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AMI posted a reel about sensory seekers a few days ago, and in doing my research for that I learned lots of other stuff! So here’s another proprioception themed reel. 😅
As a reminder - proprioception is the sensory input we receive through our joints and muscles. It tells us about our body movements, and allows us to do things like go up stairs without looking, coordinate where your arms and legs go while getting be dressed, or ride a bike. Differences in how sensory input is received and processed is common with autism and other neurodivergencies (though it seems to be more extreme in autism than the other ones).
Sensory seeking behaviors are only some of the signs of having low proprioception, but there are lots of other ones I never even thought about being in the same “family”. Like the fact that my 5 year old walking sounds like there’s an elephant in my house.
Proprioceptive input is also one of the main regulators in the body, which means being low on proprioceptive input is going to lead to a pretty dysregulated state - trouble focusing and staying calm, being extra fidgety, extra trouble managing emotions.
You aren’t going to be able to completely fix low proprioception permanently. But you can manage it throughout the day to help stay calm, focused, and regulated! Before doing something that involves a lot of sitting still and being quiet (school, religious service, long drive, etc), get in some proprioceptive input. You should also make sure to get some throughout the day, and even before bed!
You can get proprioceptive input from:
- Climbing
- Running
- Pushing, pulling, or carrying weighted objects
- Hanging on monkey bars or from a trapeze
- Jumping and crashing activities (trampoline, crash pad, etc)
- Also more subtle things, like eating crunchy snacks, chewing gum, sucking on a lollipop or sucking thick liquid through a straw.
- wear a compression shirt, weighted vest, or sit with a weighted blanket or stuffed animal in your lap
Occupational therapy can also help with this!
What’s your favorite way to get proprioceptive input?
#sensoryseeker #sensoryseeking #autism #autismawareness #autismacceptance #autisticgirlsofinstagram
@amazing.autistic.abby
