DS7 is also mega oversensitive (like his mother). He watches mainly documentaries and those even have to be assessed by me beforehand (which he asks me to do!). The things that we have to keep away from him are anything not age appropriate (obviously) but also anything that is too tense or suspenseful. Typically what he prefers is to learn about the topic beforehand and then to watch the video to reinforce what he has learned. For example, he once wanted to learn about the exodus from Egypt (as he saw a preview of a show that was going to explain the exodus from a scientific viewpoint). He had to read first about how it all worked out BEFORE he saw the video. He wouldn't have made it through the video because it would have been too tense, too scary...there would have been too many what-ifs (what is going to happen to all the children and families if the Red Sea comes crashing down on them?). He watched the show and knew beforehand that everyone was going to make it across.
As far as fictional movies, he sometimes wants to see what other kids are seeing in the theaters. We watch a preview online and I talk to some of his friends' parents who know about DS's sensitivities. They have been great about giving me a sense of whether or not the movie would be enjoyable for DS. (Though DD3 watched Elmo in Grouchland recently and DS7 said to me, "That movie is still too scary.")
