Topic 2: What Is Proprioception? How Does It Work?
Imagine you have just come home from an evening out. You have forgotten to turn on any of the lights in your house, including the porch light. In almost utter darkness, you put the key to the lock, open the door and reach inside to flip on the lights. You have done this without using your eyes, but by simply “knowing” the location of the lock and the light switch. In addition, you have done this by knowing exactly how long your arm and fingers are as you manipulate the key, the door and then the switch. You have done this because you know how much space you take up and where your body is in relation to other things. You have been able to jiggle the key in the lock with just the right amount of force to slide the bolt open and you have applied just the right amount of force to the switch to flip it up. This is your proprioceptive system hard at work. If it didn’t work appropriately, all of these tasks would be extremely challenging.
A child who has a well-developed proprioceptive system
- Can move his body with confidence
- Can hold his body up, has strong posture
- Can move without bumping into things or people
- Has well-defined personal space
- Has the ability to sit still and attend to a task because his proprioceptive system knows what his body parts are doing, making him comfortable in a chair or sitting at a desk.
Children who seek proprioceptive input may
- Play too rough
- Need tight clothing
- Not recognize pain
- Search out extreme activities like climbing too high
- Love loud noises
- Touch walls, people, everything, with too much force
- Have little to no personal space
- Chew everything – pencils, toys, clothes
- Stomp, jump or walk loudly at inappropriate times
- Enjoy tasks that involve heavy work like lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling heavy things
Children who avoid proprioceptive input may:
- Be overly cautious in play
- Avoid contact with others
- Have extreme sensitivity to touch
- Prefer loose clothing, not like tight fitting clothes
- Avoid both proprioceptive and vestibular activities like swinging and climbing
- Strongly dislike loud noises, prefer quiet places
- Cling to parents
- Appear to be lethargic, even lazy
- Appear to be uncoordinated
- Find stairs to be very challenging