Some children are highly sensitive to stress and can quickly become fussy and irritated by loud noises or other stress factors. These hyper sensitive children have been called ‘orchid’ children because they can be hard to raise and need careful nurturing – just like orchids.

It seems that if they are stressed by their home environment, if their parents have financial problems or are feeling overwhelmed by life in some way, these children fare badly in school.

But research points out that these children,if given the right environment can flourish in school, often outperforming their peers.

If your child is not an orchid child he or she is probably a ‘dandelion’ child, a child who seems to thrive no matter what stresses and strains are thrown their way.

I agree, sensitive children can be difficult to work with. The are reactive and can quickly switch off when things get too difficult for them to handle. But the same thing happens with all children. Every child has a ‘breaking point’ where stress of some kind prevents them from learning and can lead to some strange behavior.

The only difference between orchid children and dandelion children is the amount of stress that they can handle before it prevents their brains functioning properly. A highly sensitive child is more likely to pick up on stressful feelings than a less sensitive child, and that can make them more vulnerable to stopping learning.

All children need nurturing, need an environment in which they can grow and learn. The fact that that environment differs depending on personality and make up is nothing new. Nor is the fact that children who come from stable home environments do better in school that children from homes full of stress and unhappiness.

I think that even ‘dandelion’ children suffer from an unstable home setting, they just may not show it so much.

What this study does point out is that a child’s emotional state has a big impact on how well they can learn. In my course ‘Love of Learning’ I devote a whole section to understanding a child’s emotional learning skills and what parents can do to help children develop them.

Orchids are beautiful, and I like having one in my house. I also love to see the dandelions appear in my lawn in Spring. When we create the best environments for all children we may end up with fields of orchids as well as fields of dandelions.

Vive la difference!

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