Young children learn about their bodies and the world as they move and interact with objects. Crawling and climbing provide touch and movement stimulation. Walking and running provide stimulation to the inner ears to develop balance. Grasping toys teaches children that objects differ in size, weight and texture. Children with cerebral palsy who do not have these experiences may develop different types of sensory processing problems.
Abnormal Sensory Awareness
Children with cerebral palsy have a brain injury that causes abnormal muscle tone, strength and movement. These can make it difficult to sit, crawl or walk. In addition, the brain injury may also affect the part of the brain that interprets sensory information. As a result, the child might be extra sensitive when touched, avoid touching objects and have delays in the development of fine motor skills. Children with abnormal sensory awareness may interpret being carried as scary and fear having their feet off the ground. Many of these children are also very picky eaters because they don't like unusual textures inside their mouths. This abnormal aversion to sensory stimulation is called "sensory defensiveness." Avoidance of movement and touch experiences further impact a child's abilities to develop body awareness.
Positioning and Movement Promote Sensory Stimulation
Children with cerebral palsy may have increased muscle tone that causes them tofeel tight or decreased muscle tone that makes them floppy and often have decreased strength. If a baby is unable to hold himself up in the crawling position (on hands and knees) a bolster placed under the chest will enable him to put weight on his hands. This position strengthens the shoulders and neck and provides sensory stimulation to the open palms. Positioning a child on his side with knees bent (place a small pillow between the knees) so that the hands touch is a great way to encourage touching hands, banging objects together and other hand manipulations. Movement experiences that provide great stimulation to the inner ears (vestibular stimulation) include lying on the belly on top of a large exercise ball while receiving rocking or bouncing movements and sitting inside an inner tube swing (hugging the tube).
Sensory Stimulation Helps Normalize Muscle Tone
Different types of stimuli influence a child's muscle tone and normalizing muscle tone enables a child to move and function better. Children with increased muscle tone typically benefit from calming sensory stimuli such as slow movement, rhythmic music, dim lights and a quiet environment. Children with low muscle tone typically benefit from erratic music, bright lights and irregular movement such as jumping.
Sensory Integration Helps Children Learn
A child's brain organizes sensory stimulation from touch and movement in order to learn and respond successfully to the environment. This process is called sensory integration. Occupational therapists work with children who have sensory processing disorders by engaging them in activities that promote sensory integration. When a therapist work with a child who has both difficulties with sensory integration and a neuromuscular disorder (i.e. cerebral palsy) she uses techniques to normalize muscle tone and movement patterns while at the same time providing sensory stimulation. An organized brain will then help the preschool-aged child develop visual perceptual skills such as shape and letter discrimination so that she can eventually read.
References
- Handling the Young Cerebral Palsied Child at Home, Nancie R. Finnie; 1975.
- Teaching Motor Skills to Children with Cerebral Palsy and Similar Movement Disorders, Sieglinde Martin, 2006.
- Sensory Integration and the Child, A. Jean Ayres; 2005.
