Hypersensitivity in children; child sensitivity

Hypersensitivity In Children

Through neuroplasticity, a topic discussed in the last chapter, a child's brain is wired according to what it experiences. When a child is repeatedly subjected to a particular type of stressor, their brain responds by developing an acute awareness and heightened state of sensitivity when it comes to that threat, referred to as hypersensitivity. Children who are physically abused develop a heightened sensitivity to any potential signs of hostility. Children who are verbally or emotionally abused will develop a heightened sensitivity to any potential or perceived ridicule. The brain adapts to its surroundings by developing an acute awareness of the potential threats it repeatedly experiences.

The process of hypersensitivity itself isn't such a bad thing. When a child repeatedly receives love, attention and affection, they'll grow a brain wired towards loving affection in their interactions with others. But hypersensitivity in response to negative experiences causes problems for children in several ways:

A) It increases the number of cortisol receptors in the brain in response to chronic stress. Like a sponge designed to soak up poison, these extra receptors build a brain that is more susceptible to stress and more affected by it when it occurs. The more sensitive the brain’s instruments for measuring stress, the more sensitive children will be to stressful events throughout their lives.

B) Hypersensitivity most often means over-sensitivity to the threat in question, and can often lead to a child who perceives threats that aren't actually there. For example, an emotionally abused child will often read condescending messages in their interactions with others, or see insult where none was intended. A child who is continually subjected to unwanted and significantly uncomfortable sexual experiences may become overtly sensitive to sexual intentions in the affection of others, even when it isn't there. A child who is physically abused is likely to perceive others as being more hostile towards him than they actually are. A child who perceives such intentions where none exist is going to see the world as a much more depressing and upsetting place than it really is. This will also increase the frequency at which upsetting events occur, since the bar is set so much lower than it is in normal children.

C) Hypersensitivity often creates a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies. A child who grew up in foster care being shuffled around to different homes will likely develop an insecure attachment and hypersensitivity towards abandonment. This is likely to make them clingy, obsessive, and paranoid, all of which may cause the very abandonment they fear in their relationships as adults. A child who was frequently put down or ridiculed growing up will develop hypersensitivity towards disapproval. This may cause them to "read" rebuke in others where none was intended, to feel hurt over teasing that was meant all in good fun, or to otherwise get upset in areas of social interaction that wouldn't trouble their less-sensitive peers. When this happens, they often withdraw from others, creating for themselves a loss of social connection and feelings of rejection, leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Through this sculpting of the brain it's actually possible to do physical brain damage to a child in severely negative environments. (add ref) Cortisol, the stress chemical, shuts down functioning in the higher reasoning areas to create an impulsive reaction to the event. But in constant, high and ongoing levels, it wreaks havoc on the brain. When a child is subjected to severe chronic stress, the excess cortisol on the brain actually kills off existing brain cells and inhibits the growth of new ones, creating a very real and very physical brain damage, in some cases no different than what might be caused by a stroke. This lasting brain damage means that children who come from chronic stress environments generally exhibit lower IQ's and impaired cognitive functioning.