Don’t panic! Synesthesia can be a good thing to have and it is estimated that one in a hundred people have some kind and degree of it.
So what is it? Well, if you can ‘see’ noises or can ‘taste’ colours you have a form of synesthesia. Another common form is when people attribute specific colours to letters of the alphabet. Synesthesia occurs when the neural pathways between the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch) interact with each other. It is as though people with synesthesia get an extra way of experiencing things that most of us are not able to use.
So, it can be a good thing to have, it can be an enriching life experience. If your young child has ever talked about the colour of sounds or the taste of textures chances are that he or she has some form of synesthesia.
So why am I writing about this when I normally write about children with learning problems? Well, if you do not recognizes that your child might have some form of synesthesia you might think that he or she is talking nonsense or trying to annoy you when they talk about their perceptions. I feel sure that many children have learned to ignore their skills rather than appear to be different and unusual.
Just think of the possibilities for teaching children to read when you understand that they see letters in different colours! Just think of the frustration of a child learning to read when his teacher ignores his ability to see words in this way!
So, by being aware that this condition exists, and being on the lookout for telltale signs that your child has it, you may be able to open up a whole new way for your child to learn.
At least you can get your child to tell you what he is experiencing and explain that not everyone has this special gift.
About PatriciaPorter
i have synesthesia and for most of my childhood i had no clue i had it, until one of my favorite authors pseudonymous bosch was talking about one of his books and how there are lots of different types of (as he puts it) “confusion of the senses”.
you are absolutely correct in saying that many teachers are ignorant and can discourage this gift. when i was very young i got in an argument with my teacher because she wrote the number 7 in red, and to me 7 is lime green so i raised my hand and corrected her, and lets just say the example she made of me in front of my class was enough for me to ignore my synesthesia. now that i know about it, everyday I’m noticing more and more things that i experience differently because i pasted most of it off as normal.
parents need to be very supportive of their children, even if the things the child says sound insane. i know my parents aren’t completely comfortable with my synesthesia, nor do they understand but they were always supportive.
but for the very reason that most parents aren’t so supportive and that many children are bullied for having synesthesia, I’m trying to inform as many people about synesthesia as i can.
Thanks for these comments. This was an article I wrote some time ago but I am pleased that it made sense to you. I think lots of children have synesthesia in some form or other and they unaware of it, just like you were. It can have grave implications for their learning if teachers and parents don’t recognize it.
How did you manage? What tips do you have for others?
yes ever since i found out about my synesthesia i have been obsessed with it, researching it non-stop and finding more and more people to tell about it. about 2% of the population have synesthesia. though very few people know they have it.
as for how i managed? umm well before i knew about it i just thought i was crazy and decided to ignore it which was probably the worst thing possible to do. but once i knew about synesthesia i embraced it, now i write papers, stories, poems, etc, all of which have something to with synesthesia (if you are curious I’ve posted a short story and a poem involving synesthesia on my blog http://www.theblogofvariousthing.wordpress.com ) and tips for others? well spread the word! but proud of how unique you are and how amazing this gift is that you’ve been blessed with.
i really want more people to know about this condition, these individuals should be acknowledged and i want so badly for the rest of the world to know about this, so many people don’t and ill do whatever it takes to spread the word and get people to understand.
i also forgot to add that most children with synesthesia do very well in school because they have photographic memories and the association of the colors tastes smells etc, help children learn and retain information