~Vestibular vs Proprioception~

We know our 5 senses; tactile (touch), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), auditory(hearing) and visual (seeing). But did you know that there are 3 bonus ones?? Interoception (check out previous blog post on this one!), Vestibular and Proprioception!

The bonus ones are a bit more difficult to understand so, I’m going to go more in detail to help decipher the 2 big movement ones; Vestibular and Proprioception.

VESTIBULAR:

Ever remember those metal merry go rounds on the playground where you would have someone spin you super fast for a few minutes then you’d get off an immediately fall down? Or if you swing for a long period of time then get off your body still feels like it is moving?

That is your Vestibular sense trying to detect changes in your body movements; located in your inner ear in relation to gravity- sometimes referred to your internal GPS system of your body. It helps our body balance out where we are moving through space. Here is a helpful handout to break down what the Vestibular System is.

The vestibular system can be tricky and sensitive to some kiddos as they crave that movement and seek it constantly but have a hard time processing what they seek. For example; kiddos who are big seekers and like a lot of movement tend to crave spinning, going high on the swing and/or closing their eyes and possibly in multiple positions (upside down or laying on their back) etc. This may look like they are having a great time and getting their body moving BUT, these kiddos have a very hard time processing what that does to their body. Making their nervous system go into a state of overload or dsyregulation. You may see an increase in outbursts, difficulty with their balance or body awareness, difficulty listening/processing what you say or shutting down out of no where etc. Most of the time, movement and activities (heavy work) can help decrease the dsyregulation/stimulation that can come from increased vestibular input. So following vestibular with proprioceptive activities can be regulating for your kiddo.

What else can vestibular do to your child’s behavior? Check this handout out!

On the other hand, swinging and rocking is a very calming and regulating motion for some kiddos. They may rock back and fourth randomly, seek back and fourth motion on a swing on the playground, or like to be physically rocked and you see an immediate “regulating” effect afterwards.

Vestibular input is very important to our Nervous Systems but at times, there can be a difficult understanding of how much is enough or too much at times.

If you feel your kiddo is having a hard time with Vestibular Processing, please get a hold of our office so we can help!!

Helpful website about kiddos and their Vestibular System!

PROPRIOCEPTION:

This one is the heavy work, the deep input, the internal sense in your joints, ligaments and muscles to help make connections to the brain for a calming effect and how much force needed for a task. Proprioception helps improve awareness, focus/attention, coordination and righting our body in space. Here is a handout on Proprioception for additional clarification and understanding.

Kiddos are constantly moving, growing and exploring. Proprioception is that movement that some seek more than others. If your kiddo is more of a “seeker” you might see them hug tight, like to be hugged tight or wrestle frequently, walking/stomping loud or hard, crashing into things or falling over intentionally, seeks a lot of chewing on non appropriate items (clothing, pencils, fingers), poor personal space, prefers tight clothing or loves to crawl under heavy items (couch cushions, lots of blankets etc).

On the other hand, Proprioceptive “avoiders” tend to be a little more sedentary, lazy, lethargic, prefers to sit still, avoids the active activities, avoiding touch from others, uncoordinated and possibly has difficulty with stairs. At times these kiddos can be picky eaters and needs to look to do familiar activities.

Whichever your kiddo classifies as, HEAVY WORK is the way to add regulation to their nervous system! Getting them as active as you can is going to give awareness, help with coordination and improving functioning within their environment.

Here is more info on Proprioception, more tools and details on how to detect dsyregulation.

Happy SPRING everyone! I know we are happy that the weather is finally changing as it improves more organic movement outside for our kiddos which in turn, improves REGULATION!


-SP4K