Highly sensitive

I posted on a foster parenting board about SuperD’s total preoccupation with any cut, bump, bruise, etc. The tiniest scratch is a HUGE deal to him. I was wondering if it was age-appropriate behavior or trauma related, and I got some really good responses that led me to believe it’s both. A couple of people brought up the possibility of sensory processing issues. While I don’t believe SuperD has Sensory Processing Disorder, I do believe he has enough traits to categorize him as a highly sensitive child.

I stumbled across this link: http://www.hsperson.com/pages/test_child.htm. I checked 12 of them that apply to my little guy. When we go to do his pre-adoptive psychological eval next month, I’m going to make sure to mention this to the doctor, as well as to his therapist. This doesn’t change anything about how we parent, really, but there may be things we can do differently or adjustments we can make at home to better help SuperD navigate the world. I’m also going to read the book The Highly Sensitive Child.

I vividly remember having tactile sensory issues as a kid. I had to go to occupational therapy for it because  I couldn’t have my hair brushed, wear socks right side in, have tags left on my clothes, etc. Thankfully, SuperD doesn’t have tactile issues. But he is a very sensitive and intuitive child, and I feel that hubby and I should alter some of our expectations to honor SuperD’s differences.