Throughout our lives we are always taught about the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. However, there are three other senses that are not discussed often: proprioceptive, vestibular, and interoception. These are the systems inside of our body that allows our body to know where it is, how it is moving, and how it is feeling. When one of these systems are off, one’s entire body tends to be off and can present in various ways, such as having difficulty paying attention, constantly moving, or wanting that rough and tumble play.
Proprioception is the ability to know where one’s body is in space. Knowing where one’s body is in space is essential for someone to be able to control movements and helps increase one’s sense of self. The proprioceptive system receives input from skin, muscles, and joints which makes one aware of how their body is changing positions in space. This information allows us to create motor movements and have postural control. Riding a bike and getting dressed all required proprioceptive input.
When our body cannot respond correctly to the proprioceptive input we are receiving it impacts one’s daily life. Breaking toys, bumping into others, misjudging personal space, using too much or too little force in activities such as writing, clapping, or marching can be attributed to poor proprioception.
How to Use Proprioception
In therapy, we spend time providing proprioceptive input. Crawling, crashing, jumping, squeezing, and carrying weighted balls are activities that provide proprioceptive input to increase the child’s body awareness in order to allow them to know where their body is in space. Firm pressure or joint compression to the body provides feedback about one’s position in space.
Although children may receive this input in therapy, there are better results when there is follow through at home. Here is a list of few activities that you can complete at home to provide proprioceptive input:
- Household chores—vacuuming, carrying filled laundry baskets/detergent, carrying groceries, sweeping
- Trampoline
- Bear hugs
- Massages/Joint compressions
- Wall pushes
- Play-dough kneading
Thank you for reading!