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ADD May Carry the Gifts of Intuition

ADD/ADHD is a neurological disorder. According to the National Institute of Health, between 3% and 5% of the population in this country are affected by ADD/ADHD. The major symptoms of the disorder are distractibility, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, poor attention span and impulsiveness.

Persons with ADD frequently are highly intuitive. What is intuition? First of all, it's not ESP, and it's not instinct, although the word intuition has historically been used that way. It's an extremely important and powerful form of non-linear intelligence, useful for deciphering patterns from chaotic situations.

Intuition is a form of subconscious intelligence, possibly used by the right brain to discern complex patterns and relationships. It is highly underrated. All small children learn primarily through intuition, and at an extremely fast pace. They also have short attention spans, are impulsive, and fidget a lot; sound familiar?

For example, small children learn to speak complex sentences through "absorption," without having any understanding of grammar. Imagine if you had to teach every child language by explaining to them that each sentence must have a noun. You don't, because their subconscious biological computer called intuition has already figured that out, without the child's conscious knowledge.

Music is also learned intuitively. People cannot usually explain that the pattern of first, third and fifth notes on the scale, have a pleasing sound to their ears because of the mathematical relationship of vibration wavelengths. However, our subconscious intelligence knows these relationships. Multiple studies have shown that young children given intense music lessons have sudden increases in their mathematical abilities.

Intuitive people lose detail, but more often get the big picture. They are also good at coming up with ideas, concepts, and relationships that others miss. Hallowell says that ADDers are highly intuitive and have "flashes of brilliance."

Left Brain vs. Right Brain

Both ADDers and highly creative individuals are thought to have differences in the left brain vs. right brain relationship.

Right Brain Traits:

• Intuitive: Follows hunches, or feelings, takes leaps of logic.

• Nontemporal: having little or no awareness of time.

• Random: arranges events and actions haphazardly.

• Causal and Informal: deals with information on basis of need or interest at the time.

• Concrete: relates to things as they are commonly known or understood. Explicit, precise.

• Holistic: sees whole things all at one, overall patterns. Leading to divergent ideas.

• Visual: uses imagery, responds to pictures, colors, shapes.

• Nonverbal: responds to tones, music, body language, touch.

• Visio-spatial: uses intuition to estimate, perceives shapes.

• Responsive: listens to music.

• Originative: interest in ideas and theories imaginatively.

• Emotional: suspicious judgment until it feels or seems right.

• Learning: through exploration

Left Brain Traits:

• Methodical: organizes information, classifies, and categorizes structures.

• Temporal: keeps track of time, thinks in terms of past, present, future.

• Sequential: arranges events and actions in consecutive succession.

• Linear: thinks in terms of sequence, one thought directly following another. Leads to convergent conclusions.

• Factual: deals with details, items, the particulars, features of a thing.

• Verbal: used words to name, describe, and define things.

• Systematic and Formal: processes information methodically, in a well-planned way.

• Learning: through systematic plans

I have not found anything in medical literature that says ADDers are primarily right brained. What is written however, are theories about lower than normal levels of hemispheric dominance.

I think that means the left brains aren't quite as dominant in ADDers as they are with "normal" people, so the right brain has a looser rein, so to speak. The right brain is therefore allowed to go further, to do more. This intuitive capability in those with ADD is really a gift, and should be encouraged as such.

© 2005 Christopher Stewart

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