Rocking and Vestibular System

[nyxjord]

Anyone have any ideas how rocking helps with the vestibular system? I've read online that activating the system is important- especially in kids, but any ideas why rocking is common among many of us? Do we have under-active vestibular systems and so rocking helps with both activating that, and also is a stim, at the same time? Or for us, are they not actually related? Just wondering if anyone had done any research into this.....
I've rocked since I was very very young and my younger siblings actually started rocking after seeing me do it as well, even though they aren't on the spectrum (as far as I know).. and it's something I still do to this day.

 

[Spiller]

Here's a study supporting vestibular stimulation as an aspect of motor development during infant maturation:

Effects of vestibular stimulation on motor development and stereotyped behavior of developmentally delayed children - Springer

It indicates that normal infants will move onto more complex motor skills, while Autistic infants will, perhaps, become stuck within these initial stages.

I've rocked (as a stim) since I was very young and am aware that it's common amongst Spectrumites, especially Low Functioning Autistics, apparently (so I've read).. I didn't realise it activated the vestibular system though - in my experience I'm rather sensitive to sudden movements, of my own body and the environment; I've never enjoyed funfair rides and suffered terribly with motion sickness when I was younger.
I managed to control my motion sickness by learning to coordinate the motion I feel with the apparent lack of motion I see, by pressing my face against a window when I'm a passenger in a vehicle and so matching balance with vision; it seems, for me, to be the disparity of the two senses that causes nausea.. this doesn't work with funfair rides though, as the sensation is too overwhelming. So this would be an indication of sensory overload - being unable to process all the information from two senses at the same time, common with Autistics.

 

[Walsie]

It activates the vestibular system? I've learnt something new again!

I do a lot of rocking on my feet, too, especially when I'm bored and am fed up with pacing.

Spiller: I'm the opposite. Nothing I can do about motion sickness on car or bus, but rollarcoasters et all, bring 'em on, I love them! Unfortunately, being small, I tend to get knocked about a bit and end up with a bunch of bruises days later. I can no longer risk going on such rides because my bones aren't strong.

 

[garnetflower13]

I was more stimulated by spinning; I spun around the living room as a child, and when in my teens, I went to amusement parks and rode on every ride that would spin. It was as if I craved the sensation of spinning. I still rock, especially if I have to stand in line in a store.

 

[Warmheart]

Is there an Occupational Therapist in the house? I'm intrigued by this topic, as I've rocked since I was an infant. I find it soothing in overwhelming environments, helps ease and settle the effects of strong emotions, and helps me think complex, challenging things through to put them into speech.

I am not usually aware when I rock. I am now trying to pay better attention to my stims. Proprioceptive? Vestibular? Overactive, underactive? So confuzzling!

I need a "For Dummies" version... or, a pop-up book!

 

[AsheSkyler]

I have read that some autistics often aren't fully connected to their nerve endings and inner ear, so excessive movement helps reaffirm where they are physically located and they don't feel like their floating aimlessly in space.

I'm a little stimmer myself. The biggest I get is with leg bouncing. I did rather love the back-and-forth motion of swinging on the swingset when I was a kid. I got some nice abs out of it.

 

[Walsie]

Swings! Oh yes indeed, I couldn't enough of that either...and jumping off them in mid-air. Fun times! When I tired of that, I taught myself rollar-skating and then careening down the hill at helterskelter speed on a skateboard. I never could balance on one foot and propel it with the other foot, though, just turn at real sharp corners with precision. No accidents, either; those only happened with bicycles.

As stated above, they were done to alleviate boredom, however, I also was keen to be graceful like everyone else and not be so clumsy and awkward. The former worked. The latter didn't.

 

[Spiller]

Is there an Occupational Therapist in the house? I'm intrigued by this topic, as I've rocked since I was an infant. I find it soothing in overwhelming environments, helps ease and settle the effects of strong emotions, and helps me think complex, challenging things through to put them into speech.

I am not usually aware when I rock. I am now trying to pay better attention to my stims. Proprioceptive? Vestibular? Overactive, underactive? So confuzzling!

I need a "For Dummies" version... or, a pop-up book!

I find when I'm rocking's the best time to think too. I wonder why, maybe because we've instinctively found a conducive form of semi-meditation?

..A pop-up book with little pull-tabs to demonstrate the stims, maybe?

 

[AsheSkyler]

Swings! Oh yes indeed, I couldn't enough of that either...and jumping off them in mid-air. Fun times! When I tired of that, I taught myself rollar-skating and then careening down the hill at helterskelter speed on a skateboard. I never could balance on one foot and propel it with the other foot, though, just turn at real sharp corners with precision. No accidents, either; those only happened with bicycles.

As stated above, they were done to alleviate boredom, however, I also was keen to be graceful like everyone else and not be so clumsy and awkward. The former worked. The latter didn't.

There was no tiring of it for me. I wore through 5-6 sets of chains, some of which were heavy duty chains. Jumping out was definitely the easiest way to stop without eating up your feet when you are a barefootin' Aspie. My dad gave these two huge plastic barrels to me and my sis that were water or oil barrels or something, and those were fun to integrate into play time. Try to jump out, land on the barrel, roll it backwards, and start again.

Going to the skating ring was fun, it was about the only place I could skate out. Growing up on a dirt drive way tends to put you more in bike territory.

 

[epath13]

Anyone have any ideas how rocking helps with the vestibular system? I've read online that activating the system is important- especially in kids, but any ideas why rocking is common among many of us? Do we have under-active vestibular systems and so rocking helps with both activating that, and also is a stim, at the same time? Or for us, are they not actually related? Just wondering if anyone had done any research into this.....
I've rocked since I was very very young and my younger siblings actually started rocking after seeing me do it as well, even though they aren't on the spectrum (as far as I know).. and it's something I still do to this day.

I'm not sure how rocking can help. I rocked A LOT when I was a kid, but I also had inner ear issues. I can't go on any rides, even the ones for little kids, can't spin, even tiniest earthquake causes vertigo. I'm not sure why I started having issues, they could have been caused by birth trauma, or it could have been genetic. In any case, my conclusion: rocking doesn't help (at least, it didn't help in my case).