Rejection Sensitivity in Gifted and Twice-Exceptional Children
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Rejection sensitivity in gifted and twice-exceptional children stems from nervous system intensity and identity fusion with performance.
The article distinguishes normal rejection sensitivity from Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), a term coined by psychiatrist William Dodson for extreme emotional reactions linked to ADHD's emotional dysregulation. It covers overlapping frameworks: sensory processing sensitivity in 15-20% of the population, Dabrowski's overexcitabilities (with contested evidence), and autism's distinct pattern where children may not consciously recognize rejection. Gifted children often fuse performance with identity, making feedback feel existential. Strategies include normalizing the brain's fast alarm system, separating work from self, pre-correcting before feedback, building tolerance through micro-repair, coaching the slight-versus-rejection distinction, and broadening friend pools. If a child shows school avoidance or physical social stress, professional support may be needed.
What commenters are saying
Many commenters recognized these behaviors from their own childhoods. One described using autism to intentionally filter out rejection cues, resulting in perceived over-confidence. Others noted that the concepts "it's not a big deal" don't register. There was criticism of the article's rigor: several pointed out that "rejection sensitivity dysphoria" is not in the DSM-V, and that the article lacks proper citations despite listing references. One commenter found errors in those references, including a wrong author attribution. Another argued the article makes claims about "mechanics" without evidence, and suggested underlying factors like NCAH affecting cortisol response. No dominant camp formed around a single correction.