WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE PROJECT?
The main goal of the project is to develop, test and implement a comprehensive model of support for highly sensitive children in preschool and early-school age.
WHAT IS THE PROJECT CONCERNED WITH?
High sensitivity is a temperamental feature that is a characteristic of about 20% (various sources give 10-35%) of the population. Research confirms that highly sensitive people process information and stimuli from the environment in a more pronounced (more intensive) way and more deeply than others do. These persons may be more sensitive to both positive and negative experiences.
According to Elaine N. Aron, the originator of the concept of high sensitivity, the number of people with high sensitivity is too high to be able to treat this personality trait like any other, but too small for these people to be understood and supported by the social environment in an adequate manner.
Highly sensitive children are attentive to other people’s moods, they get upset quickly, especially when they have to do many tasks at once, they are accurate, disciplined, they try to avoid making mistakes, they find it difficult to work when they are observed or under pressure. They usually become acquainted with a situation first before taking action. Some of them are exceptionally talented.
These children are more sensitive to the environment and respond with more pronounced emotional and behavioural reactions (e.g. crying, dissatisfaction, screaming, sadness, anger). Highly sensitive children in overly stimulating situations demonstrate behaviour that may be frequently confused with hyperactivity, attention deficits and sensory processing disorders. The behaviours of highly sensitive children are also referred to as shyness, withdrawal and fearfulness. These children are more prone to stress and only accept changes to their environment with greater difficulty than other children within the same age group. HS children are also characterized by creativity, intuition and a sense of humour. High sensitivity can be both a risk factor and a factor that ensures the correct development of a child’s personality.
We have created this project in order provide comprehensive support for highly sensitive children.
Planned activities involve the support of children of preschool (3-6 years) and early-school (7-10 years) age, their parents and teachers, so both the preschool and school environments are covered. The developed materials are directed to the immediate environment of highly sensitive children. We assumed that an adult plays a particularly important role in the child’s development and is the primary source of emotional support. For highly sensitive children, inadequate development conditions can become particularly burdensome and consequently they may adversely affect their future.
WHAT IT MEANS: E-MOTION - POTENTIAL HIGHLYSENSITIVITY ?
It is the first project in Poland to be developed by researchers and practitioners, which is focused on supporting highly sensitive children in their immediate environment.
We draw attention to the key role of the quality of the immediate environment (home environment and school environment ) in creating conditions for the appropriate development of highly sensitive children . Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) describes individual variations in sensitivity to positive as well as negative environmental factors. Adequate support for the child allows for the understanding and treatment of sensitivity as a potential rather than a deficit or burden.
Early childhood experiences are of particular importance for the child’s further development. At this time, the immediate environment plays a special role. At this age (also due to preparation for school tasks), it is particularly important to recognize the child’s potential, abilities and difficulties in various areas of functioning. Being highly emotional may hinder or delay the attainment of maturity in this dimension. Awareness of the child’s resources allow us to manage both the upbringing and the educational process in such a way as to develop, broaden and modify the child’s resources, and not to focus on deficits or difficulties.
The assumptions of the project are based on the Environmental Sensitivity concept. This is a context for concepts explaining individual differences in the ability to register and process environmental stimuli . This approach has been developed by Michael Pluess.
WHAT ARE THE PLANNED ACTIVITIES OF THE PROJECT?
Development of a comprehensive model of support for highly sensitive children of preschool and early-school age
Developing a psychometric guidebook for the questionnaires
Organization of workshops for teaching staff at the international and national levels by every partner institution
Development of a compendium of knowledge (with a guide) concerning high sensitivity for parents and teachers
The preparation of an online platform containing a set of questionnaires for high sensitivity assessment as well as educational materials and materials that support work with highly sensitive children for parents and teachers (for teaching staff)