | | | Either we experience life mainly as thoughts which |
| with ADHD and Asperger's, if you sat with these | | | | we receive and broadcast from our minds, or we |
| kid's parents, much of what you'd see would look | | | | experience life mainly as emotion and intuition, the |
| the same including the questions they ask. "Will | | | | gut feelings I just mentioned. I call the former, |
| my child ever be like the other kids in his class. | | | | being "mind first," and the later, "body first." |
| Does she have to be on medication for the rest | | | | The thing of course that's different from radio |
| of her life? Will he ever learn to fit in with the | | | | stations wherein we can can chose which station |
| rest of the world? Will she and I ever learn to talk | | | | we tune in to, with our two brains we default to |
| to each other?" Underlying these questions of | | | | one or the other. In fact, my research shows |
| course lies a similarity even more disturbing; the | | | | that this preference develops very much like |
| look on their faces. These parents often look | | | | handedness, in that we seem to begin to develop |
| afraid. Moreover, I too have my reservations, in | | | | this preference somewhere around age three or |
| part, because I would so like to have all the | | | | four, and clearly have it in place by about age |
| answers and be able to tell them their child will be | | | | seven. |
| okay. | | | | Please note, I am not saying these preferences |
| What really bothers me of course is that I know | | | | are the cause of AS or ADHD. I'm merely saying |
| these parent's fears will probably play almost as | | | | they are like the fertile ground from which these |
| great a role in their child's well being as their | | | | conditions grow. More important, before you can |
| choosing the right course of action. This then | | | | know if any of this feels true to you, you'll need |
| brings up what may be my worst concern for | | | | to first do a little experiment. |
| these parents; that much of what they will likely | | | | - Try sitting across from someone with whom |
| hear from professionals will center on doing | | | | you normally talk well, someone to whom you |
| something I see as harmful to their kids; teaching | | | | can easily tune in to. Now ask this person to tell |
| these kids to imitate normal. | | | | you something that happened to them recently |
| What's wrong with teaching kids to imitate | | | | while noting how well you understand this person. |
| normal? | | | | - Now ask this same person to tell you something |
| Human beings, especially children, need to feel | | | | else, only this time, ask him or her to speak to |
| loved for who they are. To feel this, they need a | | | | you very quickly. Again, note how clearly you can |
| clear sense of self, both theirs and others. | | | | understand, as well as how their speeding up |
| Unfortunately, these kids already lack of a clear | | | | affects your ability to think, feel, and follow. |
| sense of self and others. Thus asking them to | | | | - Finally ask this same person say these same |
| imitate something which is innately unnatural for | | | | things to you, only this time, ask them to speak |
| them will only cause them to worsen, | | | | exceedingly slow. Here again, note how this |
| disconnecting them even more from the world | | | | change in speed affects your ability to think |
| around them. | | | | clearly. |
| In a way then, asking these kids to learn to | | | | - Now stop and contrast and compare your |
| imitate normal is like asking them to wear a mask | | | | experiences. |
| whenever they appear in public. Which is probably | | | | If you are a mind first person, words spoken |
| in large part why, whenever I sit with adults who | | | | quickly will feel fine to you, whereas slowly |
| have ADHD and Asperger's, the most common | | | | spoken words will bog down your mind. And |
| human emotion I see in them is not fear. It's | | | | make you physically uncomfortable. Conversely, if |
| anger. These folks are mad as hell, in no small | | | | you are a body first person, the reverse will |
| part because so often they've been pressured to | | | | happen. The slower the words, the better you will |
| fake normal in order to fit in. | | | | tune in and understand, especially with regard to |
| Some of them have even told me things like | | | | how this feels. |
| "why can't the world adapt to me a little," and | | | | Know that over the past year or so, I've done |
| they're right. We too need to adapt ourselves to | | | | this experiment with well over two hundred |
| these kids. This in fact is what I had in mind as I | | | | people. In every case, the result is the same. |
| begin to write this column. I'm going to offer you | | | | People either tune in better to quickly spoken, |
| an alternative to asking these kids to fake normal, | | | | complex sequences of mental activity, or they |
| starting with telling you a bit about the most basic | | | | tune in better to slowly spoken, singularly focused, |
| idea in all of personality, the idea of the "self." | | | | physical activity. |
| Know that despite the myriad of books which | | | | Remember too that what underlies what I've |
| describe characteristics of the self, none so far | | | | been telling you is a physiological fact; we have |
| has empirically described the actual source of this | | | | two brains. Google the enteric brain and |
| experience. At the heart of what I'm about to tell | | | | specifically, Dr. Ron Gershon, and I'm sure you'll be |
