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Under-responsiveness
Under-responsiveness
Under-responsiveness to vestibular input presents with limited balance reactions, frequent trips, falls, and seeking of vestibular input. Provide for vestibular input throughout the day to increase vestibular awareness and righting reactions, and decrease maladaptive and destracting vestibular seeking behaviors. Note: Some motions will be calming and some will be alarming/disorganizing for different individuals.
- Up and Down
- Jumping, trampoling, on the ground, off items
- See-Saw
- Slide
- Pogo Stick
- Side to side/Forward and Back
- Swings
- Rocking Chair
- Hammock
- Running
- Riding bike, scooter, car
- Rotation/Spinning
- Tire swing
- Merry-go-round
- Carousel
- Position in Space
- Hanging upside down
- Cartwheels
- Flips
- Swimming
Over-responsiveness
Over-responsiveness
Over-responsiveness to vestibular information often presents as more than typical amounts of hyperactivity, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, fear, and poor concentration in response to vestibular input. Light and limited amounts of vestibular input (see list to the left) integrated into a child's day will help to increase their tolerance. Ways to avoid sensory overload include:
- Deep pressure with vestibular input
- Humming or other soothing auditory input with vestibular input (remember auditory and vestibular systems are closely interrelated)
- Chewing or sucking with vestibular input
- Weighted vests
- Grounding when able
- Increase postural strength/control to limit fear of falling
- **When in motion, keep eyes open and alert to ensure visual system and vestibular system agree that you are moving. The most common cause of typical motion sickness (even among adults) is that vestibular system is telling the brain you are moving, while visual system is telling the brain you are still, and the brain's inability to reconcile this conflicting information responsds with nausea/dizziness.
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