23/07/2021
๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ (๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ) ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐บ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐
๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Josh's uncle comes to visit. When he sees Josh, he immediately picks him up off the ground, spins him in circles and even dips him backward so his head is almost toward the ground. Itโs playful and fun for many children, and is only a warm welcome from his uncle, but for Josh, he is immediately terrified and screams or cries to be put down. What caused Josh's strong reaction?
In Josh's case, not only is he also hypersensitive to his uncleโs embrace, he struggles with gravitational insecurity. He was terrified the moment his feet left the ground and was fearful of not maintaining an upright position when his uncle dipped him backward.
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Children who experience both sensory and gravitational insecurity have many fears of ordinary movement and donโt like their feet off the ground or being upside down. It is typically a sign that your child has an over -developed vestibular system that creates varying levels of stress that mimics, amplifies or results in several psychiatric conditions. In many cases, overstimulation from external stimuli can be caused by smell, touch, or even the wrong movement (swinging, sliding, walking down stairs, thrown in the air). The child usually reacts with negative emotions and behaviors. These kids are not just sensitive to the stimulus, they are fearful, bothered by its presence and are often distracted at home and in the outside world.
The sense that you are secure on the earth relies on your child having a well-functioning vestibular system - the organ of our balance situated in the inner ear.
When this sense is functioning properly, it is constantly feeding the Central Nervous System (CNS) information about balance and movement. When the vestibular system is not functioning properly, problems like gravitational insecurity can manifest itself in your child. They are terrified to get on the swings or use the scooter board because it takes their feet off the ground or puts their head in a downward position.
In some cases the vestibular is system is under-stimulated. These children actively seek out sensory stimulation as can can seen in children diagnosed with ADHD. Their excessive movement generates the extra stimulation and energy their central nervous system needs.
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It is not always known what the causes of vestibular over- stimulation (hyper vestibular) or vestibular under-stimulation (hypo vestibular) are.
However, from studies and research, a child could be affected by a traumatic birth experience, head injuries, it may be genetic or hereditary, or it could be caused by environmental factors. What we do know is sensory difficulties indicate a low or high neurological threshold and can affect your childโs vestibular, proprioception, visual and motor planning. What this means is that it takes very little stimulus to trigger a reaction in your childโs brain. Or a lot of stimulus to trigger the CNS.
It scrambles sensory information, causing them to become oversensitive to certain things within their environment. They experience a sensory overload or are sensory seeking.
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Children who struggle with sensory processing tend to be in a general state of heightened arousal, which is why they typically donโt like swings, ramps or inclines on the playground or crave excessive movement and cannot sit still and focus for long periods of time.
Sensory processing, especially as it relates to the vestibular system, could also be caused by a retained primitive reflex called the Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR).
In Reflexes, Learning and Behavior, Sally Goddard of INPP, says, โIf the TLR fails to be inhibited at the correct time, it will constantly โtripโ the vestibular in its actions and its interaction with other sensory systems. The child who still has a retained tonic labyrinthine reflex when he starts to walk, cannot acquire true gravitational security, as head movement will alter muscle tone, โthrowingโ the center of balance.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐บ
When a child has gravitational insecurity or other types of sensory dysfunctions, they can struggle in an academic environment. Because the vestibular system responds to body movement through space and change in head position, it automatically coordinates eye movements with the head and the body. Knowing this, a well-functioning vestibular system must be working for a student to look up at the chalkboard and back down to the paper without constantly losing their place. It is also important for tracking words on a page, processing the information they read, and prevents kids from writing their letters backward.
If a child struggles with gravitational insecurity, they may have difficulty keeping their body upright and good posture at their desk may take a great deal of energy for their brain, the CNS and their muscles and joints (proprioception). If the vestibular system is not functioning properly, your childโs energy is lost when they try to stay balanced and coordinated. When this happens, your child no longer has the energy for higher learning concepts that begin in their cerebral cortex of the brain. This part of the brain is responsible for problem solving, expressive and receptive language, critical thinking, reasoning, and short-term and longer-term memory. Without gravitational security, a strong vestibular system and motor planning skills, your child is so distracted trying to keep their body and their brain calm, they canโt function at higher levels within the classroom.
If your child experiences these problems, they may feel like many of the tasks given to them by the teacher are too difficult and they donโt understand why. Your child may also avoid certain tasks or activities that embarrass them and they may seem unmotivated and disengaged in the classroom.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐ฃ๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐น๐ฒ๐
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ
A reflex integration programme such as INPP is one method used to improve vestibular functioning and sensory processing, specifically through movement patterns designed to integrate the Tonic Neck Reflex (TLR).
The Tomatis Method listening programme is another way to regulate the vestibular system through filtered sound.
Icandoit Therapy Centre exclusively offers the INPP programme in South Africa, as well as the Tomatis Method Solisten sound therapy.
