SENSORY SYSTEMS: VESTIBULAR

SENSORY SYTEMS: VESTIBULAR

The vestibular system is our sense of movement and gravity.  This system is important because it is a unifying system which forms the basic relationship of a person to the physical world.  Because gravity is our anchor, all other types of information are processed in reference to basic vestibular information.  Good vestibular processing is key to developing hand dominance, bilateral coordination, balance, and complex motor planning. It supports reading fluency and enables us to sequence components of actions, thoughts, and speech.  Vestibular information also helps us to understand right side up, upside down, left, right, horizontal and vertical which helps us manage both two- and three-dimensional space.  Providing a variety of movement activities helps to develop this system.  Good activities include swinging, log rolling, somersaults, and spinning as tolerated by your child.  If your child seems sensitive to these activities, introduce gently and follow with jumping or other proprioceptive activities.

DIY BALANCE BEAM

DIY 2x4 Balance Beam
Supplies Needed: 2x4" Lumber
Optional Supplies: Paint, Brushes, Sealant

The balance beam is a simple but versatile addition to any home program. A balance beam can be used to work on balance (obviously) as well as core strength, bilateral coordination, visual-vestibular and more. There are so many ways to incorporate the beam into different activities and exercises.

Balance beams can be made from duct tape, lumber, ribbon or chalk. You can increase the difficulty of a beam by raising it off the ground or making it more narrow. We will show you in another blog how to incorporate some fun additions to the beam to target different sensory systems. For now, let's take a look at the DIY 2x4" Balance Beam.

Start with a 2x4" piece of lumber. This can be found at any hardware store and is relatively inexpensive. The lumber can be purchased in different lengths and compositions. For this project, I purchased a piece of Prime Kiln Dried Whitewood Stud Board that was 2 inches x 4 inches by 96 inches for about $3 from The Home Depot. Look for a board with little to no bowing for a more balanced beam.

To make the board a little more fun, I painted one side with a Halloween theme and one side with a Christmas theme. You could paint yours however you like--maybe you want it to match your child's bedroom, or something nature-themed, a favorite character, etc. You can even use the paint to tie in more games. Notice how my beam is broken into sections. These will come in handy later for directional games, numbered steps, etc. If you do decide your paint your board, it's pretty simple, so just have fun with it.

To paint the balance beam, you may need to sand your board if you have any rough edges, chips or splinters. Just grab any fine grit paper and smooth the board out. You will need paints, brushes and some sort of sealant. For my project, I used a combination of cheap acrylic paints from the craft store and paintbrushes from the dollar store. (Note: I used spray paint on the Christmas side as my base coat and it took forever to dry. If I had to do this again, I would stick to the acrylics.) "Pro" tip: You can use a hair dryer between coats to speed up the drying process. It only takes a couple of minutes for the acrylic paints to dry. Once your paint has dried, let it sit over night to cure. Then, cover your balance beam in some sort of sealant to keep the paint from chipping later. You can use polyurethane, clear coat or mod podge. The mod podge worked great for me and can even be purchased at the dollar store. Use a foam brush for a smooth finish.

If you try this easy DIY Balance Beam, be sure to let us know. Click here to post a picture to our Facebook page.

SENSORY SYSTEMS: PROPRIOCEPTION

SENSORY SYSTEMS: PROPRIOCEPTION

Proprioception is one of our senses that we tend to be less educated about.  It is our sense of where our body is in space, including joint position.  It is mostly processed in unconscious areas of our brain, so we don’t often think about it.  We don’t consciously process that we raised our foot up 7 inches and forward 5 inches when we are climbing steps, we just do it.  

We have many joints in our hands, so proprioception is important for fine motor development and control.  Because the information is processed in the lower parts of our brain, it also heavily influences other processes going on there.  It impacts things like self-regulation of behavior and attention.  If there is an issue, it generally lies with under registration of proprioception which results in issues in one or all the above areas.  Helping a child find the “just right” amount of this input is very important.   

Fun ways to provide proprioception would include animal walks, wheelbarrow walks, playing tug-o-war, jumping, hopscotch, playing with weighted objects, and using weighted blankets.  Remember, proprioception can easily part of family chores and discipline.  Have the child carry out garbage, carry in groceries, polish furniture and appliances, and carry laundry baskets.

EASY DIY BEAN BAGS

EASY DIY BEAN BAGS

Last week, we showed you how to make an easy DIY Balance Beam. Here's a cheap and easy way to add a fun activity to the beam. You may even have all of these supplies at home. If not, hit your local dollar store. 

Supplies Needed:

UNCOOKED RICE

SOCKS

Optional Supplies:

FUNNEL

RUBBER BANDS

SCISSORS

BUCKETS OR BOWLS

1. Pour the rice into the foot of the sock. Using a funnel makes this step easier but you can do without it if you like. Using a youth sock works best for a standard sized bean bag. Use enough rice to fill the sock to a "full but workable" consistency. You don't want to overfill it to the point of stiffness. 

2. Tie the tube of the sock in a knot or use rubber bands to close the opening. Make sure you wrap the band enough times to keep it from sliding off of opening.

