Question
What is the proprioceptive system and how does it help children?
Answer
This is the senses in the joints and muscles. The proprioceptive system helps children know where their limbs are in space. It also helps them to know how much force to use when playing games like tag, holding a baby chick without squeezing too hard, writing with a pencil without breaking the lead every time, or writing hard enough (using enough force). They're having trouble with knowing how much force to use.
We treat that in an occupational therapy clinic setting through what we call heavy work. This includes doing things to give resistance to the joints and muscles and developing that sense properly, such as carrying buckets of water. You'll hear a lot of therapists talk about using weighted vests or having children carry around their backpacks to help with the sense. Chores such as raking and shoveling work on this too. Playing outdoors does this in a really great and meaningful way for children. When they are playing outdoors, they'll naturally be working on this sense, such as digging in the dirt for hours, climbing trees, and building forts. When you build forts, you're picking up heavy logs, and it's giving nice senses to the joints and muscles.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, The Decline of Play Outdoors in Children - And the Rise in Sensory Issues, by Angela Hanscom.
