Marc Riddell wrote:
on 2/28/07 2:42 PM, Ray Saintonge at
saintonge(a)telus.net wrote:
Sometimes I'm inclined to believe that the
disorder is relevant to our
context. Can ADHD be channeled into productive activity rather than
suppressed?
Are you really serious with this question?
It's not an unreasonable question.
Some people argue that ADHD is an adaptive trait, just not in the modern
context. And as Jameson shows pretty well in "Touched with Fire:
Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament," even things that
we clearly consider maladaptive can be channeled into outlets with
substantial societal value, even when they are personally harmful.
Another good example is Temple Grandin, a high-functioning autistic
whose substantial successes are rooted directly in her autism. And in my
own field, top-performing computer people are notoriously quirky.
I would be unsurprised to learn that a disproportionate share of
Wikipedia contribution comes from people with traits considered
diagnosable by what the Aspberger's community somewhat sneeringly refer
to as "neurotypicals". And not in spite of their differences, but
because of them.
William
--
William Pietri <william(a)scissor.com>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:William_Pietri