What is Gravitational Insecurity?
Gravitational insecurity is over-reactivity to vestibular input, such as with changes in head position or movement.
A child who is experiencing gravitational insecurity might:
- Appear fearful or display out of proportion reaction to ordinary movement activities.
- Move very slowly and carefully.
- Appear overwhelmed when there is a change in head position, such as when tilting head back during hair washing.
- Refuse to use stairs, escalators, elevators, or step stools.
- Avoid using playground equipment that moves such as a seesaw (vertical movement) or using swings due to backward movement.
- Avoid uneven surfaces such as crossing a suspension bridge on a playground or walking on the sand at the beach.
- Be afraid of heights, even when at short distance from the ground.
- Resist lifting feet off the ground and will prefer remaining close to the ground.
A child with gravitational insecurity may avoid using a seesaw, due to the vertical movement and their feet having to leave the ground.
Gravitational insecurity can have an impact on a child’s ability to participate in activities with peers that involve movement, such as playing tag on uneven ground and engaging in rough play. It can affect participation in other physical activities such as riding a bicycle, roller skating, or exploring playground equipment.
Gravitational insecurity can also affect family outings when being lifted into a car or if there are stairs, escalators, or elevators that the child has to use.
Child with gravitational insecurity may become distressed when their head is tilted back, such as during hair washing.
A pediatric occupational therapist can help a child with gravitational insecurity by using sensory integration during treatment sessions in order to improve their ability to process and respond to vestibular input. The occupational therapist would gradually introduce changes in head position and movement in order to allow the child to process and integrate the vestibular information at a pace that feels safe for the child. Overtime, higher linear and rotary movement is used during activities.
Pediatric Occupational Therapists can use sensory integration therapy for children with gravitational insecurity.
Activities could start out with minimal movement while remaining closer to the ground and then gradually start to include more movement at higher heights, such as while on a platform swing.
Vestibular Activities:
- Blanket rides- child sits or lays down on blanket while adult pulls them around.
- Scooter board rides
Using scooter board encourages linear movement while child maintains feet on the ground.
- Sensory swing while feet remain on the ground.
- Walking across a low balance beam with support.
- Rocker balance board.
Rocker balance board provides vestibular input.
- Bouncing on therapy ball while seated with feet on the ground.
- Wagon rides.
- Jumping on trampoline.
Bouncing on therapy ball provides vertical movement.
- Eventually, sensory swings at higher heights and with rotary movement can be introduced
Sensory bolster swing.
Sensory platform swing can be used for linear and rotary movement.
