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Thought'le Follow
Jun 18, 2017 · 3 min read

An old Swedish expression suggests that children are either dandelions or

orchids, most being dandelions. Dandelions are resilient, they aren’t exactly
considered beautiful =owers, but even without care they manage to still
thrive. They aren’t planted intentionally, they don’t need to be, they bloom
under any condition. And then there are the orchids, these fragile =owers,
requiring proper conditions and care. Without the care they require, they wilt
and die, but under the perfect conditions they grow into a breathtaking
=ower.

Now think of a child born with the rare mutation that leads to autism. In the
absence of the full picture, it leads to creation of many stereotypes at the
hands of society, these extremes lead potential parents to think of the worst
when told their child may have this rare chromosomal diEerence. Like most
people, fear and devastation takes over the brain, at a loss for what to do next.
This feeling of helplessness can put a great deal of stress on the mother. But,
to her disbelief this doesn’t mean the child is doomed for a life dependent on
others, this means that the child may not go through the same paths as a child
with the correct chromosomes, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Recent research has delivered a theory psychologist like to call “diEerential

susceptibility hypothesis.” This is the belief that the same genetic make-up
that leads to what society believes to be ‘bad’ can in turn lead to amazing
things. A baseball bat could kill someone, but it can also bring together a
group of people for a common passion of baseball. The way in which this bat
is perceived to be either good or bad depends on the context. Take Stephen
Wiltshire for example, one short ride on a helicopter overlooking Tokyo lead
him to create a 33 foot panorama of Tokyo he drew from memory. Despite his
small chromosomal diEerence he has the capacity to remember things
someone with the best memory in the world might have trouble with, not to
mention his unthinkable artistic talent.

The child with a rare mutation may be the smartest person in the world in the
right context. Most of what we perceive to be ‘bad or good’ depends mostly on
the context we are in when delivered this information. In a piece titled The
Atlantic, David Dobbs writes “the very gene that gives us the most trouble as a
species, caus[es] humankind’s phenomenal adaptability and evolutionary
success. With a bad environment and poor parenting, orchid children can end
up depressed, drug-addicted, or in jail — with the right environment and good
parenting, they can grow up to be society’s most creative, successful, and
happy people.”

In today’s world, most of our Telds are Tlled with dandelions, likely to come
out okay under unforeseeable circumstances. The rest are orchids, their
sensitivity reaches circumstances that aren’t just negative, making them
fragile to any situation. Orchids in the shelter of a greenhouse will overpower
the dandelions growing on the side of the road.

Poetry Psychology Development Children

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