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Revision as of 00:50, 8 August 2005
Hyperfocus has been suggested to be a mental state often associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a human psychiatric disorder often diagnosed in childhood which is thought to continue into adulthood for about 30% of individuals, and is then commonly known as adult attention-deficit disorder (AADD).
Views about special abilities in ADHD
Some feel that ADHD children tend to look at situations in a different manner; they tend to look beyond the norm. "While students are learning the details of photosynthesis, the ADHD kids are staring out the window and pondering if it still works on a cloudy day" (Underwood). One positive side of impulsive behavior is the ability to try new things without trepidation. This is risky but can be useful in some circumstances: "Compulsivity isn't always bad. Instead of dithering over a decision, they're willing to take risks" (Underwood). ADHD does not necessarily slow down a person's learning process. In fact, some feel that ADHD can contribute to a faster or more comprehensive learning process. All agree that this can be aided if teachers implement effective teaching strategies geared specifically towards the ADHD learner.
A few (some say "most") people with ADHD have a tendency to "hyperfocus" - focus very strongly on something which interests them. "When that same person is working on something that is interesting, it can be almost impossible to get that person to switch attention elsewhere. For some individuals, hyperfocus may be a very positive aspect of ADHD. When they are 'in gear', they claim to be very happy and may be very creative. Many of history's most famous and creative persons are thought to have had ADHD and displayed hyperfocus in their behavior."
To see ADHD positively may seem somewhat problematic to anxious parents but it is at least a perspective that should be kept in mind.
Current medical and scientific views
However, hyperfocus is not a medically recognised term; it is not in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual; and no article using the term appears in PubMed. Various special abilities have been suggested to occur in ADHD, including vigilance, response-readiness, enthusiasm, and flexibility (Jensen et al, J.Am.Acad.Ch.Ad.Psychiatry 36(12) 1997; Hartmann 1993: ADD: A different perception), but these are not actually characteristic of ADHD (Goldstein and Barkley, ADHD Report 6(5) 1998). Greater creativity has also been suggested (Shelley-Tremblay and Rosen 1996) but formal measures of this are no higher in children with ADHD than in controls (Funk et al.Pediatrics 91(4) 1993).
There are several possible reasons for the persistence of the notion that people with ADHD have special abilities: (a) wishful thinking (b) well-recognised comorbidity of ADHD with autistic spectrum disorders, of which excess focus is a part; (c) ADHD is a highly heterogeneous condition; special abilities certainly do occur in some people, and it is easy to overgeneralise from this minority to the whole ADHD group. (d) ADHD is a remarkably common primarily genetically determined disorder (4-8% of school age children) so it is difficult to see why evolution hasn't removed it unless it bestows some benefit.
References
Hartmann, Thom. (1998) Healing ADD: Simple Exercises That Will Change Your Daily Life. Underwood-Miller (1st ed.) ISBN 1887424377
See also
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD and ADHD)
- Adult attention-deficit disorder (adult ADD or AADD)
- hunter vs. farmer theory