The Ultimate Highly Sensitive Child Test for Boys and Girls
Highly sensitive people make up 15-20% of the population... and research demonstrates that they literally have different brain chemistry and processes than non-sensitive people.
They require appropriate parenting that is uniquely catered to their temperament.
Please note that a sensory processing sensitivity is not the same thing as being a highly sensitive child.
The highly sensitive child quiz
This quiz can serve as a highly sensitive child test, a highly sensitive boy test, a highly sensitive girl test, a hypersensitive child test, or a highly sensitive toddler test.
TAKE THE TEST:
Sit down with a paper and pen to review the following statements.
If you feel that the statement is false skip over it.
If you feel the statement is moderately true mark one tally.
If you feel the statement is extremely true mark two tallies on your paper.
The highly sensitive test:
(Meant to be taken by parents)
My child gets frustrated when they perceive things are not going according to the plan they had in their head.
My child shows signs of perfectionism.
People say my child is surely an old soul and often they come out with very wise statements as well as asks deep questions.
My child seems to be intuitive, and it often feels like they are reading my mind.
My child feels all the feels often…sometimes in public (especially in a noisy place), but sometimes they hold it in for all the feels to come out at home.
Bedtime can be difficult for my child and is sometimes a time when lots of feelings from the day bubble up or they try to distract in anyway possible.
My child really likes to be in control (which often shows up in rigidity) and become very overwhelmed when they feel a lack of control or when there are big changes happening.
My child can be really sensitive to pain (in a way that feels more extreme than non sensitive peers or siblings).
My child sometimes gets overwhelmed in crowds or situation with a lot of people (even if it’s an environment that they like and get excited about).
My child seems to swing from empowered to disempowered states often and quickly. Sometimes it feels like it’s either the best day of their life or the worst day of their life! (and both could be true in the same day).
My child gets territorial over their belongings, especially in response to other siblings and seems to very badly want ownership and control over belongings or space that is “theirs.”
My child gets extra stressed around periods of change and transition.
My child exceeds in school, uses big words for their age, and has a clever sense of humor. They often ask thoughtful questions or asks lots of thought provoking questions.
It feels like my child has way more meltdowns than their peers.
I can tell my child is perceiving a lot and picking up on a lot of stimuli in their environments.
Sometimes my child becomes very startled especially if there is unexpected sensory input but even by subtle changes or subtle stimuli. This sometimes turns into a tantrum.
My child is devastated by any harsh discipline (or strong punishment) and sometimes does not respond well to redirection (even when it feels like it is being offered with warmth).
I laugh a lot with my child, and they seem to have a witty sense of humor.
Sometimes my child feels in pain by scratchy clothing or clothing tags and wants them to be cut out (or to change clothes).
I know my child does better if they have a lot of downtime to unwind (and when I make sure they get one on one time regularly).
SCORING:
If you scored a 22 or higher, it is likely that your child qualifies as a highly sensitive person.
Your child will benefit from parenting that is approached from a thorough understanding of highly sensitive children.
A gentle correction in supporting your child that feels things deeply can create a whole different world for your family.
If my child is highly sensitive, how can I learn more?
I've written in detail on this topic of sensitivity many times if you're wanting more to ensure future success.
Check out this article on sensitive boys or this article on top tips to help sensitive children thrive if you are looking for more.
The work of Elaine Aron is a great resource too.
You also might want to jump directly to our Highly Sensitive Child course which will offer important information on knowing your kiddo - and therefore knowing how to support them!
The sensitive child test says I might have a highly sensitive child. Now what?
Now that you've taken the highly sensitive child test, hopefully it feels like an exciting day to know more about what your child needs.
What are the benefits of my child being highly sensitive?
If your child is highly sensitive, it means that your child has access to certain superpowers like a depth of processing and ability to sense the subtle that can help them achieve great things.
It also means that they are part of a group of children that need very particular support which can take substantial time and effort as adults (the parents) in order for them to thrive.
