One of the most important things for us as humans is to move. We move constantly, even while we are sleeping and for us to be able to get through the day successfully, we need to move. Whether we are fit and healthy or have some sort of disability, if we don’t move, our bodies will wither away and eventually this will lead to death. Our bodies are made to move and one of the most important cogs in this amazing machine is the vestibular system.
What is the vestibular system?
To explain the vestibular system without scary medical terms one needs to think of it as the cog around which everything that has to do with movement turn around. Almost like our internal GPS system. It tells the brain where the head is in space and how the body is moving through space. It is our ability, desire or avoidance to move through space. It monitors head orientation in a gravity-stabilized environment, registers movement and incorporates movement information with all of our senses.
The vestibular sense is therefore directly linked to sensory modulation and motor skill development. This is also the reason why it plays such a vital role in learning and academic development. The vestibular system however cannot function alone, and together with the auditory and visual motor system, it forms part of what is referred to as the learning triangle. Each of these components contributes to all aspects of a child’s learning development.
