{"id":142458,"date":"2026-05-15T10:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/?p=142458"},"modified":"2026-03-31T10:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:36:10","slug":"vestibular-sensory-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/2026\/05\/15\/vestibular-sensory-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Vestibular\u00a0Sensory System\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Starting off with the vestibular system, which is the most impactful sensory system in our body.&nbsp;We have tiny structures in our ear that tell our brain where our head is positioned in relation to gravity.&nbsp;Our vestibular system is extremely important for balance, postural control, stability,&nbsp;gross motor development,&nbsp;self-regulation&nbsp;and arousal.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vestibular input can be alerting or calming to our nervous&nbsp;system,&nbsp;but it plays a huge role in our&nbsp;ability to learn, interact with others, and move!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think about activities we&nbsp;participate&nbsp;in every single day:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rolling over in bed to turn off our alarm clock&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bending over to pull our pants up or put our socks on to get dressed&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Laying on the couch to watch your favorite movie&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Riding in a car&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bending over to pull dishes out of the dishwasher&nbsp;or laundry out of the washing machine&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Going&nbsp;up and down the steps&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of&nbsp;these activities require balance,&nbsp;movement, and our head to change positions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"791\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/files\/2026\/03\/Vestibular-791x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-142470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/files\/2026\/03\/Vestibular-791x1024.jpg 791w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/files\/2026\/03\/Vestibular-232x300.jpg 232w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/files\/2026\/03\/Vestibular-768x994.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/files\/2026\/03\/Vestibular-1187x1536.jpg 1187w, https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/files\/2026\/03\/Vestibular.jpg 1545w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 791px) 100vw, 791px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Types of Vestibular Movement:<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Linear \u2013 When the body moves in a straight line, our body moves in a linear pattern. We can move&nbsp;forward-backward,&nbsp;like&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;in a rocking chair, up and down, like were jumping, or side to side, like&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;doing side lunges&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rotary&nbsp;\u2013 When the body moves in a circular pattern. Thinking&nbsp;about the games we played growing up;&nbsp;Duck&nbsp;Duck&nbsp;Goose, Ring Around the Rosie, or riding a Merry Go&nbsp;Round.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Orbital&nbsp;\u2013 When our body spins on a central axis.&nbsp;Thinking about tire swings,&nbsp;spinning cones, or sensory swings.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Inverted&nbsp;&#8211; When our body moves upside down.&nbsp;Thinking about&nbsp;cartwheels, somersaults,&nbsp;handstands, hanging upside down on the monkey bars.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Vestibular Interventions<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The vestibular system is always turned on&nbsp;and always communicating with our brain.&nbsp;The brain may have a low threshold for vestibular input, meaning the brain tolerates a small amount of input to feel regulated, or the brain may have a high threshold, requiring a lot of intense&nbsp;stimulation.&nbsp;Because of that, we want to be very mindful of the activities we ask children to engage in, so we&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;disrupt the regulation and organizational processes in the nervous system. Reactions to vestibular sensory input can last up to multiple hours, whether that reaction is regulation (calming) or&nbsp;dysregulation&nbsp;(overwhelmed).&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we are thinking about incorporating vestibular activities into daily life, we want to complete these activities for&nbsp;roughly 10-15&nbsp;minutes&nbsp;depending on the intensity.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For individuals with a high threshold&nbsp;(or a sensory seeker)&nbsp;for vestibular stimulation, start with high intensity activities (orbital and rotary spinning, running, jumping on a trampoline) to meet the input that the brain is craving, then slowly bring the intensity of the activities down to help calm the body.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For individuals with a low threshold (or a sensory avoider) for vestibular stimulation, we want to incorporate vestibular input in a least demanding way possible. We want to start&nbsp;slow and&nbsp;try to slowly increase the tolerance to the input as time&nbsp;progresses. Providing too much input can cause extreme dysregulation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Activities to Provide Vestibular Stimulation:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Swinging&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jumping&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rolling&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bouncing on therapy balls&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obstacle courses&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Animal Walks&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rolling on therapy ball while on stomach&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Yoga&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Balance beams&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stepping stones&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sitting on a wiggle cushion&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dancing&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a lot of activities, you might be thinking, \u201chow can I do this at home?\u201d.&nbsp;Don\u2019t&nbsp;worry! There are a ton of ways activities can be adapted to be able to&nbsp;participate&nbsp;in them at home!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Couch cushions and pillows can be used to&nbsp;create obstacle courses. Add blankets into the mix to create tunnels for crawling.&nbsp;These items can also be used to challenge balance and create unstable surfaces to walk on.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create a swing with blankets.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do you have&nbsp;a hill in the backyard? Roll or crawl&nbsp;down it!&nbsp;Or play&nbsp;tag.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A nearby playground can be a vestibular goldmine!&nbsp;Monkey bars, swings, slides, ziplines, merry-go-rounds, rock walls,&nbsp;see-saws, and so much more.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have a dance party in the living room.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spin in an office chair.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do animal walks.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do cartwheels and somersaults.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jump on a trampoline.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Crawl up\/down the steps.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vestibular input can be integrated into the simplest of activities and can help make those activities more motivating and fun!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starting off with the vestibular system, which is the most impactful sensory system in our body.&nbsp;We have tiny structures in our ear that tell our brain where our head is positioned in relation to gravity.&nbsp;Our vestibular system is extremely important for balance, postural control, stability,&nbsp;gross motor development,&nbsp;self-regulation&nbsp;and arousal.&nbsp;&nbsp; Vestibular input can be alerting or calming&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1472,"featured_media":142470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-142458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1472"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gigisplayhouse.org\/canton\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}