A Unique Child: Practice in pictures - Physical play

Abolfazal (15 months) is in the nursery garden with his key person, Lisa. He goes to her for a cuddle and she picks him up. Holding him in her arms, she spins him around in one direction, and having checked that he is all right, they spin back the other way. She watches his face closely the whole time. He laughs and throws his head back slightly as he enjoys the sensations.

GOOD PRACTICE

1. Lisa knows that like most children, Abolfazal loves spinning. As well as being an exciting and stimulating experience, it is also vitally important for his developing brain.

Spinning, rocking, tilting, rolling and twisting are all types of movement that develop the vestibular sensory system - a very important part of our brain function.

We mostly think of the vestibular system as being about balance, but its importance is even more fundamental, because it links us to our awareness of gravity.

The way that we process the sensations of gravity flowing through our nervous system helps provide a reference for all our other sensory experiences. Because the information that they process is so vital to our development, our vestibular receptors are the most sensitive of all our sensory organs and are among the first to develop.

Our vestibular system is already working in the womb. During pregnancy, thickenings appear on both sides of the embryo head. These sink into the head to form the hollow spaces that will become the inner ear. They divide into two connected structures. In the upper part, three hollow, semi-circular tubes or canals form. These are arranged at right angles to each other to become the major part of the vestibular system.

A foetus can respond to movements of the mother's body long before the brain can respond to sight or sound, and it is this vestibular activity that provides the foundations for later visual and hearing development.

2. Every time Abolfazal moves his head, he is stimulating his vestibular receptors. This is because gravity shifts the calcium carbonate crystals in his inner ear, which changes the flow of impulses to the vestibular nerve.

Jumping makes the crystals go up and down, while spinning sends them in other directions. Babies and young children instinctively do the kinds of things that build our vestibular systems. Swinging, climbing, sliding, riding a see-saw or spinning on a roundabout all provide vestibular stimulation.

3. Here, Lisa herself is all the playground equipment that Abolfazal needs for a perfect stimulating experience.

Being held securely in her arms, he knows he is safe and so can give himself entirely to the wonderful physical sensations of spinning and twirling.

Lisa watches him carefully, their faces close together, which adds to his sense of security and the intimacy of the experience. Holding him close, she judges his emotions and comfort levels not only by his expression, but also through her physical awareness of any tension in his body. This is an important part of the key caring relationship, as physical closeness builds attachment and heightens awareness of the child's physical well-being and non-verbal communication through body language.

Lisa instinctively checks in with Abolfazal in the middle of the spinning game, to make sure he is ok and that he is happy to continue with the activity. Adults should never twirl, spin or swing children excessively or for lengthy periods.

4. Therapists who are trained in sensory integration will often assess the functioning of the vestibulary system when working with children who have learning and behavioural difficulties.

It is possible to measure how well the vestibular system is working by observing something called the nystagmus. This refers to the reflex eye muscle contractions that happen after we spin round and round.

If the nystagmus is irregular, quickly stops or is not present at all, this would suggest that there is not enough vestibular stimulation or that it is not being processed correctly. If the nystagmus lasts longer than average, then the system is over-respondng to the stimulation, probably because nothing is inhibiting or overriding it.

The human brain can increase or reduce neural activity, by modulation, to keep it 'in harmony' with other functions of the nervous system. A well-modulated vestibular system is important for keeping us in a calm, alert state. It helps to keep the level of arousal in our brains balanced.

If the modulation is not so well balanced, however, it can affect us in a variety of ways. Some of these may be fairly insignificant - a dislike of roller coasters, for example - but some may have a major impact on well-being, spatial awareness and learning development. This might include difficulties with reading and writing, using tools, playing sports and spatial awareness.

Early years practitioners should be aware of children who don't seem to get dizzy or who like to spin or swing much more than usual. Check with observations on their development in other areas, and seek guidance if you are concerned.

5. There is also some evidence to link a lack of vestibular stimulation with possible delays in a child's language development.

One theory is that the language centre in the brain needs constant interaction with other parts of the brain, including the vestibular system. If the vestibular system is understimulated, this will inevitably have a negative impact on language development. It might also play a part in vocalisation and the urge to make sounds.

We know that most children will happily shriek and yell when playing a very active or physically stimulating game. There seems to be a link between the physical activity and the instinctive urge to make sounds. But for some children, it is as though their daily lives do not provide enough of the vestibular input they need to stimulate them to make sounds. Studies have shown that playing games with lots of vestibular input can encourage some non-speaking children to increase the number of sounds they make.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The stills are from Siren Films' 'Toddlers Outdoors - Play, Learning and Development'. For more information, visit Siren Films at www.sirenfilms.co.uk or call 0191 232 7900

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

- 'Toddler Outdoors - Play, Learning and Development' by Jan White (Film Notes)

- Physical Development - Part 4, 'In the Swing' by Anne O'Connor and Anna Daly (Nursery World, 20 May 2009)

- Sensory Integration and the Child - Understanding Hidden Sensory Challenges by A Jean Ayres (Western Psychological Services)

- 'Move On' by Mike Jess and Jan McIntyre, University of Edinburgh (Nursery World, 29 January 2009)

- Sally Goddard Blythe, The Well-Balanced Child: Movement and early learning (Hawthorn Press)

- Penny Greenland, 'Hopping Home Backwards', Jabadao, www.jabadao.org

- Institute of Neuro-Physiological Psychology, www.INPP.org.uk

LINKS TO THE EYFS

- UC 1.1. Child Development

- PR 2.4 Key Person

- E.E 3.3 The Learning Environment

- L&D 4.4 Areas of Learning: PS&ED and PD

Photographs courtesy of SIREN FILMS.