Maybe Your Kid is an Orchid!
New Research Will Make You Realize Why Your Kid is Struggling in School
Many parents and teachers are familiar with kids struggling in school — children are constantly in detention, isolated outside of the principal’s office, can barely pay attention unless it is something that they really want to do, and peers avoid them like the plague. Today, biological and cognitive neuroscientists offer a completely new way to think about genetics and human behavior — perhaps your child is an orchid and needs a greenhouse in order to thrive.

Most of us have genes that make us as hardy as dandelions: able to take root and survive almost anywhere. A few of us, however, are more like orchids: fragile and fickle, but capable of blooming spectacularly if given greenhouse care. In truth, we all have the same genes, but because some genes are polymorphic in their make-up, variant expressions can occur outside of our control, which can have very powerful bearing on our lives.
Researchers have identified a dozen or so gene variants that can increase a person’s susceptibility to depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), heightened risk-taking, and antisocial, sociopathic, or violent behaviors, and other problems — if, and only if, the person carrying the variant suffers a traumatic or stressful childhood or faces particularly trying experiences later in life. In other words, the person must have the particular variant of the gene and be traumatized in youth.
The genes in question are numerous, but we focus on a few that can modulate mood, affect learning, and enable happiness. Polymorphism is a critical assay of genetics that contributes to understanding of orchid versus dandelion in humans. Polymorphism is the presence of genetic variation within a gene population, upon which natural selection can operate.
If your child has risky gene expressions combined with life hardships, then they are more prone to end up in dire straits. For instance, there is evidence to suggest that adolescent orchid children who, in addition experience ACEs, will have a less than 20% chance of making it through high school without getting into serious trouble, dropping out, or ending up in the juvenile justice system or on the streets.
Dandelion children possess resilient genes. They do pretty well almost anywhere, whether raised in the equivalent of a sidewalk crack or a well-tended garden. However, orchid children will wilt if ignored or maltreated, but bloom spectacularly with greenhouse care. We refer to dandelion children as individuals with the protective allele and we refer to orchids as children with the risky allele.
