Re: Intense sensitivity to sound, touch ..Suggested books

[Guest guest]

I have found a couple of books helpful in regard to my children's

greater-than-usual sensitivity to skin sensations (like the feel of various

lotions,

fabrics, etc.), sounds, visual stimulation, and so on.

The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You

by Elaine N. Aron1996 Broadway Books, NY

The Out-of-Synch Child, and

The Out-of-Synch Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Integration

Dysfunction

by Carol Stock Kranowitz, 2003

The Difficult Child

by Stanley Turecki

1985, 2000, Bantam

Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child is MORE Intense,

Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent, Energetic

by Sheedy Kurcinka

1998, Harper Perennial

My oldest, Amber (15, Nov. 2002 onset of severe and disabling OCD, now 95%

" back to normal " with Prozac) was extremely sensitive as a young child, and I

had to spend hours shopping for the " perfect " clothing and shoes. Then, once

home, she would sometimes still reject these carefully selected items. She had

trouble with transitions from one activity to another, and lots of little

quirks, and " The Difficult Child " with its perspective and techniques, was a

godsend for us. " Raising Your Spirited Child " seems to be based on these same

ideas, yet builds on them to frame the diffferences somewhat more positively.

My youngest, Amy (10, Sept. 2003 onset of depression and OCD, now " back to

normal " with Prozac) also has had very specific " requirements " for clothing

items that she will wear, especially socks and pants (she ONLY wear leggings,

never jeans, just as her older sister once did). I've found that these strict

" needs " loosen up over time. (Sorry, moms and dads, I am talking years, not

weeks!) Every year, things get easier and more clothing items and fabrics are

" comfortable " for both girls.

Amber was homeschooled for nine years, and entered public school just this

year (after successful treatment with medication, combined with ERP/CBT) and she

now wears jeans and pretty much any kind of shirts which are accepted by her

peers at school. Her intense responses to practically anything have eased and

toned down, especially after she began medication. She is so much more relaxed

than she used to be. Now her " differences " come out in more socially

acceptable ways, such as a high level of creativity in artistic pursuits and

with

creative writing. She also is much more aware of other people's feelings than

most

kids her age, and uses this perceptivity to advantage in making friends and

finding ways to help other people feel comfortable.

in VA