Auditory processing and Speech through the Vestibular System

We often get asked if a child’s speech or auditory processing will improve with OT… The short answer is yes, but let’s take a look at why.

Vestibular Modulation and Integration: Impact on Speech Development and Auditory Processing

The vestibular system, often overlooked, plays a crucial role in our sensory experiences and overall development. It is responsible for balance, spatial orientation, and coordination. Recent research has highlighted its significant impact on speech development and auditory processing. This article explores how vestibular modulation and integration influence these critical areas.

Understanding the Vestibular System

The vestibular system is located in the inner ear and consists of the semicircular canals and otolith organs (saccule and utricle). These structures detect head movements and gravitational forces, providing essential information to the brain about body position and movement. Proper functioning of this system is vital for maintaining balance and coordinating movements.

Vestibular Integration and Auditory Processing

Auditory processing refers to how the brain interprets and makes sense of sounds. The vestibular system is closely linked to the auditory system, as both are located in the inner ear. Vestibular integration, or the ability to process and respond to vestibular input, can impact auditory processing.

Information from the vestibular system travels through the same nerve (the vestibulocochlear nerve) to the brain as the information from the auditory system. This nerve transmits signals to the brainstem and the cerebellum, which are key areas for processing balance and coordination. From there, the information is further relayed to the cerebral cortex, particularly the parietal and temporal lobes, where higher-level processing occurs. These brain regions are involved in integrating sensory information, including auditory signals, which is essential for tasks like distinguishing between similar-sounding words or understanding spoken language in noisy environments. When we thus strengthen the nerve through vestibular work, the pathways are stronger to also relay auditory input more accurately.

Children with vestibular integration issues may struggle with auditory processing tasks, leading to difficulties in learning and communication, affecting academic performance and social interactions.

Vestibular Modulation and Speech Development

Speech development is a complex process that involves multiple sensory systems working together. The vestibular system contributes to this process by helping children develop a sense of body awareness and spatial orientation. When the vestibular system is functioning well, children are better able to control their movements and maintain posture, which is essential for clear and fluent speech. And as explained in the previous paragraph, it also improves auditory processing which is very important for the development of speech and language.

Children with vestibular modulation difficulties may exhibit challenges in speech development. These difficulties can manifest as poor muscle tone, delayed motor skills, and difficulties with balance and coordination. Such issues can hinder a child's ability to produce speech sounds accurately and fluently.

Vestibular Therapy and Its Benefits

Vestibular therapy, a form of physical therapy, focuses on improving vestibular function through specific exercises and activities. It has been shown to have a positive impact on both speech development and auditory processing. By engaging in activities that stimulate the vestibular system, such as balance exercises, spinning, and swinging, children can enhance their vestibular modulation and integration.

The benefits of vestibular therapy extend to improved speech development. Children who undergo vestibular therapy often show better control over their movements and posture, leading to clearer and more fluent speech. Additionally, the improved vestibular function helps in the coordination of the muscles involved in speech production.

Vestibular therapy also supports auditory processing by enhancing the brain's ability to integrate sensory information. As the vestibular system becomes more efficient, children may find it easier to process auditory signals, distinguish between sounds, and understand spoken language in various environments. This improvement can lead to better academic performance and more effective communication.

Supporting Vestibular Function

Early intervention is key to addressing vestibular modulation and integration issues. Occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists can work with children to develop activities that stimulate the vestibular system and improve sensory processing. These activities may include swinging, spinning, and balance exercises, which help children develop better body awareness and coordination.

Incorporating vestibular activities into daily routines can also support speech development and auditory processing. For example, playing on a swing or engaging in gymnastics can help children improve their balance and coordination, which in turn can enhance their ability to produce clear speech and process auditory information effectively.

