High sensitivity + giftedness - how strong a link?

[anotherdayyetanothernickname]

I'm just starting to read The Highly Sensitive Child and wondered, how many of your gifted kids would fit in both categories?

Ds is is clearly quite a smart wee chap but certainly is rather sensitive.

And where does the line between Aspergers type traits/ sensitivity/ giftedness lie? Obviously I'm fully aware that there are overlaps between Aspergers and giftedness, but think it would be interesting to hear about others views.

You will see some symptoms because sensory problems are (imo- and others- not just me) the root of autistic spectrum disorders. And things like dyspraxia.

There's lots you can do for SID though. You don't just have to accept/understand it (although that's the starting point) you can also help it.

A few years ago ds1 couldn't wear belts, or hats, couldn't get his hair cut or washed, couldn't have his nails cut, couldn't eat sloppy food, couldn't eat ice cream, couldn't go on a swing, couldn't wear dressing up clothes. He can do all those things now because of sensory integration therapy.

Ah yes ds1's sensitivities don't stop him running off or climbing ridiculously dangerous things.

DS2 was more conventionally sensitive - and he was definitely easier.

If anyone buys the challenging child- the 'defiant' section pretty much sums up ds3

Gosh Jimjam that must have been so hard -I'm thinking particularly other parents' reactions, many of whom presumably had no awareness of SID. Glad that he is doing well and improving.

oh anotherday- those parents would be edging away from ds1 anyway (he's severely autistic- which is about as far as you can get in sensory problems).

OMG jimjam,that sound exactly like my dd! Apart from the ice cream and sloppy food (she won't eat 'chewy' meat) you could be describing her. She also has massive problems with tags in her clothes and itchy seams. Thanks so much for the reassurance that it is possible to overcome these issues.
Can I ask what your ds is like at school? My dd has a really rough time -shows signs of separation anxiety and generally has sensory overload I think.
She also gets exhausted at the end of the school day but is unable to sit still. She's always running up and down the garden or jumping on the trampoline, almost until she collapses.

ds1 wouldn't eat meat for 4 years SR!

He's 9 and non-verbal so goes to a special school (which he loves).

His brothers have a touch of the SI issues without the autism.

His SI programme was very simple. Rubbing his skin with different textures, rolling in a duvet, standing on different textures, smelling and tasting different things, turning in an office chair etc.

School sorted out the eating problems (which took a year- so that wasn't easy).

jimjam, so glad your ds loves school, it makes a huge difference I think. I am going to try the 2 books you recommended. Thanks

He had massive sensory overload at mainstream. Would come home rigid. His class now has between 6 and 8 kids and he spends lots of time outside.

I'm trying shiatsu with him this summer (he is very sensory seeking and I think it will help him relax).

Anotherday- she is 2.5. Yes- Its a relief that she will not run off if I open the front door, but it is sad that at 2 1/2 she cannot yet go down steps by herself- there's nothing physically wrong, she just won't.

She has definitely got better with age though- her first year was horrendous for her- she was so unhappy- never really smiled until around 14 mo or so. She had issues with noise, touch and personal space... kind of hard for her in nursery.

Food is the one area where she has no caution- she will try anything, which we find astonishing.

I do feel for her when she's desperate to do/try something, but won't let herself- eg bouncy castle, slide, etc.

Ds quite adventurous with food too - I put that down to the nursery experience though where he gets what he is given and there's no option to eat anything else.

He will go on bouncy castles etc. but as soon as he gets a child bumping into him ever so slightly cries to get off.

He is definitely getting a little braver - he is 6 months older than your dd.

He is quite clingy as he seems to worry so much and is clearly happier with me or dh rather than someone he thinks won't look after him so well (not true obviously but must be how he sees it).

He is just like a little grown up in lots of ways but in others, emotionally gets quite upset and insecure.

jimjams- was he distressed by the programme?
eg- when you rolled him in a duvet- did he scream, or show distress? Did you have to start tiny, and build up?

Sure there is a link. My dd also finds certain clothes intolerable, wont eat sloppy food, cries at music/sunsets, is overly familiar and tactile with people/objects (e.g. will hold hands/try to sit on lap of school visitors etc). She panics at changes to routine, gets upset if books aren't ordered by height and subject, won't let food groups touch on her plate, hated hands being messy (better now). She also tastes cetain shapes and peoples names and has strong images/scenes she "sees" which are linked to emotions and is sometimes sick when upset.

DD is def. highly sensitive but is also def. not AS. I am sure there is something in the idea that heightened/overlapped sensory processing is linked with gifted creativity/music or language ability or what some people would call quirkiness/eccentricity.

