

Vestibular sense and Autism
Sensory Integration is an innate neurobiological process.
It is mainly integration and interpretation of sensory stimuli from the environment by the brain
In sensory integration process , there is an important sense called the vestibular sense
What is vestibular sense ?
There are structures in the inner ear called semi- circular canals that can detect the movement and changes in position of the head . Well when you feel giddy , it is vestibular sense that is acting up
Infact it is this sense that tells you when your head is tilted or upright
So when there is dysfunction in this sensory system the child can get either hypersensitive. This can be seen that child has fearful reactions towards swings , ramps , slides and difficulty to climb or ascend the stairs . This child might seem clumsy or fearful in space when exposed to a vestibular stimulation
On the other hand , the child would be seeking the vestibular sense a lot. This is visible as excessive jumping , or spinning
This means the child is hyposensitive to vestibular stimulations and therefore seeking them to regulate themselves
Evaluation of the sensory system can be performed by trained and certified occupational and /or physical therapists
Now when you opt for sensory integration therapy , what is the therapist actually doing for your child with vestibular dysfunction
Goal 1 :provide the child with sensory information so that they can organise the central nervous system
Goal 2: to assist the child in inhibiting and /or modulating the sensory information
Goal 3: to encourage the child to have a more organised response when presented with sensory stimuli /information
It is important to opt for sensory integration therapy so that child can experience good sensory system function, develop play skills , self regulate and have less challenging behaviours
This blog ‘s main focus is to aware parents about vestibular sensory system. It is about what happens when you see , hear and opt for sensory integration sessions for vestibular sense
Thankyou
Creative Efforts and Swing Lover – Heena Sahi

Creative representation of my blog is beautifully done by talented CreativeSaathi associate Dhrov Tikoo.
2 replies on “Vestibular sense and Autism”
Very well explained thank you
Great artwork by Dhrov Tikoo, exactly matching the theme of an informative blog by Heena.