1.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
What is vestibular sense ?
In sensory integration process , there is an important sense called the 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
2. Propioceptive Sense
Have you heard of propioceptive sense ?
Well if you answer yes then I feel you must be a sensory seeker yourself ?
If you answer no for this question , then your child must be a sensory seeker and you would have heard about it from an OT or PT ?
The proprioceptive system is located in our muscles and joints. It provides us with a sense of body awareness and detects and controls the force and pressure applied by our body to our surroundings
Well simply it is this sense that creates awareness that you are dancing , laughing hard c, doing aerobics or yoga.This sense tells you if that hug is comfortable or just hurting
In a child with additional needs related to autism , or adhd or developmental delays , a propioceptive stimuli can be calming when the child is overly stimulated by the environments
Or it can be alerting stimulus when the child is requiring increased sensory stimulation for facilitating learning and attention
Beyond this many children on the spectrum seek propioceptive stimulus or inputs to regulate their emotional and behavioral response too
Important indicators that your child is seeking a propioceptive stimulus
1.Bites or chews the sides of sleeves , neckline of pullovers
2.walking tip toes
3.engages a lot on weight bearing activities that compress joints like swinging , hanging , climbing
4.prefers to stomp feet while walking
5. prefers jumping
6.enjoys rough and tumble play with peers
7.throws self heavily on others or on floor , carpets, crash pads and bean bags
8. holds writing tools too firmly and writes with lot of pressure on paper
9. bangs body parts
10 . hyper extends the joints like locking knees , bending back fingers
Now what could be certain propioceptive activities /games that help to modulate the propioceptive needs of a child /individual
- Weight-bearing activities – animal walks , push ups , wheel barrow
- Resistance activities – like pushing and pulling (tug of war )
- Heavy lifting activities – carrying big and heavy books , heavy laundry bags , grocery cartons
- Cardiovascular activities – running , jumping , cycling , jumping or hoping on trampoline
- Oral motor games – blowing bubbles , chewing gums , candies
- Deep pressure – tight hugs , become a burrito with heavy blanket
Important point is to keep in mind the purpose of using a propioceptive game
If using it to calm a child . introduce it before a triggering or stressful activity
If using to alert a child who is unresponsive , identify the instances of disengagement and introduce the propioceptive game
This one is for teachers and works best in classrooms
Activities you would love to be part of with your students in the classroom. These can be used as brain breaks too
- Wall pushes
- Lifting dumbbells
- Jumping or jogging on spot
- Star jumps
- Jumping jacks
- Catching and throwing weighted ball
- And
- Bouncing on gym ball
Well I feel whether you are teacher , parent or professional reading this blog , you would definately try doing one of the activity today . So all the best and do share your story with me
3. The tactile sense
Tactile system is includes the nerves under the skin sending information to brain.The information includes pain , temperature , pressure and deep and light touch .
When tactile system will be dysregulated it will look like
Withdrawing from being touched
Refuse eating some textured food stuff and items
Avoid getting hands dirty or likes getting hands dirty
Refusing to wear certain types of clothing like winter wear
Avoids getting face washed or moisturised
Does not like hair wash
Uses finger tips instead of whole hands to hold or manipulate objects
Tactile dysregulation can be two situations either the person is low registering towards tactile stimuli or overly sensitive towards it
Because of this imbalance a child can have extensive emotional response towards certain tactile stimulations and this should not be ignored by the parent
Hence you should ask a professional (OT , PT ) to devise either a desensitization program or sensory diet to cope with this dysfunction
Hope this blog was too good to learn and definitely an eye- opener
Thankyou
Creative Efforts Swing Lover Bouncing Ball lover and a messy eater – Heena Sahi
Creative representation for my blog on various senses is done accurately by Dhrov Tikoo for vestibular and tactile senses. And Morpheus Nag for Proprioceptive sense.