Highly Sensitive Children
What is a Highly Sensitive Person/Child?
The definition of a highly sensitive person is someone who experiences acute physical, mental, or emotional responses to stimuli. This can include external stimuli, like your surroundings and the people you’re with, or internal stimuli, like your own thoughts, emotions and realizations.
While everyone feels sensitive at times, and everyone reacts to stimuli to some degree, being a highly sensitive person means you experience a much greater response — so much so that it can seem overwhelming. Many highly sensitive people need to excuse themselves from high-stimulus environments, often having a “refuge” where they can be alone and “ground” their reactions.
Because of their need to spend time alone, highly sensitive people are often confused with introverts. The truth is that anyone can be highly sensitive, whether introverted, extroverted, or anywhere in between. (Courtesy of Dr. Elaine Aron)
How can therapy help?
High Sensitivity is a normal trait found in about 20% of the population. If you are wondering if you might be Highly Sensitive seeking a psychotherapist who is specially trained in working with this trait is the first step.
When a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) is compared to the rest of the population, they can easily look abnormal and misdiagnosed as having a disorder. A professional who is not trained in working with an HSP can add to their distress. Mistaking that is it must be HS (Highly Sensitive) or something different, when HS can actually co-occur with other significant challenges is a common issue. Seeking psychotherapy with a specially trained therapist is essential to the accurate evaluation and effective treatment. Our center has several highly trained therapists in working with Highly Sensitive Adults and Children. (Courtesy of Dr. Elaine Aron)
FAQs
There are as many males as females born with HS. There will be differences due to gender, family, and culture and how their sensitivity has been viewed by them.
About 70% of Highly Sensitive People (HSP) are introverts, so the two are sometimes considered associated. The 30% of HSP who are extraverted are a different flavor of sensitivity. They enjoy being in large groups of people and social events, but also require plenty of down time.
Since children cannot verbalize their feelings and what their behavior means. Are they shy? Afraid? Self-esteem? Over-stimulated? Too cautious? These traits are all applied to children who are HS. However, the trait can also be mistaken for a disorder. It can be mistaken as HS when there truly is a serious disorder that needs specialized treatment. The earlier the problem is treated the more successful the outcome. The trait can also co-occur with HS, which requires an evaluation by a specially trained child developmental professional in working with Highly Sensitive Children.
