Monotropism and Hyperneuroplasticity
- Dr. Patty Gently
- Aug 16
- 10 min read
By Dr. Patty Gently on August 16, 2025


Bright Insight Support Network founder and president Dr. Patricia Gently supports gifted and twice-exceptional adults in their own autopsychotherapy through identity exploration, structured reflection, and alignment with inner values. A writer, educator, and 2e adult, Dr. Patty centers depth, integrity, and complexity in all aspects of her work.
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Monotropism and Hyperneuroplasticity
I'm part of a Facebook group called Malaysia GEMS (Gifted Education & Mentoring Support) Group, where I find a wealth of knowledge and kindness. In this group, an online friend posted the following graphic about monotropism from “Interoception Groupie" and Occupational Therapist, Kelly Mahler.

This graphic reads as follows:
Monotropism is something to understand and honor
For many monotropic individuals, deep engagement in an intense area of interest offers regulation, restoration—and sometimes even healing.
Interoception helps us recognize what truly supports our wellness—and protect it fiercely
How does your body feel before, during, or after a state of flow?
I loved this graphic and then saw another dear friend comment, wondering if these would also apply to the highest levels of giftedness. AH! I rapidly replied: “I think there is a spectrum of experience with this for many hyperneuroplastic types," followed by, “and there's my next blog post."
Well, here we are.
Two concepts, monotropism and hyperneuroplasticity, may offer insight into the experiences of first autistic, and then ADHD, gifted, and otherwise neurodivergent individuals. Each on its own helps explain distinct cognitive and neural tendencies. Taken together, they reveal why certain people experience both extraordinary strengths, significant challenges, and maybe a spectrum of experience in relation to monotropic thinking.
What is Monotropism?
Monotropism is a cognitive and attentional theory most often used to describe aspects of autism. Murray’s foundational paper (2005) first laid out this theory, and later empirical validation came with the Monotropism Questionnaire (Chown et al., 2023; Garau et al., 2023). It suggests that autistic people tend to focus their attention narrowly and deeply rather than distributing it broadly. This monotropic focus fuels immersive engagement and flow-like states, allows for extraordinary depth in special interests, and makes switching tasks or handling multiple simultaneous inputs much more difficult (Murray, Lesser, & Lawson, 2005; Chown et al., 2023). Recent empirical work has validated monotropism as a measurable construct, showing that autistic and ADHD individuals score significantly higher on monotropism compared to non-autistic groups (Chown et al., 2023; Garau et al., 2023).
While most monotropism research has focused on autism, parallels exist in giftedness. In relation to my friend’s ponderings about giftedness and monotropism, it is helpful to identify how gifted individuals are often described as entering states of deep absorption or flow, where sustained attention and passion-driven learning mirror monotropic focus (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius, & Worrell, 2011; Neihart, 1999). These states allow for remarkable creative and intellectual productivity, yet may also heighten struggles with balance, transitions, and social demands. Direct empirical research on monotropism in gifted populations has not yet been conducted. Still, the overlapping descriptions suggest that the theory may help illuminate why some gifted individuals display extraordinary expertise alongside challenges in flexibility and regulation.
So we might think of a spectrum that ranges from intensely monotropic, where task switching is particularly difficult and can cause distress, to more moderately focused styles, where individuals can still immerse deeply yet shift attention with relative ease. This highlights that monotropism does not present identically for everyone but instead varies in degree and impact across contexts. For some, deep focus can feel restorative and generative; for others, the same absorption becomes distressing when sudden task-switching is required. Monotropism may also show up as missing cues in the environment, difficulty broadening attention under stress, or a sense of wellbeing when immersed in a passion (Murray et al., 2005; Chown et al., 2023). Research on autism notes that these attentional patterns can heighten vulnerability in multitasking environments (Murray et al., 2005; Chown et al., 2023). Gifted learners show parallel dynamics when their passion domains clash with competing demands, and giftedness research echoes this spectrum: immersion is often linked to wellbeing and high achievement, yet it can also create vulnerability when external demands require divided attention (Neihart, 1999; Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius, & Worrell, 2011).
What is Hyperneuroplasticity?
As explored in a recent blog post and white paper, hyperneuroplasticity is a term I use to describe an unusually high capacity for rapid, extensive, and lasting neural reorganization across multiple levels of the nervous system. At the cellular level, it reflects heightened sensitivity of synaptic plasticity mechanisms (long-term potentiation or LTP and long-term depression or LTD) and a lower threshold for metaplasticity, meaning that prior activity more strongly biases the ease of future change (Abraham & Bear, 1996; Abraham, 2008). Homeostatic plasticity processes, which normally stabilize networks by scaling synaptic strength up or down, may also operate differently in hyperneuroplastic systems, allowing larger or more prolonged shifts (Turrigiano & Nelson, 2011).
