Sensory Profile : Proprioception Seeker
Your struggle zone – crash and bang
You crave sensory stimuli via movement, pressure and physical contact. Meaning that you may bash into things and people. You may prefer to run and jump and stamp heavily when walking. This can often come across as being hyperactive but it’s really just you seeking out the proprioceptive input you need. Maybe you press hard with a pen or pencil and don’t understand the pressure required for some activities. Cracking an egg could be a messy situation!
Secret weapons:
- Try using the ‘arm’s length rule’ – if you can stretch out your arm and touch someone you might be too close, this can help you override your proprioceptive centre and keep an appropriate distance.
- Organize your room with furniture around the edges to make your path easier. Explain to your workplace or school how this might help. If that is not possible, plan your journey ahead and identify the route with the least obstacles and which is the easiest to navigate.
- For younger children, poor proprioception can be a danger – not realising distances when crossing a road for example. There are lots of tools out there to help, such as‘hands-on magnets’for children when they get out of the car to put their hand on until someone is there to guide them properly. Make it into a game.
- Social stories are also great to teach people about appropriate social behaviour. Find them atLoggerhead Publishing.
