This drove her husband crazy because sometimes she didn’t get to bed until late. Before she went to bed each night, she insisted on tidying all the toys and getting dirty dishes out of the sink. But one look at the gifted adult’s computer or their filing system and the level of organization, where it counts for gifted adults, becomes evident.Ĭrystal was a gifted adult and the mother of four children, all under six years of age. Others may not be aware of the level of organization because gifted adults won’t necessarily have the dishes done in their kitchens. Gifted adults usually keep their homes and offices highly organized. If their environment isn’t organized, they may find it hard to remain in the space because visual chaos causes stress. They may be called meticulous or pedantic, but this level of organization may be what they need to be able to relax. They may be teased for how neat they are and how they need everything to be in its proper place. Gifted adults are often unable to tolerate messiness because the visual chaos of clutter makes them uneasy. Their visual tolerance of clutter is low. He says he started buying his clothing 100% based on feel about ten years ago and hasn’t looked back. He says that the comfort of his clothes feel on his body is as important to him than how they fit. Samuel is very particular about his clothes. They may even share that they have to sleep in cotton night clothes because otherwise they are uncomfortable. Gifted adults frequently share they can’t wear pure wool sweaters because they feel too scratchy, or that they prefer to wear fleece because it feels more comfortable. Similarly, gifted adults will often share that they buy their clothes based on how the clothes feel on their bodies as much as on how they look. Gifted adults will often laugh and say, “That was me… I still cut the tags out of everything.” I tell them that this behaviour is common, especially among gifted children. I will ask, for example, whether they have to cut the tags out of their t-shirts and sweaters before they can wear them. I hear, “Yes, that’s me,” when I ask gifted adults whether they are sensitive to the texture of their clothing. Their sense of touch is highly sensitive. She couldn’t concentrate if someone was talking on the phone beside her and was relieved when she was given an office because it meant she would be able to focus for longer periods without being interrupted. When a conversation broke out in the cubicle beside hers, she would have to get up and move. Sarah often had difficulty concentrating at work because of her sensitivity to sound. (Details in the stories that follow have been changed to protect privacy.) Or they may have trouble sleeping if a television is playing in another room in the house. A gifted adult may be unable to listen to popular songs on the radio because they find them grating. A common response from those that have had their hearing tested by an audiologist is that they are able to hear frequencies above and below the normal range, and have been like this all their lives.Īnother response I hear is that gifted adults find loud noise, or even background noise, disturbing while an average person would not complain or even find the level of noise noteworthy. I often hear, “Yes, that’s me,” when I ask gifted adults whether their hearing is super sensitive. This question can elicit several different responses, all of which are normal for this group. Their sense of hearing is highly sensitive. Said another way, the way that gifted adults perceive their environment is more sensitive than the way the average person does. It means that the senses of gifted adults are more acute than the senses of the average person. The term multiple sensitivities refers to this group of common characteristics. The senses of gifted adults are more acute. I have learned to ask my clients about these sensitivities because their affirmative responses can help them to better accept and to internalize the knowledge that they are gifted. Gifted adults have multiple sensitivities. They frequently say they never suspected that these sensitivities are typical for gifted adults.
Gifted adults are often surprised to learn that it is normal for them to be highly sensitive to sounds, texture, the visual environment, and medications, and that they share these characteristics with other gifted adults. It is normal for gifted adults to be highly sensitive.
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