Innate ADHD vs. Symptoms of Distress
Part 1: The Innate / Genetic Traits of The ADHD Neurotype
ADHD is not: inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and mood instability. ADHD does not impair cognitive ability. These are *distress symptoms* that occur in ADHD neurotypes.
(This is parallel to the idea that Autism is not: meltdowns, self-harm, and anti-social behaviors. These are distress symptoms that occur in Autistic neurotypes.)
ADHD is: neural hyperconnectivity, monotropism, holotropic sensory gating, a neuroceptive need for novelty and variety, an interest-driven dopamine system, and varying processing styles (both bottom-up and top-down processing).
These innate traits of ADHD are still being compiled from the ADHD community, so there may be a few more traits that need to be added to the list in the future, but this list is a good start at describing what the ADHD neurotype is before or without trauma, or what the ADHD genes code for as a heritable phenotype. For more info about each trait, scroll to the resource list at the bottom of the page.
ADHD involves an abundance of attention, not a deficit of attention. It is extremely hard to direct the attention of an ADHDer based on external expectations, but we easily hyperfocus on our own interests or more voluntary activities.
This is because our dopamine systems are interest-driven: our brains release dopamine only for things we are genuinely interested in, not for required school or work activities. For externally required things, we tend to run on adrenaline instead. (And if we reach burnout, our brains may stop releasing dopamine for things we are interested in.)
The ADHD neurotype is genetic and involves differences in brain structure. If the environment was absolutely perfect, with no trauma or overwhelm, an ADHD person would still be born with the ADHD neurotype.
ADHD people need supportive environments that consider the needs of their neurotype (such as more movement and more stimulation) and that provide opportunities for ADHD brains to operate from their strengths without shame and invalidation for not meeting cultural expectations. These supports can include ADHD medication and a variety of other tools that may help an ADHDer to navigate society.
ADHD is a disability, not because ADHD is inherently a deficit or inability, but because ADHD neurotypes are not supported or enabled in our culture. People with ADHD neurotypes need extensive help navigating a world constructed by neurotypical culture. In an ideal world, that help would be normalized so much that ADHD wouldn’t seem like a disability anymore.
Being ADHD in a world designed for neurotypicals is extremely challenging and sometimes causes a lot of suffering. It’s often painful to live in this world with the ADHD neurotype. Blaming our own brains amplifies this suffering. Naming the source of our suffering shows us a path to relief: we need neurodivergent communities, we need neurotype friendly environments, we need liberation from systemic ableism. Working towards these collective solutions is what the neurodiversity movement is all about.
Part 2: Reclaiming ADH* Identity from the Medical/Pathology Paradigm
When we talk about the ADHD neurotype from a neurodiversity paradigm lens, it should be understood that we are using this term as a placeholder.
Similar to autism, ADHD is a genetic neurotype (a type of brain wiring). ADHD is a neurological identity. ADHD is also a disability.
Many ADHDers explicitly disagree with the medical/pathology paradigm perspective that ADHD is an “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.”
The ADHD neurotype isn’t an attention deficit and it’s not hyperactivity. ADHD is not: a pathology, a dysfunction, a mental illness, a deficit, or a disorder.
Recognizing all this, we still proudly use the term ADHD for our genetic neurotype. Why? Because our community is reclaiming the term ADHD from the medical paradigm. It means something different to us now.
You might have noticed the increasing popularity of the phrasing “I’m an ADHDer.” This does not mean “I’m an ADH Disorder-er” We’re using the term as a placeholder.
In the Autism community, the term ASD has fallen out of favor recently because there’s a less-patholgizing term to use: “Autistic.”
ADHD doesn’t have a similar non-pathologizing term associated with it so the community has been stumped on what possible language we could use instead of ADHD.
Some have suggested spelling it ADH*. Some have suggested a brand new term like VAST (Variable Attention Stimulus Trait).
Right now, ADHD is still the term the community uses for the ADHD neurotype simply because it’s recognizable. But it’s important that people know that when we use ADHD as a neurological identity term, we are NOT agreeing with the pathology paradigm.
PDA faces a similar issue. The medical definition is extremely patholigizing (even uses the word pathological in the term), but the PDA community has reframed this as Pervasive Drive for Autonomy.
It’s a bit messy to say disorder doesn’t mean disorder but its been working for our community so far.
Summary:
The genetic ADHD neurotype involves neural hyperconnectivity, monotropism, holotropic sensory gating, a neuroceptive need for novelty and variety, an interest-driven dopamine system, and varying processing styles (both bottom-up and top-down processing). These traits aren’t positive or negative but neutral, just how we are wired. Our significant pain, suffering, and disability as ADHDers is because our modern society is so antagonistic to this type of neurology.
Innatention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and mood instability are distress symptoms that occur in ADHD neurotypes, not innate traits. These 4 symptoms are not inherent parts of ADHD, they are often the result of early childhood trauma or lifelong experiences of ableism. Distress symptoms can be reversed through nervous system support and trauma interventions, but the innate traits of ADHD are DNA encoded and thus unchangeable in our current lifetime. While distress symptoms should be treated, innate traits should be affirmed and supported.
Further reading on the innate/internal traits of ADHD identity:
1. Neural hyper-connection aka the results of slower synaptic pruning rates - ADHDers have more neural connections than NTs but fewer neural connections than Autistics.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2370409-lack-of-neuron-pruning-may-be-behind-many-brain-related-conditions/
2. Monotropism - This trait is part of both Autistic and ADHD neurotypes.
https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/me-and-monotropism-unified-theory-autism
3. Holotropism - To be holotropic is to have wide open sensory gates. This trait is also part of both Autistic and ADHD neurotypes.
https://hmirra.medium.com/holotropism-1cdf99c00b74
4. Neuroceptive need for novelty/variety - Neuroception is a constant subconscious process our nervous systems are doing to sense if we are safe or in danger. ADHD nervous systems look for challenge and novelty as signals of safety more than other neurotypes. Autistic people without ADHD generally do not need or desire novelty in the same way that ADHDers and AuDHDers do.
https://themighty.com/topic/adhd/icnu-william-dodson-adhd-motivation/
5. Dopamine-driven interest system - ADHDers use dopamine for intrinsic interest motivation but frequently run on adrenaline for externally enforced expectations. Running on adrenaline or "powering through" when we do not have intrinsic interest can lead to depletion and burnout.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/10870547211050948
https://www.verywellmind.com/5-things-that-motivate-an-adhd-brain-7967417
6. Bottom-up and Top-down processing - Bottom-up processing is processing sensory information first and then building concepts from that information. Top-down processing starts with a concept and then adds details from sensory information. Autistic people tend to do mostly bottom-up except when masking. NTs mostly do top-down processing. Because ADHDers frequently and flexibly do both, we are sort of a bridge between two processing styles.
https://psychtimes.com/healthcare/bottom-up-vs-top-down-processing/
Want to learn more about this neuro-affirming perspective? Janae Elisabeth, Autistic researcher and educator, is hosting an 8 week course focused on Neurodiversity in the Summer of 2024, beginning June 12. More info at: TraumaGeek.Thinkific.com
