C-PTSD, Sensory Processing Disorder, and Giftedness

[Milarepa]

Has anyone else here had experience with Sensory Processing Disorder and / or giftedness as it relates to trauma?

I recently started learning about Sensory Processing Disorder after a child in my life was diagnosed with it. It often co-occurs with autism spectrum disorders, but sometimes it happens on its own as well. As I read about it, I immediately recognized some of the issues in myself. As a child, I always walked on my tip toes to avoid having contact with the ground because the soles of my feet were way too sensitive to pressure, pebbles in my shoes, the seams of my socks, dirt, dust, grit, or anything else that might make contact with them. I am also very sensitive to too much light and a lot of objects moving in front of me like when there is lots of traffic or a bug is buzzing around.

It seems to me that kids who have untreated SPD may be more prone to C-PTSD because the world doesn't make sense and can seem like an unpredictable and scary place when you react to certain stimuli so much more intensely than others do. If you're already in a precarious situation because your FOO isn't taking care of your needs, having an undiagnosed case of SPD could make things a lot worse.

Another aspect that I've been thinking about a lot lately is giftedness. I recently read this article (http://calgaryherald.com/life/swerve/gifted-children-are-frequently-misunderstood) about how gifted kids are often rewarded for intellectual achievements but their emotional needs are not easily understood. Apparently, Sensory Processing Disorder and giftedness often go hand-in-hand:

"Giftedness is a tragic gift, and not a precursor to success," says Janneke Frank, principal of Westmount Charter School and a local guru of gifted education. "The gifted don't just think differently, they feel differently. And emotions can ricochet out of control sometimes." To speak of giftedness as a disability seems counterintuitive. Part of the problem is simply semantic; the word "gifted" suggests an advantage and does not conjure up the intense challenges these children can face.

Intelligence test results also fail to tell the whole story. Quantitatively, giftedness is rather easy to define. A child is considered gifted with an IQ at or around 130—about 30 points higher than those of us with average brains. But IQ scores alone don't reflect the range of psychological issues that trouble many gifted students. Gifted children might express heightened physical sensitivities to light, touch and textures. Parents of some gifted children have to cut the tags out of their kids' clothing, for example, or buy specially-designed socks with no seams. More serious, though, are the emotional challenges. Gifted children are more prone to depression, self-harm, overexcitability, and learning deficits. A gifted student might be so paralyzed by her own perfectionism, say, that she refuses to hand in any assignments. The same 10-year-old who can set up the school's computer system with the proficiency of a college-educated tech might also throw a tantrum like a toddler if she's not invited to a birthday party. Another child might be so affected by a piece of music that he won't be able to focus on anything else the rest of the day. For these "twice exceptional" children, emotional intensity is the evil twin of high intelligence.

I was put into a gifted program from a young age that did not support the emotional development of the students. It ended up being a great educational experience, but socially it was a disaster; think Harvard meets Lord of the Flies. My parents were so thrilled by my intellectual and creative gifts, and so proud to tell people that I went to a school for gifted kids that they didn't really care how slaughtered I was emotionally by the whole experience.

[Anamiame]

(Raising hand and waving it)...OOOOH!!!  OOOOH!!!   I know!  I know!

Although all four of my children are gifted, I have one son who's IQ could not be measured...we just know it was way above 145.  Thank GOD for my profession because I recognized autism spectrum on two of my sons (well, two are above highly gifted, but I'm just focusing on the one for now). 

Here's a wonderful example of SPD or SID (Sensory Integration Disorder):  When Aaron was three, we had Christmas done to the max.  There was a train around the tree; the lights twinkled and some of the lights were musical chimes  with various christmas melodies.  It was just barely dawn when the boys woke up and all four grandparents were here (I had just had my 3rd son, the other genius IQ).  There was a long hallway from their bedroom to the living room where a new slide and trike and many other things were waiting for them.  I have the two boys by the hands (baby already up) and am walking them down the hallway when Aaron DROPS to the floor and starts SOBBING hysterically.  His older brother kept saying, "It's okay, Aaron, it's just Christmas!"  The poor thing, he COULD NOT handle it at all! 

He was diagnosed with SPD after that.  When he went to school, I had to turn off all the lights, all the sounds...everything because he would melt down every day after school.  Fortunately, he was in a highly gifted program that 'got' the emotional delays gifted children suffer from.  They 'grade corrected' him when he got to the school because emotionally he was younger and needed to be grouped with the younger aged kids...since academics were no issue at all for these children.  He's now about to graduate from UCLA but I think those issues--although minimized--are still there. 

My 3rd son is Aspberger's, but never dxed that by the school because they didn't want to 'label' him.  Label, my foot--they didn't want to pay for special services!  He was off the WISC test in perception (I think) and they told me he was 'normal IQ.'  The final score of an IQ test should NOT be the mean or median score...it is supposed to be the HIGHEST score on the 8 sub-sections...because...hang with me here...you can NOT 'not' achieve what you have already achieved.  Whereas Aaron's was more 'academic', Sam's is more 'perceptual.'  He's a wise old soul that is just...wise beyond his years. In addition, Sam's SPD is still prevalent and we discussed that recently.  His is temperature.  He cannot handle warm temperature and uses an air conditoner IN THE WINTER!!!  He's designed his room to be 'sensory free' so if he gets overloaded, he goes to his room to decompress.

NOW...for me.  I was tested every four years because of my intelligence...followed me from CA to Maryland and back to CA.  I sucked at test taking and when I applied for a PhD program, my GRE scores were too low, so they wanted to give me an IQ test.  I scored perfectly on every area of the test, except like general knowledge.  One of the questions was ' who was Madam Curie?'  I got every one of those wrong.  What I was told was that my childhood was so traumatic that my intelligence  was being used to survive instead of storing 'facts.'  I know I had SPD, but there was NO WAY to know that because a melt down could have cost me my life--seriously. 

The problem is...and I'm seeing the repeatedly on this site...that it is the higher intelligent children who find these coping skills early on.  This is one of the reasons why it's so hard to treat--we are so ingrained in our coping skills that anything contrary to them becomes a threat to the system. 

Also, I was a toe walker too!  I didn't walk on my feet till I was five and the cartilage in my toes became bone.  I didn't like the feel of the ground on my feet.  I also didn't talk until I was five.  I will throw up in a 3-D movie and get sensory overload pretty easily.  When that happens, I lose my words and I start flapping with my hands because of the frustration.  My family laughs about it...it's momentary, but very much there.  I also laugh when I'm in a traumatic situation.  I knew that a long time ago and thought I outgrew it...but my T brought it out today in session  (rolls eyes). 

So hopefully that helps...long, but a really REALLY interesting topic!

[Whobuddy]

This is a fascinating thread.

I, too, went to a school for the gifted. I was frequently caught off guard when they gave me awards for things that came easy to me - like math. And not for things I had to work so so hard on just to be adequate - like handwriting. I am thinking this over a lot lately. I wonder if this is how it is at all walks of life. The awards go to those who find their field quite easy and those who put forth the most effort are never recognized. Just pondering...