Indicators of having a Highly Sensitive Child - your dd or ds?

[Panman]

1. startles easily

2.complains about itchy fabrics on skin 3.doesn't usually enjoy big surprises. 4.learns betterfrom gentle correction than strong punishment 5.seems to read my mind 6.uses big words for his/her age 7.notices the slightest unusual odour 8.has a clever sense of humour 9.seems very intuative 10.is hard to get to sleep after a long day 11.doesn't do well with big changes 12.wants to change clothes if wet or sandy 13.asks lots of questions 14.is a perfectionist 15.notices the distress of others 16. prefers quiet play 17. asks deep thought provoking questions 18.is very sensitive to pain 19.is bothered by noisy places 20.notices subtleties in changes(appearances, environment 21.considers if it is safe before climbing high. 22. performs better when strangers aren't present 23.feels things deeply.

13 or more hits indicates the likelihood of HSC, or much fewer but very strongly.

These characteristics are equal in incidence between boys and girls, and approx. 20% of children have such consistent characteristics.

This thread may trigger parents to reflect on their child whom in some way appears a little 'different'.....

Above is from a book on the subject, and also relates to other threads on the site on HSC.

Any observations??

No-one has suggested that HSC is a special need Mrs Fio. I think this is where alot of confusion has come from on this thread. The list might look like something from somewhere else/bear some relation to "actual diagnosable" conditions, but I think from here on I can only say that people really need to read the book - but not if they think their child does have some significant developmental/behavioural problems. In those cases they should seek "proper" medical advice.

ocd - pmsl!

And yes - its a personality trait thing.

Actually, I think most adults find it easy to get a perspective on their own life - its actually tougher to get a perspective on others - whoever you are

VVV - thanks for those entries - brevity, diplomacy and accuracy abound.

you are rather pompous arent you

hi ocd.

sorry vvq says oyu arent
< creeps off>

LOL cod.....

feels sheepish

I have just found this thread and am sad at how it is disintegrating. Have never heard of highly sensitive children, but certainly know sensory integrative disorder. These extremes work both ways - a person's thresholds can be low or high and that affects how they react to the sensory input.

You can have a low threshold for say oral sensitivity and then have an eating disorder, a low threshold for tactile sensations might mean that the child fidgeted because they felt all their clothes were itchy, might even prefer not to wear them, hate the feel of grass or sand on their feet, dislike being hugged.

See how this child might be felt to be disruptive in school? The occurance of SID can overlap with autism, aspergers, dyspraxia/dyslexia, adhd and developmental language disorders. But the existance of one does not equal the existance of the others, and professional diagnosis is needed.

Pleas dont think that every child with some of these symptoms is therefore dyspraxic - that needs a motor difficulty to be present.

Anyone who asks for a referral to ot/physio and gets discouraged by stories of waiting lists - these are worse in some areas than others. If the referrals do not go in the need is not known and services are stopped. The nhs is in near meltdown at the moment and I have heard rumours that dyspraxia and related services are being dropped by some trusts as they are not felt to be that important. Schools can sometimes help - a lot have good programmes running which can be as helpful as physio for some children.

Remember - symptoms are only worth worrying about if they are causing problems, ie if you can tick the checklist but your child is happy and doing well at school, then it isnt a problem! If everyone thinks there are difficulties, then seek help, but be prepared for GPs not being sure how to get it.

agree completeyl fubsy.

nooka since it's been bumped up- I'm sorry I forgot I set myself to not receive cats. Can you email me on nezumi35 at googlemail dot com and I'll get this message deleted once you've got hold of me

Fubsy, thank you for your post. For some reason dyspraxia has become a major topic in this thread, when that was not at all what was intended. My ds, imo, is an HSC. However, he is absolutely not on the autistic spectrum on any level. How can I say this with utmost confidence? One of my best friends is a therapist who specializes in treating autistic children. I mentioned to her once about some of his tendencies and worriedly mentioned Asperger's. She immediately reassured me that he was absolutely nowhere on the scale. However, in recent discussions with her regarding HSC, she is in complete agreement.

Fubsy, thank you for your post. For some reason dyspraxia has become a major topic in this thread, when that was not at all what was intended. My ds, imo, is an HSC. However, he is absolutely not on the autistic spectrum on any level. How can I say this with utmost confidence? One of my best friends is a therapist who specializes in treating autistic children. I mentioned to her once about some of his tendencies and worriedly mentioned Asperger's. She immediately reassured me that he was absolutely nowhere on the scale. However, in recent discussions with her regarding HSC, she is in complete agreement.

I don't think its been suggested anywhere that all children displaying those features will have an ASD.

I have this sneaking suspicion, that we are all pretty much thinking the same, but, because we are speaking in totally different languages, we don't know it?

Or is it just me?

I think the disagreement is over whether there is any need to categorise a child who is a sensitive variation of normal but has no actual problems coping with daily life. Or if these sensitivities should be treated if they are not "enough" for a dx, but enough to cause issues.

It does seem to have gone round and round in circles but that is about the gist of it I think.

Otherwise I'm sure we're in complete agreement

LOL...I think we are....

Me too.

Me three

Sorry - went to watch 24. I think I agree! Only mentioned dyspraxia as a lot of people (including some drs) seem to forget that it is a disorder of movement, and that if a child is given it as a dx they will automatically get some therapy and then be alright.

Still interested in the term HSC tho - is this a common term as I have never heard of it.

I am clumsy. And I have trouble driving a manual car and I dance like a particularly uncoordinated lemming falling off a cliff. But my reflexes are brilliant. I can catch something with my right hand that I've knocked off a shelf with my left before it's cleared the shelf.

Hey ho. I think I'm just bloody odd

And I think we were separated at birth

Are we all in harmony now

P.S. if thats "dancing" then, sweetie, you cant dance...

Oh, and, btw, dont think I've missed "twitty"....

Shall we dance together at the Xmas bash? Give everyone a laugh?

PMSL - I have had an eye on that list, wondering if you'd post a revised version

I think that would be a rather dangerous exercise

Little Rachels being flung left right and centre