Learning & Development: Physical Development - Take your position

In her classic book Sensory Integration and the Child: Understanding Hidden Sensory Challenges (revised edition 2005) A Jean Ayres describes proprioception as one of the sensations that tell us where the body is in space and how it is moving.

The word proprioception comes from the Latin proprius meaning 'one's own'. It's all about knowing where we start and finish and the position of our bodies. This comes from information inside us - from the contraction of our muscles and from the stretching, bending, straightening and pulling of the joints between our bones. The information is sent to the brain during movement, but also when we are still, because the muscles and joints are constantly sending information up the spinal cord to the brain to keep us informed of what position we are in.

The proprioceptive sense is a sense just like vision or taste, but the sensory information is mostly processed in parts of the brain that don't produce much conscious awareness so, when it is working well, we don't notice it much. We notice it more if we deliberately try to be aware of our movements and what is happening in our muscles and joints - but even then we feel only a fraction of the sensory information that our brains receive during movement (Ayres, 2005).

IMPORTANCE

Without this proprioceptive sense, movement would actually involve a lot more effort. We need the proprioceptive sense from our hands, legs, and feet etc to tell us what those parts of the body are doing, without having to look at them. As Dr Ayres points out, life would be really difficult if we had to look at everything before we could move. 'Without adequate proprioception from the trunk and legs, you would have a very hard time getting in or out of an automobile, walking down steep stairs, or playing a sport. You would tend to rely upon visual information by looking closely at what your body was doing. Children with poorly organised proprioception usually have a lot of trouble doing anything when they cannot see it with their eyes' (Ayres, 2005 :41 revised edition).

Think about how you tuck your shirt in behind, or fasten a ponytail on the back of your head. This concept fits with Jan White's suggestion that proprioception can be likened to 'internal eyes' (White, 2008:71).

It's also difficult to be still and quiet in your body without a good proprioceptive sense. If you don't have a good sense of where your body is in space then you need to keep moving to get a sense of your position - for some of us that means constant wriggling and repositioning, wrapping your leg round a chair or tucking your feet up under you, for your mind to be able to locate your body position. Children with poor proprioception may find it hard to sleep on their own, needing to feel the presence of someone beside them to activate the pressure receptors in their own body. They may need to keep a light on because in the dark they have no sense of their own body if they can't see it, which makes them anxious and unable to relax enough to sleep (Johnson, 2007).

BODY 'MAPS'

With appropriately stimulating and supportive early experiences, the proprioceptive sense (along with the vestibular, tactile and other senses) helps the child to build accurate body 'maps' that are stored in the brain to be used when movement and action is required. These maps help us navigate and 'motor plan' unfamiliar movements, when learning new skills and tasks. Without accurate body maps it becomes hard to direct the body to do unfamiliar things and can take a long time to learn how to do them (Ayres, 2005:57).

Proprioceptive impulses (along with vestibular sense) help us manage obstacles and fall safely. The two interact to warn the brain if we are about to fall or bump into something. Dr Ayres describes what happens when a child with well-developed vestibular and proprioceptive senses starts to fall. 'When a well-organised child begins to fall during play, vestibular and proprioceptive input tells the brain that the body is approaching the ground, and this stimulates the brain to send out messages that extend or straighten the arms. This extension stops the fall and protects the face and chest.

'Children with poor organisation of body and gravity sensations sometimes make no attempt to catch themselves when they fall and so often hurt themselves' (Ayres, 2005:66).

ACTIVITIES

What activities stimulate the proprioceptive sense? Running, jumping, stretching, climbing, pulling, pushing, crawling, creeping, slithering, sliding, turning, bending, touching, rolling, squeezing, tumbling. Being held, wrapped, stroked, squeezed, rough and tumble play. The list could go on - just include most things children like to do when they are playing and the ways they playfully interact in a physical way with adults and other children and you'll cover it.

Activities we think of as household chores are also great for proprioceptive stimulation. Lifting and carrying, pushing things around and sweeping are all activities with a purpose and are often part of children's imaginative and creative play as well as being 'grown-up' tasks that they like to take part in.

Of course, these things are also important for developing tactile, vestibular and other senses too. You cannot really isolate proprioception from all the other essential aspects of physical development. In fact, it seems that proprioceptive activities that involve the muscles in heavy work, for example, pushing and pulling, lifting and carrying, can help modulate excessive vestibular activity in some children.

Most children are exposed to and seek out the activities that naturally develop their proprioceptive sense. But we need to recognise that some children may be missing out on opportunities to develop this sense naturally in their daily lives.

A baby who doesn't experience being lovingly held and playfully tumbled with, who spends most of their day in a car seat or high chair does not get the chance to explore physically how far they can reach, stretch, bend or turn. Meanwhile, a child who doesn't get adequate time to play on the floor, to wriggle and roll, to crawl and slide doesn't get the chance to build up that all important body map.

A good early years setting should provide ample opportunities for these as a matter of course, and knowledgeable practitioners will identify and spot children who may need extra opportunities and support with proprioception. For some children, a delay in proprioceptive development might be an indication of more complex issues, for example, dyspraxia, so always seek guidance if you are concerned.

NURSERY EQUIPMENT

Look out for Nursery Equipment with your next issue of Nursery World, due out on 28 May. A Physical Development special, it will look at the different aspects of this new Prime Area of Learning and advise on resources that best meet the complex physical needs of young children. Anne O'Connor will be explaining in more detail activities and resources that are helpful in developing proprioception.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

• A Jean Ayres Sensory Integration and The Child - Understanding hidden sensory challenges (Western Psychological Services; revised 2005)

• Jan White Playing and Learning Outdoors: Making provision for high quality experiences in the outdoor environment (Nursery World/Routledge Essential Guides for Early Years Practitioners, 2007)

• Sally Goddard Blythe The Well Balanced Child - Movement and early learning (Hawthorn Press 2004)

• Susan R Johnson A Developmental Approach (2007), www.youandyourchildshealth.org/youandyourchilds health/articles/teaching%20our%20children.html

• Jabadeo, movement play specialists, www.jabadeo.org.uk

• Dyspraxia Foundation www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk

- A five-part guide to physical development by Anne O'Connor and Anna Daly is at: www.nurseryworld.co.uk/go/physical development/