Are sensitive kids more prone to develop ADHD or ADD?
Answer from Scattered Minds (Gabor Mate)
“Kids who develop ADD tend to be highly sensitive – sometimes exquisitely so. Just as a sensitive seismometer counter is going to detect smaller seismic disturbances than a less sensitive instrument, so too will sensitive kids pick up on stresses in the environment that may not affect a more stolid or placid child. Consequently it takes less stressful stimulation to cause emotional pain in a sensitive child. And I make the case in the book that ADD traits like tuning out and distractibility first develop as emotional defense mechanisms against this kind of distress.
All the more reason, then, to take a careful look at the child’s environment with an eye to uncovering hidden stresses, so that you can address them”.
