My son, who is eight years old, sometimes says things that make me think he might be synesthetic. I’m not terribly well-versed in the phenomenon, but I’d like to see what you guys think.

When he feels (with his fingers) or looks closely at sandpaper, he says he feels nauseated, like he’s going to vomit. The first time he mentioned this was to years ago, and since then I’ve casually asked him to toss me a sanding block or help me clean up, and it’s always the same. He actually goes pale. This has happened occasionally with other similar textures, too, like bricks and cement.

Today, he said a drink of flat soda tasted “pink” to him. That’s new… It’s the first time he’s ever compared flavor to color, to me. I asked for clarification and he said when he drank it all he could think was pink.

Anyone familiar? Should I be buying books on synesthesia? Is my kid just weird?