If you're a highly sensitive person (HSP), you may already know that high sensitivity is often compared to autism. This can be surprising—the signs of the two traits are very different. But both have been treated very similarly by the general public.
While there is certainly a major overlap in sensory processing experiences of both autistic and highly sensitive individuals, specifically sensitivity to sensory information, this does not mean they are the same thing.
HSP may be misdiagnosed as another form of vasculitis – most commonly hypersensitivity vasculitis – because of the frequent failure to perform direct immunofluorescence (DIF) testing on skin biopsy and the consequent failure to detect IgA.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be very complex to understand, which can unfortunately result in high levels of autism misdiagnosis in adults. This is often the result of a widespread unfamiliarity with the symptoms, especially in cases where they were never evaluated during childhood.
Diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be difficult because there is no medical test, like a blood test, to diagnose the disorder. Doctors look at the child's developmental history and behavior to make a diagnosis. ASD can sometimes be detected at 18 months of age or younger.
Due to its lower prevalence in females, autism was always thought to have a maternal inheritance component. However, research also suggests that the rarer variants associated with autism are mostly inherited from the father.
HSP is usually diagnosed by looking at each child's history of symptoms and with a physical examination. They will often need a blood test and urine test. If there is a lot of blood and protein in the urine, very high blood pressure, or other blood test markers of kidney damage, a kidney biopsy will be required.
Most HSPs are either INFJs or INFPs — the ones that don't tend to be ENFJs or ENFPs. Whether you're one or both, it's important to know what stresses you, what overstimulates you and what makes you feel calm, relaxed and happy.
HSPs may may appear similar to individuals with SPD in terms of over-responsivity A key difference between the two, however, would be that a person with HSP does not typically experience problems doing everyday activities or can learn how to adapt their responses to do them, which is not always the case for children ...
ASD, AS, ADD/ADHD, SPD, HSP, PDD-NOS are all part of the spectrum of neurodivergence.
Living with High Sensitivity
HSPs may struggle to adapt to new circumstances, may demonstrate seemingly inappropriate emotional responses in social situations, and may easily become uncomfortable in response to light, sound, or certain physical sensations.
High Sensitivity is therefore a form of neurodiversity as the brain is working differently from the expected norm. Just as with other forms of neurodiversity, people with High Sensitivity are more prone to stress as their systems can be overloaded with too much sensory input.
The global increase in autism prevalence reflects major improvements in public awareness and public health response to autism. Children are now more likely to be diagnosed earlier, and even underrepresented regions like Africa and the Middle East have been advancing their ability to measure autism prevalence.
Genetic testing looks for causes of ASD but cannot be used to diagnose ASD. Some people with ASD have syndromic ASD, meaning that they have other specific features in addition to having ASD, such as looking different from other people in the family or having birth defects.
Advanced parental age at time of conception. Prenatal exposure to air pollution or certain pesticides. Maternal obesity, diabetes, or immune system disorders. Extreme prematurity or very low birth weight.
Not all children with autism show all the signs. Many children who don't have autism show a few. That's why professional evaluation is crucial.
not understanding social "rules", such as not talking over people. avoiding eye contact. getting too close to other people, or getting very upset if someone touches or gets too close to you. noticing small details, patterns, smells or sounds that others do not.
ADNP syndrome is a condition that causes a wide variety of signs and symptoms. Its hallmark features are intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder, which is characterized by impaired communication and social interaction.
In one 2021 study , over 75% of participants received an ASD diagnosis about 8 years after their first mental health evaluation. Another study from 2019 looked at 4,498 children and found that 1,135 (25%) had symptoms of autism but didn't have an ASD diagnosis.
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behavior and relationships. The good news is that highly sensitive people aren't more or less emotionally intelligent than others.
Children with autism have disruptions in brain connectivity along social and emotional pathways, whereas those pathways are intact in children with SPD alone. Children with SPD tend to have more problems with touch than do those with autism, whereas children with autism struggle more with sound processing.