In "The Difficult Child" Stanley Turecki, M.D.,describes the difficult child with a low sensory threshold. He states, "...power struggles or tantrums occur over clothes that don't feel right; shoes have to be tied endlessly; tags in the clothing have to be removed; excess sen- sitivity may be evident to noises, lights, or smells. She refuses to wear a coat in the middle of winter, complaining she is too hot, or will wear only underwear in the house. She is over stimulated in crowded places." Over the years there have been numerous "little" things that have agitated me, but didn't seem to bother anyone else. I cannot abide wearing clothing that has elastic at the wrist or waist, or tags in the neck. I wear a watch with a loose (bracelet) band. There are countless foods that I avoid because of their texture, rather than how they taste. For example, I love tomato sauce on spaghetti, etc., but cannot abide eating a raw tomato. A number of fruits are out because of their peculiar textures. I will eat a raw apple, but cannot stand to eat a baked apple. Going out to eat can be bothersome sometimes because I need to know what is in everything I eat. I prefer to go to a restaurant that serves plain American-style food, rather than take a chance at some of the fancier places that offer more exotic dishes. My stomach is very sensitive and reacts to unusual or spicy foods, as well as to stress. Since I was a child I have experienced a multitude of allergies and upper respitory problems. I am allergic to certain fragrances, dust and mold, ragweed, flowers, hay, grass, leaves, animal fur, and any kind of nuts. My skin is excessively dry, I have excema, and am subject to rashes as well. In the summer I cannot tolerate being in the sun and have come close to heat stroke numerous times. In the winter, I am constantly cold after the temperature drops and the chilled air makes me hurt all over. My ears are also hypersensitive and loud, or high-pitched sounds leave my ears ringing. I keep the volume on the radio and TV turned down. In addition, I am very sensitive to anyone touching me unless I want to be touched. Only just recently have I been able to bring myself to hug and be hugged by friends. If anyone holds on to me for too long, I start to panic and become claustrophobic. I have difficulty going into elevators and feel smothered in large crowds. In an attempt to discover whether this hypersensitivity is more common in people with ADD, I took an unscientific poll of 65 ADD adults at a recent conference. The results are listed below: 1. Sensitivity to clothing (i.e. elastic, tags)44% 2. Sensitivity to food textures 6% 3. Allergies 39% 4. Sensitive skin 67% 5. Heat and cold sensitivity 56% 6. Sensitive hearing 50% 7. Sensitivity to being touched 22% 8. Claustrophobia 39% 9. Stomach problems 50% As you can see everyone polled had one or more of these same traits. I am curious, do any of you ADD adults out there share in these same hypersensitivities? Write and let me know! (Mary Jane Johnson, 2620 Ivy Place, Toledo, Ohio 43613) or leave a message for me in E-Mail or ADDForum on CompuServe (75200,1463). Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you! ASK ABOUT ADULT ADD CONFERENCE IN ANN ARBOR, MI on MAY 20_22, 1994! __________________________________________________________________________ This article has been downloaded from the ADD Forum on CompuServe, and may be distributed freely as long as the contents of the file are unchanged. Because the CompuServe ADD Forum is new, we are frequently asked how to join CompuServe and get on the forum. Call 1-800-524-3388 and ask for rep #464. Outside the US/Canada call +1-614-457-0802.