| you then is the solution to a centuries old | | | | as amazed by his work as I was. What makes |
| mystery; where does our sense of self come | | | | Dr. Gershon's work even more credible though is |
| from, our sense of being separate from others? | | | | his refusal to infer outside of his specialty. |
| Know it's not self worth I am referring to here | | | | Here then is where my work in and around |
| nor the various qualities which make up a self. It's | | | | personality comes into play, in how these two |
| our actual sense of "me as a separate being" I | | | | brains affect our ability to be conscious. It |
| am referring to here, without which helping kids | | | | appears then that our ability to be conscious |
| with ADHD and Asperger's to be themselves is | | | | centers in and around these two styles of |
| impossible. Who are these kids anyway? We're | | | | interpersonal broadcasting and receiving; the styles |
| about to begin to find out. | | | | I call mind first and body first. |
| ADHD and Asperger's as Two Ends of the Same | | | | Where then does the idea of the self come |
| Continuum | | | | from? It's simple really. From the way we |
| You may have noticed that I have increasingly | | | | experience these two brains. You see, it turns out |
| been positioning ADHD and Asperger's as | | | | which ever of our brains goes first is the self we |
| diametrically opposed conditions in my recent | | | | call our "self." Then the other is the self we |
| articles. In truth, my research over the past | | | | watch. To a kid with ADHD this means being him |
| twelve years clearly shows this and more; that | | | | or herself is doing something where the body |
| these two conditions are actually the theoretical | | | | comes first. Video games. Martial arts. After |
| poles at the ends of one continuum. To see this | | | | school sports. Whereas to a kid with Asperger's, |
| though requires you have a background in | | | | doing those things is like being punished. |
| personality theory. Fortunately, the personality | | | | In the months to come, we'll dig deeper into the |
| theory required is the kind Nobel prize winning | | | | implications of being mind first and body first, |
| physicist, Ernest Rutherford referred to as "ideas | | | | including how these two states play out in the |
| you could teach the barmaid." | | | | four most fundamental states of personality; mind |
| Let's begin with a brief recap of what we spoke | | | | first, body first, mind body sync, and shock. We'll |
| about in my last article. | | | | also look at several other factors which can lead |
| Basically I told you that any activity which | | | | to ADHD and Asperger's. These include the four |
| involves complex sequences of mental activity will | | | | distractions; comfort, neatness, understanding, and |
| short circuit the brains of people with ADHD. | | | | freedom, as well as the four decision tree |
| Why? Because this type of learning literally widens | | | | processes; bluntness, correction, precision, and |
| their focus beyond their capacity to track, causing | | | | digression. |
| their minds to bog down as if their heads are filled | | | | The point of all this, of course, is to be able to |
| with molasses. I also told you that the converse is | | | | grasp the real personalities present, rather than |
| true as well; that any activity which involves | | | | the symptomology. These kids are not broken. |
| intensely emotional, single steps of physical | | | | Rather, their personalities fall outside of the bell |
| activity will cause the brains of people with ADHD | | | | shaped curve, the base of which, in case you've |
| to speed up and focus. Hence their propensity for | | | | never noticed, is a single continuum. |
| preferring video games over homework. | | | | What I'm saying then is that this continuum; from |
| What I'd like to now add to this is that with | | | | ADHD to Asperger's, is the baseline of personality. |
| Asperger's, people feel these same two things, | | | | Moreover, rather than being based on conjecture |
| only in reverse. Thus for them, any activity which | | | | or mere statistics, these ideas have been paying |
| involves complex sequences of mental activity will | | | | dividends for years now, in the form of helping |
| enliven and focus their brains rather than bog | | | | people with both conditions to become |
| them down. Why? Because like the ancient | | | | themselves. |
| Roman god, Mercury, who was said to be the | | | | This leads us to some answers to the questions I |
| only god quick enough to get into and out of hell, | | | | began this article with: |
| asking them to widen their focus and keep | | | | - "Will my child ever be like the other kids in his |
| moving is like child's play. Literally. On the other | | | | class." Yes, in fact he's more like the other kids |
| hand, ask them to do an activity which involves | | | | than anyone has ever known. |
| single steps of intensely focused physical activity | | | | - "Does she have to be on medication for the |
| and they will bog down, only this time it's their | | | | rest of her life?" No. However, this depends |
| bodies that will bog down, not their minds. | | | | largely on how she can come to know her true |
| In a way then, we could say that all these kids | | | | self. |
| have both conditions. The kids with ADHD have | | | | - "Will he ever learn to fit in with the rest of the |
| ADHD in their minds and Asperger's in their | | | | world?" Yes, but only if he learns to see how his |
