Balance development is a crucial sensory motor skill.
Sensory motor skills affect many aspects of your child's development. It is imperative that these skills develop properly to ensure that your child listens, sees, reads and writes at his developmental level. When sensory motor skills do not develop properly in children, kids are at risk of facing learning disabilities later in life.
Body in Space
Your child's neurological perception of his body in space is vital in sensory motor development. According to Claudette Anderson of Prescription for Success Learning Center in Parker, Colorado, "If this area is weak, it attributes to poor integration between small motor and visual skills." A child who displays this characteristic tends to touch everything and perceive people as always invading their space. Anderson further explains that students with poor perception of their bodies in space also exhibit poor physical skills, such as writing and other physical activities.
Cross the Midline
The midline is an invisible line that runs from the top of your child's head to her feet and then across the middle (or stomach) of your child from left to right. This sensory motor skill is relatively simple to master: All your child must do is raise his hand or a body part above or across any part of the midline. However, this relatively simple concept can greatly affect your child's reading and writing ability if she cannot complete this cross-lateral motion.
Balance
Balance is an important sensory motor skill. This motor skill is directly related to hearing and the ear's vestibular sense. When it is not properly developed, it will cause cognitive development issues in your child. Claudette Anderson states, "A higher level of balance stimulates the growth and enlargement of the neural networks. They, in turn, cause the communication systems to grow and become more efficient." When balance develops, it not only affects hearing, but speech and communication as well. This sensory motor skill is essential for communication and growth in life.
Tags: your child, motor skill, sensory motor, sensory motor skill, Claudette Anderson