At the network level, that is, at the level of brain circuits and connectivity between regions, hyperneuroplastic brains reorganize functional connectivity more rapidly than typical, leading to accelerated pattern recognition, learning, and adaptation. This can produce remarkable advantages in creativity, problem-solving, and skill acquisition (Pascual-Leone et al., 2005). Yet the same malleability creates vulnerabilities. For example, once a maladaptive loop is established, as seen with trauma-related hyperarousal, tinnitus, chronic pain, or sensory overwhelm, it may become entrenched quickly and prove difficult to extinguish. Chen (2024) discusses plasticity mechanisms in autism; I apply this evidence toward the broader framing of hyperneuroplasticity.
At the whole-system level, I propose that hyperneuroplasticity may interact with the autonomic and immune systems. This hypothesis could help explain why some individuals experience strong body–brain coupling as seen with dysautonomia, mast cell activation, or functional neurological symptoms that can develop or persist as the nervous system over-adapts to stressors. And yes, these systemic links are an emerging area of study. However, early work suggests that heightened plasticity may contribute to both resilience and fragility, depending on context.
Hyperneuroplasticity, then, is best understood as a double-edged capacity. On one side, it fuels accelerated learning, creativity, and rapid adaptation. On the other, it can entrench pain or maladaptive responses with unusual speed. Recognizing this dual nature lays the groundwork for exploring how hyperneuroplastic processes may interact with other attentional styles and neurocognitive frameworks (Pascual-Leone et al., 2005; Chen, 2024).
Where They Intersect
When monotropism and hyperneuroplasticity overlap, they create a distinct and complex neuropsychological topography. The convergence of narrow, focused attention (monotropism) with an unusually high capacity for neural reorganization (hyperneuroplasticity) produces outcomes that are often remarkable, profoundly complex, and at times challenging. Taken together, these dynamics show how hyperneuroplastic monotropism can act as both a powerful driver of learning and creativity and a source of vulnerability when experiences tip toward rumination or trauma. In everyday terms, this means a person can learn and change in extraordinary ways when focused, though the same intensity may also deepen struggles or painful patterns. This double edge highlights why context, support, and intentional direction are so important in shaping outcomes.
Focused Plasticity
Monotropism channels attention into narrow streams, while hyperneuroplasticity amplifies the degree of change within those streams. At the neural level, this may involve heightened long-term potentiation (LTP) and lower thresholds for metaplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adjust how easily it can change in the future based on past activity. In other words, prior experience can “prime” the brain so it rewires more quickly the next time similar activity occurs. These shifts strengthen the circuits tied to the current focus (Abraham & Bear, 1996; Abraham, 2008).
In everyday language, this reflects Hebb’s law: “neurons that fire together wire together” (Hebb, 1949). Repeated activation reinforces the pathway, leading to rapid and transformative learning. The same mechanism, however, can also strengthen rumination or compulsions (Murray, 2018).
Transition Costs
Shifting focus is characteristically difficult in monotropism, since narrow and deep attention makes disengagement challenging. Hyperneuroplasticity may help explain why this difficulty occurs. Once attention locks onto a pathway, the brain’s unusually rapid and lasting reorganization strengthens it further, so the current focus becomes resistant to change. Normally, homeostatic plasticity, the brain’s balancing system that stabilizes networks by adjusting synaptic strengths up or down, prevents any one pathway from dominating. In hyperneuroplastic systems, these stabilizing mechanisms may not fully counteract the reinforced pathway, which may help explain why transitions can feel disproportionately costly (Turrigiano & Nelson, 2011).
This dynamic is evident in everyday life. A child deeply absorbed in building with blocks or coding on a computer may melt down when suddenly asked to stop for dinner. While the distress is often misinterpreted as stubbornness or defiance, a neurodiversity-affirming and neuroscientifically informed perspective recognizes that it reflects how strongly their attention pathway has been reinforced. Because of this reinforcement, disengagement becomes unusually costly. Adults can experience something similar: a person deeply focused on writing, painting, or solving a technical problem may feel completely “pulled apart” when interrupted by a phone call. Even after attempting to switch tasks, their attention keeps gravitating back to the original focus because the neural pathway remains dominant. Together, these examples show how the mechanics of hyperneuroplasticity make transitions feel far more disruptive than they might appear from the outside.
Intensified Experience
Interests, passions, and sensitivities often take on greater depth in individuals who combine monotropism with hyperneuroplasticity. What excites becomes exhilarating, and what wounds becomes deeply etched (Chown, Beardon, Martin, & Mistry, 2023; Garau et al., 2023). Heightened plasticity means that positive experiences can scaffold creativity and growth, while negative experiences can quickly embed into maladaptive loops. This reality is written about at great length in my book, Intersection of Intensity: Exploring Giftedness and Trauma.