| bodies, whereas the Aspies have ADHD in their | | | | self and the selves of others contrast and |
| bodies and Asperger's in their minds. Or said more | | | | compare. Not medically, nor psychologically, but |
| simply, some folks are extremely mind oriented, | | | | rather, as different but still amazing human beings. |
| while others are extremely body oriented. | | | | - "Will she and I ever learn to talk to each other?" |
| Where am I going with all this, you ask? It turns | | | | Absolutely, given you learn to build the necessary |
| out that the best way to understand the | | | | bridge. This depends entirely on how well you |
| personalities of these kids is to set aside all the | | | | learn to see past your fears and trust your gut |
| medical symptoms and simply contrast and | | | | as far as allowing these kids to become |
| compare them at their core. If you do, what you'll | | | | themselves. |
| find is, these two conditions literally fall at opposite | | | | As for my personal experience, my whole |
| ends of the same continuum. On one end, we | | | | practice has been incredibly different since I began |
| have the folks who do best when asked to do | | | | to adapt the speed of my words to each person, |
| single steps of rapid physical activity; the folks we | | | | including several people who ADHD is so severe, |
| say have ADHD, and on the other end we have | | | | they long ago gave up hope. |
| the folks who do best when asked to do | | | | Now let's review what I've introduced you to in |
| complex sequences of rapid mental activity; the | | | | this article. |
| folks we say have Asperger's. | | | | - All human beings have two physiological brains, |
| Of course there is much more to what underlies | | | | one in the head, the other in the gut. The one in |
| these two conditions. This said, to be able to find | | | | the head receives and broadcasts on a higher |
| a point at which to begin to unravel the mysteries | | | | frequency, and we call these broadcasts, thoughts |
| underlying these two conditions is to me, worth | | | | and reasons. The brain in the gut then receives |
| the effort. | | | | and broadcasts on a lower frequency, and we call |
| The question of course at this point is, on what | | | | these broadcasts, emotions and intuition. |
| do I base these claims? My answer begins with | | | | - All human beings have a default broadcast |
| something most folks I ask have never heard of; | | | | frequency, either one based in the head or based |
| the idea that we humans have two physiological | | | | in the gut. Moreover, because we each have a |
| brains. The brain you already know about, of | | | | first choice as far as what we tune in to, we can |
| course, is the brain in the head. The other is what | | | | say we are all either mind first or body first. |
| medical researchers call, the enteric brain. Or as | | | | - Folks with ADHD are always very body first. |
| it's more commonly referred to, the "brain in the | | | | Folks with Asperger's are always very mind first. |
| gut." | | | | Moreover, while these preferences are not the |
| What the heck is the enteric brain? It turns out | | | | causes of these conditions, they are, in fact, the |
| there is a significant amount of brain tissue | | | | two basic personality trait differences underlying |
| sandwiched into the layers of the diaphragm, the | | | | them. |
| same kind of tissue found in the brain in the head. | | | | - In essence then, the most basic differences |
| Moreover, it turns out 95% of the | | | | between the personalities of folks with ADHD and |
| neurotransmitter which carries our moods is not | | | | those of folks with Asperger's lie in three basic |
| found in the brain in our head. The majority of our | | | | areas; [1] whether the nature of what they do |
| serotonin is found in the brain in our gut. Which | | | | best is mind oriented (AS) or body oriented |
| begs the question, when you take an SSRI like | | | | (ADHD), [2] whether they do best with either |
| prozac, where is it working? To me, the answer | | | | sequences of tasks (AS) or single step tasks |
| is obvious; it's working in the gut. And since | | | | (ADHD), and [3] where they get their best sense |
| serotonin is the main chemical messenger for | | | | of time; either from the speed of what they're |
| emotion, this implies the ubiquitous "gut feelings" | | | | thinking (AS) or from the speed of what they're |
| of ADHD folks are really there. | | | | physically doing (ADHD). |
| As to how this aspect of our physiology plays out | | | | In my next article we're going to dig a bit more |
| in kids with ADHD and Asperger's, to show you, | | | | into this mind body thing. And at the risk of |
| I'll need to use a simple analogy; the idea that our | | | | sounding like a new age weirdo, let me point out |
| two brains function like two radio stations, each | | | | that what we've been discussing has been the |
| receiving and broadcasting on a separate | | | | nature of the mind body connection. How can |
| frequency. Moreover, like real radio stations which | | | | knowing the nature of this connection help us to |
| are intelligible only when tune in to one at a time, | | | | better help our kids? The answer to this question |
| we humans can normally tune in to only one brain. | | | | lies almost entirely in knowing how to use this |
| In real life, what this amounts to is that we can | | | | connection to teach these kids to tune in to the |
| make sense of only one perspective at a time. | | | | world, and us to them. |