A person experiencing proprioceptive irregularities/weaknesses may:
Need to be held, swaddled,
Be clingy
Be hysterical over hair washing or pulling shirts over head
Avoid eyes– closed activities
Have difficulty falling/staying asleep
Fall out of bed/restless sleeper
Need heavy covers or clothing
Need light on to sleep
Fear the dark
Avoid team sports
Avoid crowds
Prefer swimming
Appear clumsy, tripping over own feet, bumping into things
Swing between pieces of furniture
Show unusual degree of stretching and yawning
Have difficulty grasping mathematical concepts
Have inability or difficulty accepting physical and social boundaries
As we know where our own body begins and ends, so will we be able to respect the space of another….
Children these days, do not get as many opportunities to use their bodies the way they crave. We do an effective job of keeping our children “safe”, and we may be going overboard. It is alright for a child to fall and scrape his knees, bump into things, try something and fail. It is more than alright, it is essential. That’s how a child learns about his own body, abilities and capabilities, by falling, bumping, crashing, struggling to accomplish his goals? It is through the proprioceptors sending messages to the brain, constantly, that we learn all there is to learn about our bodies and the environment. If we are getting limited feedback, because we are sitting a great deal, or stopped from pushing, lifting heavy things, jumping, pulling etc., then we are limiting how much our children are able to learn about their world. They have to know their own body before they can know letters and numbers. If we notice children wanting to push each other, lets give them heavy things to push