There are children that do not feel the pain when they fall down and scratch their knee, when they get a bump on the head, or if they pinch their finger. An eighteen month old baby girl would go to the doctor to get her routine shots and not flinch. She fell on the corner of a brick fireplace when she was learning to walk and busted her head open. She ended up needing stitches, the doctor pushed around on the gash to see if there was any bone fragment (pretty strange if you ask me) and she did not flinch, cry or move. This is my little girl that I adopted through foster care and she does suffer with this disorder.

I have also had another foster child with this disorder. It does take some getting use to having children that do not feel pain. My daughter Beth went to the lab to get some blood work done, when they stuck her to find the vein (she is not a easy one to find a vein on, so they always end up digging around trying to find one), no response from Beth. After they were done she moved her other arm over for them to stick. They asked her, “What do you want?” She responded, “Do it.” The lab techs were horrified with her wanting the other arm done. When I explained that she does not feel pain, so it did not bother her. They thought that her feeling no pain would be nice for her and for myself but that is untrue.

Parenting a child that suffers from this disorder can be challenging and a totally new experience for you.

Below are articles that will help you understand this condition.

Pediatrics Neuroscience
Is it possible to not feel pain?


Why Do We Feel Pain?