What kind of help is available?
My TUNED IN parenting course is all about teaching parents how to connect with the high sensitivity of their kids in the ways that work best for the whole family.
I also offer parents individual coaching.
HOW ARE HIGHLY SENSITIVE KIDS DIFFERENT THAN THEIR PEERS?
Because the genetic differences (that I describe in the What is a Highly Sensitive Child blog post), these kiddos show up differently in their worlds than their peers.
In my therapy practice, however, where I have worked with many sensitive kids and their families, I have noticed that many highly sensitive kids do mask their experience really well when in public settings.
A lot of these kiddos will do whatever it takes to appear "normal" at school and in social settings then show up in ways that might seem "overly sensitive" at home so that they can release what they have been holding in.
Here are some patterns commonly demonstrated by highly sensitive kids that make them different than their peers. Note that your kiddo might demonstrate some but not all of these traits and could very likely still qualify for the highly sensitive person trait.
High intuition and perception: As mentioned earlier, highly sensitive children are able to sense subtleties in a way that their peers often cannot. They will be able to perceive safety or lack of safety more easily, and it's generally a good idea to teach them to trust and honor their gut feelings in this way.
Prone to anxiety, stress, overwhelm/ more meltdowns than peers: Because highly sensitive kids are taking in so much information from their environment (by literally allowing more information to enter the thalamus in the brain), it is likely that they will at times get overwhelmed by all of the "work" that their brain is doing in just being themselves. This is sometimes a necessary way for highly sensitive children to regulate and should be expected.
Averse to change: In their efforts to try to control their environment to decrease unnecessary stimulation, often change can feel extra triggering. This doesn't mean don't bring changes into your child's life. It just means give them extra support than perhaps their peers would need to cope with change and accept that change is happening. Validate their experience of resisting change.
Fear and caution in new situations: Many sensitive kids take their time to warm up to a situation until they know for sure it is safe for them. This can lead some sensitive children to be perceived as shy or introverted (even if that is not their truest nature).
Uncomfortable in certain scratchy/rough fabrics and tags on clothes: For highly sensitive kids, sometimes an uncomfortable tag is the cherry on top of a whole bunch of sensory stimuli coming in...and might put them over the edge in a way many children wouldn't demonstrate.
Low pain tolerance: It is not uncommon for some highly sensitive children to express low pain tolerance. Sometimes this has to do with actual pain receptors experiencing the pain sensation with more intensity. Sometimes, this is because their system is already receiving so much stimuli and sensation, and the experience of pain is too much on top of that.
Often annoyed by bright lights and noisy places: This relates to the part of these kiddos that get overstimulated. It is really important to BELIEVE your sensitive child when they are saying that feel annoyed by overstimulating examples instead of immediately labeling them as an overly sensitive child. Often times, simply validating your kiddo's experience can help them feel safer and more at ease.
Loving and empathetic: Often you'll find highly sensitive children showing up in extremely loving and empathetic ways which is one of their superpowers. This is due to their ability to sense others' emotions to be very emotionally responsive. Some sensitive kids develop more boundaries to reduce overstimulation and don't exhibit this as much.
Perfectionism: Often in an effort to control, highly sensitive kids come up with exactly how they want things to go in their mind. If events don't unfold how they planned, they often make both themselves and the situation wrong. This part of highly sensitive children requires extra understanding and support from their parents and is often something they have to work on and soften around for most of their lives!
Read in even more detail about top traits of highly sensitive children here.
What kind of help is available?
My TUNED IN parenting course is all about teaching parents how to connect with the high sensitivity of their kids in the ways that work best for the whole family.
The Highly Sensitive Child course also offers important basics to better understanding your kiddo that is a crucial first step for many.
I also offer parents individual coaching.
How can we connect?
Let's chat and see if I can support you. Schedule a 20 minute connection call here or directly below.