Have you ever caught yourself rocking the pencil when you listen to a person who is in front of you? How frequently do you need to hold something when you are waiting for your turn to talk in the meetings? Have you ever felt that you sleep much better on specific sheets due to their material? Have you noticed that your child also shows similar behaviors? Would you like to deepen your knowledge related to questions above? If your answer is “Yes,” welcome to upcoming lines 😉
The purpose of this article is to be informed regarding our four foundational sensory systems and how they contribute to our understanding of children. Foundational sensory systems include four functional systems which are the proprioceptive system, interoceptive system, vestibular system and tactile system. These will be elaborated on in the following paragraphs.
Foundational Sensory Systems
As human beings, we have times when we are unable to express ourselves by words but through our body language. Considering that our children (especially those who are in the preoperational stage) are more prone to use their body language to be understood, it is prominent to have a sound knowledge of foundational sensory systems. As opposed to our five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch), foundational sensory systems work in a more functional way. They keep us balanced by making us feel our body from the inside and interact with the outside world. These systems contribute to our attention, well-being and self-regulation.
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The Proprioceptive System
It is a crucial system to be aware of where our body parts are in space. It guides us to functionalize our movements — such as how much pressure we use to hold a pencil or how we can walk properly without looking at our legs. Its source comes from our muscles and tendons.
How to Understand a Child with a Difficulty in the Proprioceptive System
A child presses so hard when writing that the pencil tip breaks. His lines go outside of what he colors. This is not because he does not understand a task but because he struggles to adjust how to keep his hands and movements balanced in space. A child who is less likely to show reaction when he bumps into something, or who does not have a dominant hand yet (because he is unsure to use which hand he should use) also has low proprioceptive awareness. Thus, a child with low proprioceptive awareness may choose to press more in order to feel his fingers more.
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Interoceptive System
This system helps us be aware of signals which come from our internal body such as the need to go to the toilet, hunger, thirst, pain or feeling our heartbeat. In addition, it also lets us feel our emotions such as anxiety, excitement, frustration. Its source comes from our internal organs (heart, lungs, bladder etc.).
How to Understand a Child with a Difficulty in the Interoceptive System
Children with a difficulty in this system are less likely to notice their need to go to the toilet. They might not be aware of when they are full or hungry, and also struggle to express their feelings. These moments can cause tantrums — not because they want to misbehave but because they feel misunderstood.
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Vestibular System
It is in charge of helping us to keep our balance, coordinate our movements and be aware of our spatial orientation. To sum up, we notice whether we move slowly or fast and in which direction we go (we jump, spin through our vestibular sensory system). Its source comes from our inner ear.
How To Understand a Child with a Difficulty in Vestibular System
Children with difficulty in this system are more likely to spin around themselves. They do not get tired easily and love climbing, jumping and hanging upside down. However, it is also possible to see that some children do not like doing these things and even become anxious about climbing or jumping. This indicates that they might either seek or avoid to be stimulated in a vestibular way.
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The Tactile System
This system helps us feel presence of the clothes we wear, the texture of the sheet or the pillow that we sleep on. It guides us to understand what is safe or unsafe through physical contact.
How to Understand a Child with a Difficulty in the Tactile System
Children who have low tactile awareness might need to touch everything constantly or may usually keep holding a specific object. As opposed to those who show sensory-seeking behavior, children with over-sensitivity in their tactile system may abstain from messy play or certain fabrics.
Conclusion
As explained above, we do not always speak through our tongue, but through our senses as well.
As grown-ups, when our children show unwanted behaviors we are more likely to stop their behaviors instead of understanding the reason behind them. On the other hand, a child is running around you not because he intends to annoy you but because he is simply seeking sensory stimulation. A child showing overreaction to a tiny wetness on her T-shirt not because she is grumpy — it’s her over-sensitivity in the tactile system that results in the unwanted behavior.
A child who does not wipe his nose or is too late going to the toilet is not careless, but the signals coming from his interoceptive system are simply not strong enough for him to notice. A child who feels worried of jumping or hanging upside down is not a scared child — his vestibular system is over-stimulated.
When we begin to understand our children through their sensory experiences, we stop seeing their behaviors as problems – and start seeing them as messages. I truly believe that when you truly read your child’s world through these senses, you will realize the answers have been there all along – quietly beneath the behavior.
Reference
Albarak Sidar, E. (2023), Duyu’lmak istiyorum [I want to be heard] (16th ed.). Sola Unitas.