The brain and body share information through the exchange of chemicals and electrical signals. With millions of exchanges being processed simultaneously every second across the vast expanse of central nervous system (CNS), it is quite a wonder how all that .data' is able to be computed so effectively. Even while reading this you are continually processing sensory information from your environment; temperature, pressure on muscles, gravitational forces, changes in light, sound and more. This sensory data is being processed in the subcortical areas of the brain, at the subconscious level, enabling your smart brain, the cortex, to keep your .attention' on the task of reading and processing.
Of course, all this can change when I ask if you are sitting comfortably? Is your spine a bit stiff? Does your bottom feel numb? Are you thirsty? Do you need the loo? And so on. Addressing these questions to you alerts your cortex and it automatically checks-in with sub-cortical areas to find out the answers. So now you might have a little fidget, sit up, take a drink and go to the loo, or put it off for a bit. The thing is your sub-cortex levels of the brain already .know' what is occurring and are able to make adjustments without you even being aware. A bit like driving a car or walking along a familiar route we are able to make journeys and adjust ourselves without .thinking' of it and often without being .aware'. For many of your children in the PE hall or classroom, especially those identified with additional learning or behavioural needs, they are often .aware' of all the sensory signals from the external and their internal environment, those little discomforts, most of the time.
Just take a look at all the different objects in the room you are now in. Look at the colours, shapes, shades of light. Blink your eyes and take another look as if to see it fresh for the first time. If this room is familiar then you may now be seeing more than you normally do. What about the sounds? Can you hear the hum of the computer? The buzz of the light or other electrical equipment? Noises from outside?
When you turn off an overhead projector or the heating trips out, most people have a little sigh as that low level frequency sound stops. While it was going on, like the noises around you now, we generally filter them out of our consciousness. We experience relief and detension of the shoulder and neck muscles when they go off because part of us has been 'aware' of their presence all the time. But what if your filters weren't working properly? Imagine all those sensory signals continually alerting your .attention', how easy would it be to read, learn and keep your cool?
Have you ever experienced that strange phenomenon where you decide you're going to buy something, a CD, a dress, a car, an electrical product etc. only to then discover that wherever you look it's there in shops, newspapers, on the radio etc.? When you're expecting a child there are pregnant woman everywhere, afterwards they all seem to go!
This phenomenon is actually a natural and brilliant process of our brain. The sub-cortex levels constantly processing rough and grainy sensory data alert our conscious brain when it processes something we like. A bit like a game of snap. This system relies on many of the same filtering processes discussed already.
What we can't see is how these children's brains and nervous systems are working - all we see is the final observable behavioural outcome - lack of concentration, attention, ability to listen and learn. In PE children are trying to process an increased amount of sensory 'data' about where they are in space (proprioception), balance (vestibular), responding to instructions, follow rules, refine and develop new movement skills and so on. While these experiences are generally enriching, they can throw some children too far and they withdraw or become unmanageable - flight/fight or freeze response. So children who fidget, muck about and just can't seem capable of sitting still and learning, might not be able to pay attention because their attention is completely full and they're just managing to survive.
Intriguing is the role of the vestibular on supporting the areas of the brain responsible for filtering sensory signals and altering or arousing the consciousness. The reticular activating system (RAS) is responsible for the arousal or calming of the nervous system. It also filters out all the unnecessary vestibular sensation that we are continually bombarded with. When things go wrong in the vestibular system, the symptoms are either hyper vestibular (an inability to regular the bombarding vestibular stimulation), or hypovestibular (diminished reception of vestibular stimuli.) As the vestibular system is the unifying sensory system it has a hugely important role in modifying and coordinating information received from the other sensory systems.
The programmes in the EBA range have many activities and sections that aim to develop an effective vestibular function. These include direct stimulation of the vestibular using a range of balance, spinning, coordination with balance activities, and indirectly through tonification of muscles including the core postural muscle; inhibition of the labyrinthine reflexes; and stimulation of key sensory systems such as the tactile and proprioceptive sense.
These games and activities are fun, challenging and offer differentiation so all children can participate at their level of tolerance. For children with specific vestibular challenges all work must be carried out in consultation with a specialist. The EBA approach is a broad based generalist system and although the programmes should not be considered as a therapeutic individual intervention, their regular use in small and large group settings can elicit very positive long term improvements.