Webinar | Highly Sensitive Children in School: New Findings and Resources

About the Authors

Prof Pluess, Prof Lionetti, Prof Castelli, and Dr Kähkönen are psychologists and represent the research team behind the reported research on highly sensitive children in school. Mrs Hirst is a psychologist who was involved in developing the presented resources.

Summary

In this webinar, the presenters share the latest research on highly sensitive children in primary school and present new resources, including our revised website, a new teacher questionnaire to identify sensitive children, a new online training module for teachers about sensitive children, and a professional assessment of highly sensitive children.

In this webinar, the presenters share the latest research on highly sensitive children in primary school. Every child is different in how they experience and respond to the world around them. Some are more sensitive than others and have a natural ability to notice small details and think deeply about their experiences.

Whilst many children find this gives them an advantage at school, some will find the busy and chaotic school environment overwhelming and overstimulating. It is common to find a range of sensitivity levels in any classroom with up to 30% being highly sensitive.

After the welcome by Prof Michael Pluess, Prof Francesca Lionetti, Dr Jenni Kahkonen and Prof Luciana Castelli present the findings of their recent research in Switzerland and the UK, highlighting how highly sensitive children experience school differently, and how they can be easily and consistently identified by teachers(1-5).

Cherry Hirst then presents the new training resources for teachers who wish to find out more about the trait of high sensitivity. These resources contain tips and strategies developed in collaboration with experts in the field that teachers can use to support highly sensitive children so that they thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

Finally, Prof Pluess and the team respond to questions from participants in a Q&A session.

For further information, please visit Sensitivity Research website.