High sensitivity in children
Some parents describe their children with selective mutism as being ‘extra sensitive’ to many aspects of life, and not just about communication. They may be very aware of noise, smell or may feel very uncomfortable in their clothes. One parent described her child as ‘having a very thin skin’. Psychologist Elaine Aaron has written two popular books on the subject of high sensitivity, where she describes how children and adults might feel, how high sensitivity might show itself, and what to do to help children and adults.
While I am not saying that high sensitivity leads to SM, parents and professionals may find it helpful to explore the ideas in these books. For an article about high sensitivity click here (see pages 16 to 18).
For an in-depth article about children with high sensitivity please click here.
For an article about children who are ‘introverts’ click here.
This article is by Susan Cain, author of ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’ .
Visit http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/ for more information.