If that sounds like your gifted child, he likely has a Sensual Overexcitability (OE), intense input from the five senses. In many ways, this is a fantastic OE to have, in others, it can drive a parent crazy.
- Sight - finding intense joy in beautiful colors, nature, or art. However, this can also distract a child from the task at hand or irritate them if something is off or there is too much repetition in their field of view. In the classroom, children with this sensitivity may become distracted by the constant flicker of the fluorescent lights, it exists and goes unnoticed by most people.
- Sound - intense like or dislike in certain sounds. Some children may find joy in the hum of the drier or song of the birds outside their window. However, the buzz of the fluorescent lights in the classroom, which may go unnoticed to many students, can become very distracting. Loud sounds scare and highly agitate these children far more than their peers.
- Smell - intense experience of scents. My son becomes very agitated when he smells foods he does not like, or refuses to try. It could ruin his dinner. However, when they find a scent they enjoy, it can be very calming. These children may experience a faint scent to be very pungent. My son can pick out approaching foul odors on a car ride long before anyone else in the family.
- Taste - this one encompasses both taste and texture of foods. If your child is the "pickiest eater on the planet", this could explain why. For years, my son would ONLY eat nuggets from McDonald's. Once while traveling we could only find a Burger King. Fortunately, I had an old McDonald's nugget box and figured we could switch them out when he was not looking. Long story short, he could smell the impostor from a mile away and after one bite, confirmed these were not his nuggets. Fast forward a few years, we finally got him to accept Tyson's frozen nuggets and Wendy's. He was even eating real chicken fingers for a brief time. However, if they were not cooked to perfection or had a spot that was darker than the rest, forget it. Chicken fingers that are too crunchy or soft are quickly abandoned. Alas, chicken is off the menu.
- Touch - certain materials that come in contact with the skin can cause extreme discomfort or pleasure. Clothing labels, seems, and fabrics can cause extreme discomfort. My cousin used to check the backings on all shirt labels before purchasing them because if they didn't feel just right, he would refuse to wear the shirt. My son claimed to have a "soft" star on his baby blanket and would wake us up in the middle of the night if he lost it. This was particularly difficult because each start was identical and the blanket was made from one continuous piece of fabric. However, until the start was located, he could not go to sleep.
Children with this OE, can be very challenging to support. Provide time and a space to revel in the sensations that bring them joy. Take your child on walks to experience the beauty of nature and don't rush him while he takes in and enjoy the scenery. If possible, limit the stressors in the environment. If changing out the fluorescent lights in the classroom is impossible, provide times during the day when the lights can be turned out. Add a few strings of Christmas lights, old lamps, or open the blinds in the classroom to let in the natural light. I have found that all of my students prefer this type of lighting to the fluorescent bulbs. If it is impossible to eliminate these attributes in the environment, try to slowly and briefly increase experiences with the offensive sensations. It may take a long time and it's possible you will not succeed. In these cases, help your child to manage these uncomfortable situations and provide a calming environment afterwards so they can decompress as they are feeling overstimulated by their environment.
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