There is hope....

by Niki
(California)

I am now an adult, but I grew up with tactile defensiveness. It was the source of many, many fights with my mother when I was a child, and in general made my life miserable. I didn't realize exactly what it was until I was older. I have now outgrown most of it and developed coping skills to deal with the things that are still an issue.

I used to not even be able to wear underwear with anything, but now I have found a style that works for me. Comfort is still an issue, but I find my own ways around it, like buying one in every color when I find something comfortable that looks good.

I married a very understanding man who gets that these are just weird quirks of mine and doesn't give me crap because of it. He has even started to understand that I have certain issues with touching, and it is stuff that we can work around.

Just know... if you are a parent of a child with tactile defensiveness, do your best to be understanding and help your child to learn coping skills. Don't punish him/her for things that are related to the disorder, even if they seem like inappropriate behaviors. Have hope and see the light at the end of the tunnel. It does get better!