I’m sure many of you wondered if I knew what I was talking about several weeks ago when I mentioned I would be talking about the six senses. Many people have never heard of the proprioceptive and vestibular senses and they are ones that can really affect people with autism. Rob and Casey both have issues with their proprioceptive/vestibular senses.
Basically, the proprioceptive sense tells your brain where your body is. Like – closing your eyes and being able to touch your nose with your finger. Rob can’t do it. Casey can, but she struggles with it. It also tells you whether your feet are on concrete or grass. Receptors for the proprioceptive sense are deep in joints and muscles. You need your proprioceptive sense for smooth body movements so it is vitally important for all motor skills.
Vestibular sense is more for balance and spatial orientation. It helps you balance on one foot. It’s how your body understand how you are moving – like what direction and how fast, even whether or not you are moving. So many people on the autism spectrum have problems with fine or gross motor skills and these two sense are the reasons why. Just like with the other five senses, a person can have a hyper or hypo sense of their body and how it’s moving.
Rob struggles more with proprioceptive issues that Casey does. He needs deep pressure to help his body know where it is and how it is moving. When he was younger, this was a much larger issue and he often had a weighted vest on or a weighted lap belt in school. I also used wrist weights with him (don’t buy the “sensory ones” – buy ones that people use to work out. The cost is about a tenth of the sensory ones!) when he was struggling to write. As odd as it sounds, his handwriting is beautiful – nearly perfect. His sense of order demanded perfect letters, even as his body couldn’t easily write them. This caused him to have a lot of anxiety and still does at times, but he has learned that he doesn’t have to be perfect. 🙂
Ankle weights (again, go to the sporting goods section!) are also wonderful tools to help someone with proprioceptive issues. Weighted blankets can help them regulate their body and sleep better. Casey loves lots of blankets piled on her, but she doesn’t need them like he does. As a child, her handwriting wasn’t good and it still isn’t. Now, it is more that she simply doesn’t like to write (though this could be a sensory issue) – she loves to color and draw, though. But – writing is a very precise activity where her art is more whatever she likes.
I’m sure Rob’s issues with his vestibular sense were the main cause of his many accidents as a child. He was clumsy and could trip over a piece of string. He fell into our concrete porch steps and needed stitches. He fell down the last few steps into our basement and earned a helicopter ride to a children’s hospital when he wouldn’t wake up the next morning. He jumped down a flight of stairs and broke his collar bone. And the list goes on…. His vestibular sense didn’t help him and he wasn’t afraid of anything. A really bad combination! (How he jumped off the roof of our house and never got hurt is beyond me!)
Rob also used a platform swing when he was in elementary school. It was right in the classroom and he could lay flat on it as he practiced saying his spelling words and math facts. We quickly discovered that what he learned as he was swinging stuck with him. He learned so much easier when he was swinging. The swing moved to the junior high with him, but he didn’t seem to need it as much. The swinging movement calmed his vestibular and proprioceptive senses enough that he was able to concentrate.
Equine therapy was also a huge blessing for both of them. While on the horse, they practiced many things. many of the games involved throwing bean bags at specific colors or shapes (they knew these, but having to throw the bean bag required their body to learn how to do what their mind wanted, if that makes sense – it could be a struggle, especially for Casey). They learned to shoot basketballs with both hands on either side of their horse. “Crossing mid-line” is a big issue. This means their right hand never goes to the left side of their body and vice versa.
A big indicator of a child with vestibular or proprioceptive issues might be when they are writing. If they switch hands when they get to the middle of the paper, you may want to keep an eye out for other signs. An occupational therapist can give you suggestions to help your child. Casey switched hands as a child, but she is definitely right handed now. Rob switched, too, and favors his right hand, but uses his left often.
Fine motor skills, such as cutting, writing, buttoning and tying shoes, can be a problem for children with hyper or hypo vestibular and proprioceptive senses. Casey seems to have worked through her struggles and while she does have problems once in a while, for the most part, she does everything she needs/wants to do. Rob still can’t tie his shoes. I’ll admit, we worked on it for years and years and then decided it wasn’t a battle worth fighting anymore. He might be able to do it, now, but he likes his slip on shoes and will ask for help if he needs, so it’s not likely a skill I will push him on. There are other things that are more important.
If you suspect your child might have vestibular issues, try spinning or jumping with them several times a day. A small trampoline works well or an exercise ball that they can sit on. (Rob sat on one at the desk in his room for several years.) There are also small seats that you can place on chairs that allow your child some movement while still sitting still. Swinging is another great option. Anything that will help your child learn to control the movements of their body (and have fun!) is great. I wouldn’t recommend riding a bike, though – at least not until they have a little more control. 🙂
For proprioceptive problems, try weighted items. Swinging may help with this, too. As with everything else, what works for one child may not work for another. Try something new and see how your child reacts. It is obvious fairly quickly what they like and what helps.
An occupational therapist should be able to give you more ideas on what may help your child. Don’t be afraid to ask – sensory issues are not always the first thing people think of and those issues are often the root of so many problems.