According to this, almost two-thirds of the children (62 percent) behaved consistently like orchids, tulips or dandelions, which means that they reacted strongly, moderately or with little sensitivity to adversity in both development phases. But some undeniably presented a mixed profile: 6.5 percent of children were highly vulnerable to adversity in early childhood but very resilient in adolescence, and 6.7 percent were the other way around.
In a third study, we examined around 40 environmental factors in infancy and early childhood, including family income, maternal depression, parenting behavior of parents, and the quality of day care and the hours, months, and years the child spent there. When the children were four and a half years old, desired characteristics such as good social and language skills and undesirable ones such as aggression and disobedience were recorded. Also in this sample we found orchid and dandelion babies, but the overwhelming majority were a mix of both.
Different profiles in one person
Still, it would be a mistake to throw out the orchid-tulip-dandelion child with the proverbial bathwater. Because obviously some kids do fit into these profiles. But the realization that most people combine different profiles could prompt society not to lump everyone together. For example, when it comes to support measures: the assumption that children are most strongly shaped by early life experiences, for example, has led many countries to invest more in early childhood than in adolescence. However, our results suggest that this misses many opportunities in youth. Ultimately, a society should strive to provide safety and security for all children of all ages.
Our findings also suggest that individual interventions are needed to help children with mental health problems. In some cases parents, teachers should focus first on the family environment, in other cases on peers. When it comes to what shapes development and what doesn’t, every child is unique. Long live the difference!