18/09/2025
Pre-bed football got me thinking about proprioception...as the ball got caught in the tree again, or I kicked it so wide they had to go on the wet grass to get it back...or their hands grasped for it a second too late...or it slipped to the ground as their foot rose to kick it.
Proprioception is the sense that makes the greatest number of parents cry when I explain it...because they understand the things that have been frustrating and confusing them up to that point. As more than one person has said "so all the things I've been telling them not to do, they need to do".
Proprioceptive seeking behaviours get the muscles working harder and put the joints under pressure: lifting heavy things, pushing against a person or wall, fidgeting with things, crashing onto surfaces, rough and tumble play, burrowing into spaces, squishing yourself into a little space, wearing tight clothing, hanging out of bars or trees or railings, biting, chewing and sucking on things.
When we don't have enough proprioceptive information we either do those things to "turn up the volume" for ourselves or we struggle with coordinating and timing our movements, we drop this or slam things without meaning to, we can't do things if we aren't looking at where our hands and legs are. Our focus is poorer and our sensitivity to other things (like touch and noises and lighting) is higher.
When I was a child I always slept better at my grandparents house, which had those big heavy woolen blankets. I always fidgeted with a paper clip or biro lid, bending it back and forth until it broke. I always got chided for my poorly controlled writing. Now I know I've a system that needs more proprioceptive input in order to feel and work its best...and have an office full of things I can use to get that!
