Vestibular, Proprioception in Autism

Lay summary:  Go to any Occupational Therapist and you are bound to hear the words vestibular and proprioception, sensory diet at least a few times.  

Why is this important: Understanding the role of sensory processing difficulties and the sensory systems involved (such as vestibular, proprioception, and somatosensory body mapping) can be helpful in developing effective interventions and support strategies for autistics.

Vestibular, proprioception, and somatosensory body mapping are all sensory systems that play a role in regulating an individual's sensory input and motor output; many autistics may have difficulties with motor coordination and balance, as well as challenges with understanding and responding to their own body movements and positions in space.

The vestibular system  senses the body's position and movement in relation to gravity. It is located in the inner ear and contains specialized receptors that detect rotational movements of the head as well as linear acceleration. The vestibular system is critical for maintaining balance and spatial orientation, and plays a role in coordinating movements such as walking and running.

Proprioception, is the sense of the position, movement, and orientation of the body and its parts. The sensory input comes from receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. Proprioception allows us to perform coordinated movements, maintain posture, and navigate the environment.

Somatosensory body mapping is the way in which the brain maps the different parts of the body to specific regions in the somatosensory cortex. This allows the brain to create a detailed representation of the body and its movements, and to distinguish between different types of sensory input from different parts of the body.

Sensory processing dysregulation is when an autistic has difficulty processing and integrating sensory information from the environment. This can manifest in a number of ways, such as over-sensitivity to certain types of stimuli (e.g. loud noises), under-sensitivity to others (e.g. difficulty feeling pain), or difficulty distinguishing between different types of sensory input (e.g. confusing touch and pain sensations).

Sensory Diet is a personalized set of activities and sensory experiences to help the autistic regulate their sensory input and improve their ability to respond appropriately to environmental stimuli. The idea is to provide targeted sensory input at specific times throughout the day, in order to improve the ability to process and integrate sensory information, which can lead to improved attention, behavior, and overall well-being. They are meant to be personalized and based on the unique need of the autistic. 

Practically Speaking - A Troubling Reality. 

Which brings us to the very fundamental flaw in autism interventions- which is that professionals often assume and apply blanket solutions across all autistics rather than spending the time to really individualize the therapy. 

A very small example is that you are not hyper-sensitive or hypo-sensitive to sensory stimuli all the time, and the same person can fluctuate between the states, or it can be mixed, so you have to really examine each situation. 

A blanket therapy works for a few and the rest fall through the cracks, and be considered as "not going to improve anyway" cases. 

Personally what troubles me most is "Sensory Diet" which is a terribly misused and overused phrase, which I have seen in every one of my IEP's without fail (and which litters the IEP's of many many autistic children); and yet it translates to very little or no benefit to actual autistic. 

But everyone gets so excited at its very existence. For the way "sensory diet'; is presented at IEP's and by professionals, it is this magic bag of tricks, and since this bag of magic is part of the child's package, nothing more need be done for that child. Everyone can walk away patting each other on the back for a "great job" done. 

It is so sad that our system has settled for, "if the child did not improve, it's because they were not going to improve anyway," and not because the system is failing them on multiple fronts.