This email discussion list is for parents of Highly Sensitive Children as explained by Elain Aron in her book, The Highly Sensitive Child. To join this group it is required that you have read or are in the midst of reading, Aron's book, have an understanding of the sensitivity temperament, and have a OR some type of relationship with a hs child. The goal of the list is to gently support one another as parents of HSCs.

PLEASE note your application CANNOT be processed unless a comment is made regarding Aron's book. Applictions simply listing a child and or parent as hs are incomplete and are unable to be processsed.

If you are unsure of whether or not your child is HS, please read the HSC book first! If your child is autistic, then this isn't the right group.

This group welcomes all members regardless of whether they send their children to school or homeschool. If you unschool and practice Attachment Parenting, try the spin-off group hsc-ap-unschool.

Is my autistic child Highly Sensitive? High functioning autistic persons, and those with disorders of that type, are highly sensitive to stimulation, and that can be confused with the trait of HS but they are sensitive for very different reasons. Autism is clearly an impairment in, for example, social relationships. The HS trait is not. The HS trait is found in 20% of the population. There are certainly mild cases of autism, and these people are easily overwhelmed, so in that sense they fit with the questionnaire. They may be saying they are HSPs, but technically they are not and it isn't fair to the kids who do not have an autistic disorder to equate them. Looking at the questionnaire, they are not sensitive to peoples' moods, for example--they don't recognize emotional cues. Sensitive children are well adapted, have no depression, shyness, or any other social problems if they are raised well enough. No matter how well raised, autistic spectrum disorders do not come out socially well adjusted