3. If you have excess fabric at the top, just trim it off using scissors. You can use the excess for a festive wrist band or sensory fidget. 

Line some buckets or bowls along side your balance beam to toss the bags into.

Make bean bags with different texture by exchanging the rice for dried beans, uncooked macaroni noodles, pony beads, etc.

Use painter's tape to put "targets" on the floor to aim the bags at.

The possibilities are endless. If you try this easy DIY, we'd love to hear about it. Let us know on our Facebook Page. 

TEAL PUMPKIN: ALLERGY FRIENDLY GIVEAWAY IDEAS

         

• TEAL PUMPKIN GIVEAWAY IDEAS
• 
  
• Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces
• Pencils, pens, crayons or markers
• Bubbles
• Halloween erasers or pencil toppers
• Mini Slinkies, Paddle Balls or Rubix Cubes
• Whistles, kazoos, or noisemakers
• Bouncy balls
• Finger puppets or novelty toys
• Coins
• Spider rings
• Vampire fangs
• Mini notepads or pens
• Playing cards or Dice
• Bookmarks, Stickers, Stencils
• Sticky Hands
• 
  

SENSORY SYSTEMS: BILATERAL COORDINATION

SENSORY SYSTEMS: BILATERAL COORDINATION

Good bilateral coordination is important for age appropriate participation in daily living activities and peer play.  Bilateral coordination involves our ability to use our extremities both symmetrically and reciprocally, on same side or opposing sides, and to cross the midline.  Bilateral coordination is grounded in vestibular processing. The vestibular mechanism is located in our ear. When our head registers movement and gravity it allows us to respond with appropriate body movements, balance, and posture. Activities that support bilateral coordination include jumping, skipping, swimming, riding a bike, jumping rope, and catching a ball.  Some fine motor bilateral coordination activities would be knife/fork use, cutting with scissors, tying shoe, and buttoning. If bilateral coordination activities are difficult for your child, try starting with vestibular activities and follow with bilateral coordination activities.  Remember, the job of a child is to move and play. Find fun and interesting ways to help them accomplish this.  

SENSORY INTEGRATION

SENSORY INTEGRATION

Sensory integration refers to our ability to organize and process sensory input and to use that input to respond appropriately to a particular situation/ Although we are all taught about our senses as children (hearing, smell, vision, taste and touch,) we are not made aware of the importance of our senses working together to help us get through each task in our day. We also have other senses that affect the way our brain work--our ability to sense movement and gravity. 

Over 80% of the nervous system is involved in processing or organizing sensory input for our use. Sensory systems use receptors to pick up information that is then processed by the brain. Every sensation is a form of information. The nervous system uses the information to produce responses that adapt the body and mind to that information. Our brains are like computers. Sensory information is the data that goes in and, based on that data, we act appropriately or not within the environment. If the data is improperly entered into the computer. or there is a problem with the way the software processes the data, the computer cannot provide the correct solution. It is very much the same with our brain and nervous system. If the sensory information (data) is not perceived and interpreted correctly, our brain may also not provide the most correct or appropriate solution. 

Although inadequate sensory "nourishment" can occur from inactivity (TV, computer, video games) more often this contributes to the problem and is not the cause. Most children with sensory integration dysfunction do not have brain damage. They have about as many neurons as other children; their problem is caused by interconnections that work in an irregular way. Therefore, sensory integration dysfunction will not show up on an MRI or other type of test that looks for brain damage or disease. It represents malfunction, not absence of function. 

Sensations are processed at a; the different levels of the brain and can influence any response. Children who have issues processing sensory information can look very different from one another based on the specific processing issue they may have. Good sensory processing is important for self-regulation of sleep cycles, mood attention, behavior and eating. So, issues with sensory processing may result in children who have difficulty sleeping, that are moody or anxious, extremely fussy or frustrated, inattentive, have difficulty transitioning, or may have increased difficulty separating from their parents or interacting with their peers. These children may appear more intense or "high maintenance." Issues with sensory processing may also result in different types of learning issues or difficulties at school. There be language delays, articulation disorders, reading delays, difficulty with math, problems organizing their desk, keeping up with homework assignments, etc. Since the majority of children with sensory processing issues are average intelligence or above, this can be extremely frustrating for both the parent and student and may result in low self-esteem. Motor skills may also be problematic with sensory processing issues. There may be problems with gross and/or fine motor skills. The child may have issues may present as difficulty with dressing/buttoning, scissor skills, or handwriting difficulties. Issues with sensory processing may be very specific or very broad and general. Although there are similarities in children with sensory processing issues, each child presents a little differently. 

A good foundation of sensory integration is important to guide appropriate behavior, learn efficiently, sustain attention. and easily cope with the ordinary demands of everyday life. Children with sensory processing issues generally have to work harder to achieve the necessary outcomes desired. Sensory processing is dynamic and may result in fluctuating performance or behavior which may also be frustrating. It often leaves the false impression that it is the child's "choice" and that they could do better if they just try harder.