There is a five year old boy in my son's acting class that likes to play rough and I know he is a smart kid, possibly gifted and I have wondered if he has sensory issues. His dad is an engineer, his mother is gifted, and his sister is also gifted.
But my 10 year old son has had a hard time dealing with him because he is so rough. This little boy liked to hit and kick and push my son and other kids when the acting teacher wasn't looking. If my son or the other kids tried to protect themselves they got in trouble because they were older. I had my son read some of the books about sensory issues and he understood a little more why he was acting the way he was and he and the older kids found things for the little boy to do to keep him occupied and he is getting a little better as he gets older. It also used to bother my son a little when the younger boy would lean against him when my son was trying to read or play his Nintendo DS, but a better understanding how sensory issues can effect people differently helped him deal with it. My son has some sensory issues and he didn't realize until he read more about it that they can effect people differently.
