Motor skills depend upon precursor stability patterns. These stability patterns naturally connect as the infant develops before and after birth with the basic patterns in place by about the age of 6 months. The patterns are essential to proper neuromuscular function at any age—3 months, 3, 13, 43 or 93. Missed, incomplete or asymmetrical patterns result in compensatory pattern development, many of which are not obvious by visual observation. No two individual’s compensation patterns are the same, even if they missed the same fundamental skill.
Core weakness is very common. For example, two people can have poor core strength for very different reasons but with very different functional impacts. We find asymmetries in the core stabilizing muscle activation patterns consistently correlates with slower processing speeds. Generally incomplete yet symmetrical core stabilizer activation presents as poor posture but doesn’t impact cognitive processing.
Sensory Processing is also compromised when these stability patterns do not develop completely. Proprioceptive sensory input is created when the body’s joints are stable and there is a base level of tension present from opposing pairs of muscles. This dynamic tension helps to trigger proprioceptive sensory input to the nervous system every time there is a change at the joint. This sensory input is sent automatically to keep the brain appraised of what is and what isn’t going on in the rest of the body. Complete proprioceptive sensory input from the entire body correlates with efficient functioning in a continuum of environments.
When joints are unstable and there is only limited sensory input, adaptation ranges from seeking to avoiding sensory input. This is why one person can seem to tune out any auditory input including parents/teachers/spouses, while someone else may crave auditory input constantly talking/humming or listening to loud music. As seen, proprioceptive sensory input does affect how auditory sensory input is processed.
Cognitive processing depends upon sensory pattern development and repetition. These patterns are formed from visual, auditory and proprioceptive sensory information. The passing of information between sides of the brain required for cognition is facilitated by joint stabilization. The muscle co-contraction required to stabilize a joint is only possible with bilateral brain function. The richness of stability patterns is a key to the richness of cognitive pattern development and recognition used in learning. We consistently find the inability to reproduce patterns with hands and shoulders correlates to specific academic areas which require a similar pattern to process. Once the stability patterns develop, the cognitive challenge resolves.
In addition to processing speeds that improve from core stability improvements, we often work with people who have difficulty with either organization skills (left brain) or creativity (right brain). The stabilization patterns, especially from the hands, create sensory input to trigger the cognitive patterning in each side of the brain. We consistently see improvements in spelling, creative writing, visualization, and executive function to name a few areas.
And, Why It Lasts
Stability patterns naturally develop from interaction between the body, gravity and surroundings. Before birth, the interactions are with structures in the mother’s body. After birth the interactions are with gravity and the environment. Tummy time is essential for development of most of the stability patterns. When these patterns connect organically they are refined and reinforced through play, daily activity and recreation. The ‘Konnected’ patterns are also refined and reinforced by play, daily activity and recreation.