I think wether the robot is a copy or the real "you" is only a philosophical difference. In reality theres no difference.

Not radical at all to many people.

One might even call this idea obvious.

>In your case, you are not aware of the causes for your neurodevelopmental differences, but that doesn't mean they don't exist, and they exist regardless of your opinion.

That is as empty a statement as "every effect has a cause". Yes of course there are genetic, social and environmental causes for my developmental differences. I don't deny that at all. However, everything about the way we develop is multifactorial whether you turn out normal or not. It's wrong to say there are causes for my ADHD as if they were different from the same causes that make people develop normally. If that's what you mean, I 100% agree with you.

However, I want to be clear. I believe that it is inaccurate to say that there is a "cause" for ADHD in the sense that a virus is a "cause" for respiratory illness. This is what people hear when we say there are things that cause ADHD.

ADHD is not a monolith. There can be ADHD with a probable cause (your case), ADHD that is caused by a delay in brain development (kid who eventually grows out of ADHD), ADHD secondary to physical trauma as a child, ADHD that is "caused" by a brain that is just meant to be structurally different in its mature state. I would say that the first and third scenarios I describe to have "causes" for ADHD. The other two I wouldn't say there are causes. This is what I was referring to when I say there is not well defined data to describe what is more common.

I am in no way denying that people with ADHD have difficulties and that there are compensatory strategies to mitigate those difficulties.

I understand what you mean but I also disagree with you on some points. My main issue is with the language used not the content of the article or your comment.

I don't believe there is any high quality data on this topic but from my understanding, most people with ADHD do not have an inciting event that "causes" them to develop ADHD. This is not to deny your experience, but I do not believe that it is the norm for people with ADHD.

My ADHD brain developed as it should have, there were not any environmental or biological factors that interrupted my brain development. That's not to say it didn't develop differently compared to the "average" person. I think that conceptualizing an ADHD brain as "damaged" gives it the idea that you can "fix" it to become a typical brain.

I don't understand why scientists expect the brain to "repair" itself. An ADHD brain develops the way it does not because of some aberrant process, but because thats how it was supposed to develop. The fact that its a developmentally different brain does not mean that the brain is "damaged".