Conclusion

The vestibular system plays a vital role in speech development and auditory processing. By understanding and supporting vestibular modulation and integration, we can help children overcome sensory challenges and achieve their full potential in communication and learning. Vestibular therapy offers promising benefits, improving both speech development and auditory processing. Early intervention and targeted activities can make a significant difference in a child's development, leading to improved speech and auditory processing skills. This in turn provides a child the opportunity to reach their speech and language goals faster. Working in conjunction with a Speech therapist will result in the best outcome. 

Happy parenting!

Autism Spectrum Disorder

ASD is a neurodevelopmental condition which is characterized by difficulties with social interaction, communication as well as repetitive and restrictive behaviour. The severity and symptoms differ from child to child, making each child unique in their strengths and weaknesses. Some symptoms may be present in their earlier years, however, most children with ASD are diagnosed in preschool.

So, let us dive a little deeper into the symptoms that help us diagnose a child with ASD.

Difficulties in Social Interaction and Communication:

Often these little ones with have difficulties understanding other’s emotions, responding, or initiating social interaction and having back-and-forth conversation. They may also struggle with understanding and communicating with non-verbal communication. For example, they may avoid eye-contact, struggle understanding or using body language to express themselves as well as interpreting emotions shown through facial expressions. Their difficulties may also extend to the ability to develop and maintain relationships with others. Therefore, they may not show interests in engaging with other children, playing with others, or making friends. This could also lead to barriers in forming a parent-child relationship. This does not mean that these children do not need as much love and attention that any other child requires, but indicates they need so much more time and understanding when trying to form a relationship with them. Thus, it is important to understand their social interaction difficulties and help them through these barriers.

Restricted, Repetitive Behaviours, Interests or Activities:

Commonly children with ASD have repetitive movement, repetitiveness of using only one object or repetitiveness of speech. For example, flapping of their arms, lining up toys, or repeating one word or a phrase over and over again. These little ones love routine and really struggle to be flexible, as they are insistent on sameness. They often experience extreme distress when there are small changes in their daily routine or any life transitions. They generally are very rigid in their thinking and do not like any surprises in their daily rituals. Another unique characteristic is that they have fixated interests on certain objects. This is usually an intense interest, leading to them thinking about and engaging solely with this specific interest, disregarding other objects or toys in their environment. This makes their ability to explore and be creative in play extremely limited.

Hyper- or Hypo-reactivity to Sensory Input:

These children may be extremely sensitive or abnormally desensitized to sensory input, such as noise, smell, touch, visual or movement. If they are hyper-reactive to sensory input, they may react intensely to a sensation that you and I may not notice. If they are hypo-reactive to sensory input, they may not react or even notice a sensation that you and I most definitely would. They may also have an unusual interest in sensations of the environment, such as constantly seeking certain textures or movements, fascination with lights or moving objects like wheels and excessive smelling or touching of objects.

Due to the fact that these children have difficulties with social interaction, flexibility, and limited, intense repetitive interests or behaviour, indicates that therapy can be slow but very necessary. The approach taken in therapy and at home is to increase the circles of communication, through giving the child time to respond, repeating questions until some verbal response is attempted and slowly building a trust relationship. It is also important to slowly introduce new objects and toys into their world and encourage interactions with many different objects over time, improving their exploration and creativity in play. According to each child’s sensory needs, the aim would be to improve their ability to interpret sensory information and to give an appropriate response, through exposing them to different sensory environments.

The care needed for a child with ASD is considerable and this can have substantial impact on the entire family. However, not all hope is lost as these children can excel and develop into brilliant little beings with the right help, guidance, love, and support. It is important for parents to work closely with the Occupational Therapist that is treating their child, to learn ways to interact, play, communicate and understand their child’s needs. Even though a relationship may take time to form, taking the necessary time to create a bond and understanding between child and parent can help alleviate much stress and confusion for both.  

Happy Parenting

Author - Sadie Page

Bibliography

1. O’Brien J, Case-Smith J. Occupational therapy for children and adolescent. 7th ed.

   Missouri: Elsevier; 2015