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Ever wondered why kids talk and express themselves more when they are moving?
Imagine an elementary playground. Kids are playing, laughing, talking.... screaming... It is all related to our senses and surrounding environment. The vestibular system is the system that is in charge of balance, coordination, and spatial orientation. It is localized in the inner ear close to the cochlea, which is what our body uses to hear. Because this system is involved with hearing, listening, and processing, it is also an important component of language development.
When we stimulate that system, we stimulate auditory processing and also expressive language. It is so important to target language expression in an environment with movement, as well structured/direct language tasks. In my therapy sessions, I typically try to introduce language concepts in a direct manner and then generalize them to an every day functional situation.
A real life implication: At the park you can target these language concepts....
Verbs: go, jump, run, play, swing, walk, throw, kick.
Nouns: swing, slide, ladder, rocks, bridge, sand, grass, ball.
Prepositional phrases/spatial concepts: inside, outside, on, in, over, under, next to.
Descriptive concepts: size/shape/color, etc.
"Let's go swing inside the red one next to the blue one!"
"Kick the yellow ball!"
