Many people with ADHD or autism perceive their surroundings more intensely. Whether this is a burden or a strength often depends less on the diagnosis than on the environment.

10 November 2026 · Andreas Müller

Sounds, light, the mood in a room: some people take in far more of it than others. Researchers call this sensory processing sensitivity, often referred to as high sensitivity. It is a personality trait, not a disorder. It describes how deeply someone processes stimuli from their surroundings and from their own body.

This is the focus of the Environmental Sensitivity in Health group at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen. Prof. Corina Greven studies why people respond so differently to their environment, to harmful and to supportive influences alike. She brings together three fields that are usually studied separately: high sensitivity, ADHD and autism. Greven was also among the first to publish on the positive sides of ADHD, which has changed how the condition is viewed.

What the research shows so far

Within the group, Lessa Schippers researches strengths in ADHD. In a survey with the Dutch patient organisation Impuls & Woortblind, people with ADHD often named their high sensitivity as a positive aspect. In a second study of nearly 700 people from the general population, more ADHD traits went along with higher scores on a sensitivity questionnaire.

The picture is not simple, though. A 2025 Nijmegen study of 252 adults found no overall link between sensitivity and ADHD or autistic traits, only on individual subscales. The environment made the difference: in negative surroundings, high sensitivity went along with more autistic traits; in supportive ones, with greater life satisfaction.

Why this matters in practice

These findings fit the guiding question of the 2026 workshop: do ADHD, autism and PTSD share underlying dimensions, namely sensitivity and stress? If sensitivity becomes a resource or a burden depending on the environment, the diagnosis alone is not enough. We also need to ask what a nervous system takes in and what that costs it.

For professionals, this means asking about sensitivity, naming strengths and helping to shape the environment. For parents and those affected, it means that perceiving intensely is not simply a deficit. It needs the right conditions.

The talk

Lessa Schippers speaks on Thursday, 10 December 2026, at 11.15 on “ADHD, autism and sensitivity through a neurodiversity lens: Their strengths, struggles and surprising connections”. The talk is in English. She represents the group of Prof. Corina Greven, who is not in Europe on the day of the workshop.

Biomarker Workshop 2026: Thursday, 10 December 2026, 9.00–17.00, Paulus Akademie Zurich and online. CHF 100.–, 7 credits. Talks are held in German, except those by Tony Attwood, Michelle Garnett and Lessa Schippers. Programme · Register now

Sources: ADHD Awareness Month: ADHD and high sensitivity · Radboudumc: How sensitive are you? (2025) · Radboud University: Corina Greven · Schippers, Greven & Hoogman 2024, Comprehensive Psychiatry