In daily life, this might look like a gifted teenager immersed in music who learns new techniques with extraordinary speed because each practice session leaves unusually strong traces in their neural pathways. The same mechanism, however, can cause painful experiences to stick just as quickly. For example, repeated criticism during rehearsal may become entrenched as lasting self-doubt. Both the exhilaration of mastery and the sting of wounding are amplified, reflecting how deeply experiences are encoded. These patterns illustrate how hyperneuroplasticity magnifies the intensity of monotropic focus, creating the potential for rapid creative breakthroughs while also heightening vulnerability to distress when experiences are negative.
Trauma Resonance
When monotropism and hyperneuroplasticity intersect around trauma, painful experiences can be reinforced with unusual strength. A monotropic style funnels attention narrowly onto the traumatic event, while hyperneuroplasticity accelerates the brain’s reorganization within that focus. Together, they may contribute to trauma loops becoming more rapidly consolidated and persistent, a theoretical extension that warrants further study.
The same convergence also creates potential for profound healing. When attention is guided toward regulation and integration, monotropism sustains deep focus on the healing process, and hyperneuroplasticity magnifies neural change within that focus. Supported by targeted therapeutic approaches such as EMDR, mindfulness, or relational safety, this combination can accelerate the consolidation of healthier associations (Gently, 2024; Pascual-Leone et al., 2005).
For example, a single shaming incident in school may continue to intrude years later. The monotropic pull keeps attention returning to the memory, and hyperneuroplastic reinforcement entrenches the pathway. Yet in therapy, when focus is intentionally directed toward regulation, the very same dynamic allows new associations to be formed and strengthened with unusual depth and speed.
Trauma resonance reflects how monotropism sets the direction of attention, and how hyperneuroplasticity may help explain the rapid consolidation of experience within that focus, leading either to entrenched suffering or to accelerated healing depending on where attention is guided and what supports are present.
Why This Matters
Understanding the interplay of monotropism and hyperneuroplasticity reframes how we think about neurodivergence. It shows that the same mechanisms that enable extraordinary learning and creativity can also underlie difficulty with transitions, sensory overwhelm, or entrenched patterns of distress.
This perspective highlights several key insights. It clarifies why some individuals can learn and adapt with unusual speed in certain contexts while finding flexibility disproportionately difficult. For example, a child might master complex math concepts after a single lesson yet become overwhelmed when asked to switch tasks abruptly in the classroom. The same narrowing of attention that drives rapid mastery also makes transitions unusually costly.
It also explains how the dynamics that fuel exceptional creativity can leave people more vulnerable to rumination, chronic pain, or other maladaptive loops. An artist may enter a deep flow state and produce remarkable work, yet find that a painful critique lingers for weeks or months, replaying in thought patterns that become hard to interrupt. Hyperneuroplasticity helps explain why these experiences take root so quickly and persist so strongly.
This framework points toward interventions that respect attentional style while intentionally guiding plasticity toward growth and self-regulation (Kapp, 2019). A student who thrives when given extended periods to work in their area of interest may also benefit from structured supports that gently scaffold transitions. Similarly, therapy that pairs focus on a valued activity with regulation strategies can harness plasticity in a positive direction.
Importantly, these patterns are not just descriptive but mechanistic. At the cellular level, lowered thresholds for metaplasticity mean that prior activity primes the brain for rapid change (Abraham & Bear, 1996; Abraham, 2008). At the network level, accelerated shifts in connectivity can entrench both strengths and trauma (Pascual-Leone et al., 2005; drawing on evidence from autism research, e.g., Chen, 2024, though applied here as part of the broader hyperneuroplasticity framework). At the systemic level, differences in homeostatic plasticity may destabilize regulation, leaving attention more vulnerable to becoming “locked in” (Turrigiano & Nelson, 2011). These mechanisms help explain why some individuals can appear both remarkably adaptable and remarkably rigid, depending on context.
Taken together, this lens shows that depth, adaptability, and vulnerability are not separate traits but interconnected expressions of the same neural architecture. Monotropism sets the direction of attention, and hyperneuroplasticity may help explain the magnitude and persistence of its impact. Across hyperneuroplastic types, this plays out along a spectrum of experience, where the same underlying dynamics can manifest as heightened creativity, sensitivity, or insight in some contexts, and as overwhelm, rigidity, or dysregulation in others. This perspective helps us recognize that extraordinary potential and significant struggle often arise from the same root processes; a reality that calls for both compassion and intentional design of supportive contexts.
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