Agree this can be a blessing as well as a curse - although easy to forget that when dd wont eat a carrot cos it touched some mashed potato!!

Dd, who is gifted, is only sensitive on a very superficial level: she can create major drama but there is always part of her that looks on with an ironic smile; she is able to analyse and laugh at her own behaviour. She is not fussy about food and copes reasonably bravely with chronic pain. She is extremely social and outgoing.

Ds on the other hand, who has shown no signs of being gifted, is far more deeply sensitive, gets very upset when people are hurt or sad.

I think it is fairly well established that I was more academically gifted than my elder db. Yet I was quite hard-boiled and he was an extremely sensitive child, who worried more than me about pretty much everything, seemed to feel pain and discomfort far more, and got very upset over sad stories etc.

Both of my children are "Gifted and talented" (stupid term) and one is very sensitive and caring. The other is a bloody pain in the a**e who takes great delight in being a nuisance and upsetting others, so no, definitely no link!

I imagine it might be a case of the gifted sector (whether you count that as the 10% on the register or as a smaller group of really unusually talented people) covers more than one type of person. There does seem to be a highly sensitive personality type in there, but also other types with different characteristics. There doesn't seem to be a straight connection, as in more sensitive=more gifted.

And if you put all highly sensitive children in one group, you would also find it includes a fair few who are not gifted at all.

I have noticed most kids labelled as G & T are usually more lazy with a can't be bothered attitude more than highly sensitive.
Also by the age of 16 it is realised that they are not actually G & T.

I have one who is a really hard working girl who spends ages on her work and revised for 2 months before her GCSEs and is a model pupil.

Dd2 isn't lazy, but she is extremely active and bubbly. She is able to do her homework in about 5 minutes flat (despite apparently have 1.5 hours a day) and get really good marks for it. So you could call her lazy for only spending 5 minutes - but I think it is because she has the ability to finish quickly and get onto something else (usually myspace and bebo).

My DD sounds like yours figroll, but she is still only 10 so doesn't get much homework, but it takes minutes.
Her teacher describes her as "superbly bright" and finds most things very easy.

However she has always has very strong senses. I can't get a photo of her without squinting, the optitian says her eyes are very sensitive to light.
She loves to feel materials and has a very strong sense of smell. She likes to take my nightie to bed because she likes the feel of it and it has to be unwashed!
She was also very sensitive to noise when she was younger but seems to be improving.She often finds theatres too noisy.

My DD sounds like yours figroll, but she is still only 10 so doesn't get much homework, but it takes minutes.
Her teacher describes her as "superbly bright" and finds most things very easy.

However she has always has very strong senses. I can't get a photo of her without squinting, the optitian says her eyes are very sensitive to light.
She loves to feel materials and has a very strong sense of smell. She likes to take my nightie to bed because she likes the feel of it and it has to be unwashed!
She was also very sensitive to noise when she was younger but seems to be improving.She often finds theatres too noisy.

My DD sounds like yours figroll, but she is still only 10 so doesn't get much homework, but it takes minutes.
Her teacher describes her as "superbly bright" and finds most things very easy.

However she has always has very strong senses. I can't get a photo of her without squinting, the optitian says her eyes are very sensitive to light.
She loves to feel materials and has a very strong sense of smell. She likes to take my nightie to bed because she likes the feel of it and it has to be unwashed!
She was also very sensitive to noise when she was younger but seems to be improving.She often finds theatres too noisy.

My DD is extremely bright but can cry easily if told off so can be sensitive too.

Lijaco - I've never thought that gifted children are especially lazy. There are of course gifted children who are but I don't think there's a link.

Cory - there is a difference between saying that all sensitive children are gifted (which is clearly not the case) and that many gifted children are sensitive. The difference is crucial as yes there are plenty of sensitive kids of all types.

Yes, that is precisely what I was saying, anotherday.

But I have noticed on MN that whenever any problematic behaviour involving high sensitivity comes up, the automatic response from the forum is to assume that the child is highly gifted. Which seems to me a bit of a non sequitur.

As far as I am aware, we do not have any statistics to tell us that the proportion of highly gifted/highly sensitive children is higher than that of highly gifted/placid children. We simply do not know.

Yes that is my point supposedly g & t kids have not got the skills to be careful. They take it for granted that they no it, finish it quick. Not with particular care. They don't put in the effort. They only do what they have to. I think all kids are different some are sensitive some not. I have always been told that boys are slower than girls. I have 3 boys who have all been very quick. Not necessarily g & t. All of them different and the one with very high ability not sensitive at all.