Education
Wednesday, 03 February 2010 03:02
Written by Matt Kuykendall

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Orchid genes

Nature vs. Nurture. A phrase we all know the meaning of, and probably have an opinion on, yet few of us understand the science those three words represent. Since Darwin created this dichotomy, scientists of varying disciplines have combined their efforts in an attempt to elucidate the Nature vs. Nurture conundrum. Some would argue we have only achieved the Socratic realization of our ignorance. However, research published within the last ten years has elicited a new perspective and reframed the question from Nature vs. Nurture to Nature and Nurture.

The Orchid Hypothesis is the driving force giving credence to the idea that what determines our behavior and personality is an intricate interplay between our genes and the extrinsic environment that we experience. This is a radical idea, as it is causing researchers to no longer ask “What does our environment influence and what do our genes influence?” but rather “How do our environment and our genes interact, and what are the results?”

In short, the Orchid Hypothesis states that there are dandelion children who can be considered normal children. They develop normally and do well in almost any environment, similar to a dandelion’s ability to survive in a tender garden or rough Shanghai street. Orchid children on the other hand, are similar to orchids in that given the right environment they can bloom into innovators, leaders and creative humans necessary for societal advancement. However, in the wrong environment, they will exhibit contrarian behavior that will often put them at odds with society at large. So what is an orchid child?  Interestingly, the most identifiable orchid gene allele is DRD4, a gene that increases the risk of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

This new way of thinking about human development is a huge paradigm shift that parents of children with ADHD should be excited about. Instead of thinking of these children as having a problem that needs to be fixed by any means necessary, parents and teachers should view students with ADHD as having an incredible amount of potential waiting to be unloaded, once given the right environment.

A compelling discovery is that orchid gene alleles, such as those associated with ADHD, have only recently emerged in our human genetic code. Therefore, these genes have risen through natural selection. Evolutionary anthropologists Cochran and Harpending point out in their work, The 10,000 Year Explosion, that the emergence of orchid genes coincided with homo sapiens’ expansion and advancement both socially and intellectually.

It is important for parents of orchid children to understand that their child’s ADHD is not inherently a dysfunction, but rather a gift. Studies of ADHD orchid children have found that behavioral interventions such as the introduction of routine and more interpersonal interaction between toddlers with ADHD and their parents resulted in a reduction of externalizing behavior (bad behavior) by 16 percent compared to 10 percent of the control group. So, even though orchid children have the potential to have more socio-emotional problems in childhood and thus adulthood, they also have the potential to achieve greater gains in the same regard than their normal peers.

By changing the way we view children with ADHD from potential problem children to potential innovators and leaders, we can focus on creating environments that let these potentially gifted children bloom into the orchids they can be.

Matt Kuykendall teaches Social Studies at Shanghai American School’s Puxi Campus.

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