10/02/2025
ROTARY VESTIBULAR SENSORY ACTIVITIES
The vestibular system, located in the inner ear, sends signals to the brain about the position and movement of the head. It becomes active whenever the head tilts, turns upside down, spins, or moves quickly or slowly—for example, when running, swinging, or sliding.
Today we are focusing on rotary vestibular input -
Spinning around and turning the head (and fluid in the inner ear). This type of input is generally alerting and stimulating, helping with balance, muscle tone, and body awareness. It differs from linear input (discussed recently) and can be either organizing or disorganising depending on the individual’s sensory needs; excessive or intense input can lead to overstimulation, while some children with sensory processing challenges may be hyporesponsive and seek this input. Combining vestibular and proprioceptive input can be regulating.
Vestibular rotary activities can vary with an individual rolling (forward, backward, log), turning (like a spinning top), orbital (like a merry-go-round) on an axis and upside down/inversion (like a cartwheel). It can vary in intensity, stop/start jerky movements and duration. The vestibular system is very powerful and input should be closely supervised, especially for sensory seekers who may not know their own limits.
We are embarking on lots of sensory content in the next month, come back to find out more. In the meantime, get your FREE ticket to the sensory summit. Let me know if you want the link!
