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Examining Sensitivity
Part One
- The Connection between Ultra-sensitivity and LD/ADD
Part Two - The Affects of Ultra-sensitivity on Our Lives
Part Three - The Gifts of Ultra-sensitivity (In Progress)
Websites and Links
Part
One - The
Connection between Ultra-sensitivity and LD/ADD
By Elizabeth Bogod
Do you sometimes feel that
you unusually overreact to everyday situations? For instance, do you find
yourself easily frustrated, moved to tears, overwhelmed while others in the same
situation seem to be unaffected? Do
you think of yourself as a sensitive person?
Well, you may have good reason to think so. There is some evidence to
back up the fact that people with learning disabilities and/or Attention Deficit
Disorder are typically more prone to sensitivity and, for sure, the topic of
oversensitivity comes up frequently In IADA support groups.
Being ultra-sensitive is
not necessarily a bad thing. Most of us like to think of ourselves as being
caring, thoughtful, sensitive folk and LD/ADD hyper-sensitivity may even be a
strength, but I will talk about this in a later newsletter.
To
start, I want to clarify exactly what is meant by the term “Highly Sensitive
Person”. The term “highly sensitive person” was first introduced into pop
psychology by Dr. Elaine Aron, author of ““The
Highly Sensitive Person - How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You”. Dr. Aron describing persons with this characteristic as
having an extremely sensitive nervous system. In other words, she contends
highly sensitive people are biologically more sensitive to external stimuli such
as glaring lights, strong odors, and clutter, not just emotional stimuli (Aron,
1999). Most of us only think of the
academic difficulties associated with LD and ADD, but if Dr. Aron’s theory
holds good, then ultra-sensitivity will likely affect every aspect of our lives
including all aspects of daily living, family,
and work and school.
It is important to
note that being highly sensitive does not mean you have a disorder. It is rather
a characteristic or personality trait. Unfortunately, no research exists to link
this particular theory to LD or ADD. However, Dr. Jean Ayres, Ph.D., with her
concept of sensory integration, does present significant evidence of a link
between ultra-sensitivity and LD/ADD (Sensory Integration International: FAQ).
This theory describes dysfunction in processing information through the senses
(touch, movement, smell, taste, vision, and hearing). Some signs of this sensory
integration dysfunction include:
Oversensitivity to
touch movement, sights, or sounds
Distractibility
Hypo or Hyperactivity
Complaints about how clothes feel - especially tags, socks, and shoes
Difficulty making transitions from one situation to another
Inability to unwind or calm self
Impulsivity
Delays in speech, language, or motor skills
Delays in academic achievement
Frequent Mood Changes
Does any of the above sound familiar to you?
Research indicates that up to 70% of children with learning problems
experience characteristics of this sort (Sensory Integration International:
FAQ). So it is conceivable that LD/ADD adults are more neurologically
susceptible to being highly sensitive individuals.
So what does this research
mean for you? It means that you can take comfort in knowing that high
sensitivity is NOT a personality flaw. It means that it may help you come to
terms accuse you of being "too
sensitive", "overly emotional", "weak", or
"thin-skinned". Comments
like these may make you feel bad about yourself or shamed into change but
knowing the reasons for the source of your hyper-sensitivity - that it is the
result of the way your central nervous system copes with stimuli - may help you
to cope with people who criticize you because they do not understand your
sensitivities.
More importantly, though,
you are beginning to understand a new side of your LD/ADD.
In the next News Letter, you will find out about the gifts of being
highly sensitive and more…!
Do you have any thoughts or experiences to share on the topic of ultra-sensitivity and LD/ADD? Send your comments to our mailing address or email us at iada-victoria@shaw.ca
Resources
Aron, Elaine. The Highly
Sensitive Person: How To Thrive When The World Overwhelms You . Broadway
Books, 1999.
Sensory Integration
International, “Frequently Asked Questions”. Available at:
by Liz Bogod
The previous newsletter discussed the connection between ultra-sensitivity and LD/ADD. We now explore this connection further and take a deeper look at the affects of ultra-sensitivity on our lives.
Having LD/ADD may mean you are more sensitive than the average individual. In fact, many definitions of LD and ADD include “emotional instability” as a defining characteristic. Throughout history, gifted people such as artists, writers and musicians have demonstrated ultra-sensitive characteristics. Given the fact that so many people with LD and/or ADD are, in fact, creatively and intellectually gifted, it follows that they, too, are likely to be highly sensitive individuals.
Dabrowski, a psychiatrist who specializes in giftedness, proposes five areas of extreme sensitivity in gifted individuals which he terms as “over-excitabilities”. You may recognize some of the following areas in yourself:
Psychomotor - Need for
extreme physical activity, movement, and sports activity
Hyperactivity, restlessness; inability to quell non-stop inner thought
processes (often cause of sleeping problems); highly pronounced
gesturing, fast talking
Sensual
- Heightened sensory awareness
Over-reaction to sensory input (bad smells, bright lights, loud noises, etc); heightened tactile sensitivity (e.g. to textured fabrics); finds some sensory input intolerable and may need to leave location of stimuli
Imaginational - Thinks and
lives in fantasy worlds
The poets, the fantasizers, the “space cadets” of this world; uses metaphorical speech; day dreams; remembers and reacts strongly to night dreams
Intellectual - A
heightened response to intellectual questions and problems
Intense focus on particular topic, difficulty diverting away from topic (which may interfere with development of social relationships); often a highly ethical, moral topic requiring sustained analytical thinking abilities; difficulty letting go of the world’s problems without continual questioning
Emotions experienced in extremes; need to develop strong emotional attachments; self-examination; natural ability for empathy and compassion; often perceives others as not caring enough; susceptibility to depression and anxiety
Sound Familiar? Share your experiences: iada-victoria@shaw.ca
Next Newsletter: The Gifts of Ultra-Sensitivity!
Resources
Sharon Lind,
“Overexcitability and the Gifted”. SENG Newsletter, May 2001
Available at:
Part Three - The Gifts of Ultra-sensitivity
(In Progress)
hsperson.com
- Elaine Aron’s “Highly Sensitive Person” website to accompany the book.
thomaseldridge.com
– The Center for Highly Sensitive People
ultra-sensitive.com
- Roger Easterbrook’s site offering support and counseling for Highly
Sensitive People as named and defined by the research of Dr. Elaine Aron
sinetwork.org
– Sensory Integration Resource Center
http://home.earthlink.net/~sensoryint
- Sensory Integration International
sengifted.org/
- S.E.N.G - A non-profit organization supporting the needs of gifted
individuals
hoagiesgifted.org/ - Hoagies' Gifted Education Page.
Also see Hoagies Sensitivity
Page for more about this topic.