highly sensitive person

[Tri Girl]

That's interesting. It seems there's a diagnosis for EVERYTHING nowadays, tho.
A little off topic here, but I had a student one time that had very messy handwriting (4th grade). He was very intelligent and had no learning or social issues- he just didn't write legibly (although he had no other fine motor issues). His parents took him to 12 (yes, 12) specialists until he was diagnosed with dysgraphia. They insisted we provide physical and occupational therapy (we're a parochial school with no services available so they wanted us to pay for his services from professionals of their choice) and they insisted that they write everything for him and he could dictate his work to them.



As far as the highly sensitive person, I checked almost every one of those statements on the quiz. I've always been sensitive to others, inanimate objects, noises, smells, lights, etc. Not knowing what it was, I just developed coping mechanisms to deal.

[Tuckervill]

This would be easier for the doubters to understand if you ever had or knew a child who was extremely highly sensitive. Since they haven't learned to tolerate what bothers them or any coping skills, it is easier to detect that something is making them anxious or uncomfortable. Unfortunately, many adults and parents don't take children seriously when a child expresses their discomfort, or they can't understand it, or they minimize or discount it because "it's not that bad" (to the parents).

As an example, I took my son to Circus Circus when we were in Vegas to see the trapeze artists. The place was full of kids of course (he was 12 or so). A family watching between us and the act consisted of two parents, a small baby, and a toddler. As the music began, very loudly, and the lights dimmed and lots of lasers and stuff started happening, the toddler's hands flew up to her ears. It was a motion I recognized instantly, because my youngest has always covered his ears for loud noises. I have numerous pictures of him at fireworks shows, etc., with his ears covered by both hands or one ear to the shoulder and one hand on the other ear if he needed his hand. Even now, at 16, he mows the lawn with ear protection on.

The parents were upset with the toddler because she just could not enjoy the trapeze artist with the loud music. They kept trying to get her to look at the artist. They tried to pull her hands from her ears (heartless!) and eventually they made her cry by forcing the issue. Eventually she laid her head on dad's shoulder and turned her head away from the act. So not only was she overwhelmed by the sound, her parents made her cry AND she couldn't enjoy the act! As I watched all this unfold, I glanced over at my 12 year old, who ALSO had his hands over his ears. He was watching her, too.

She was too young to care what her parents thought and adapt her behavior to cope with the stimulation. But I bet she's learned since then. It would have been much better if she had had the chance to know what would happen and given the choice to leave if it was too much.

Kids who take off their shoes first chance they get (mine), refuse socks or insist on soft clothes or wearing them inside out, cover their ears for any loud noise (mine), are afraid of certain types of people from a young age (mine--clowns and mascots, started at 6 weeks), pick up on other people's moods early, refuse to touch certain types of fabric (mine), startle easily--these are kids who are likely on the highly sensitive side. They were probably also the newborn babies who didn't instantly drop off to sleep the time the family party got loud and raucous or in another overstimulating environment.

It's not a made up diagnosis. It's not the same as not liking broccoli. It's an experiential difference that shouldn't be made fun of.

Karen

[ny biker]

Not knowing what it was, I just developed coping mechanisms to deal.

But even if you have a diagnosis for it, don't you still need to develop coping mechanisms? I have a diagnosis for migraines, and I have ways to manage them so I can function. Same with asthma and allergies.

[WindingRoad]

I have read a couple of the books by Elaine Aron and I have found them extremely useful as an HSP. I don't agree with every part of her books but I appreciate she has tried to make studying this type of thing as much of a science as can be expected. I DO buy into the fact that due to certain circumstances in the development of our nervous systems HSPs can be more attuned to stimulus than other people. I've learned too much about the development of the nervous system and how such subtle changes can affect it not to think there could be some protein or defect somewhere that resulted in a more sensitive nervous system.

Here's a link to more information on the subject if you are interested.

http://www.hsperson.com/pages/aron_bio.htm