Sight is the ability of the human eye on and detect shapes and images in visible light. our eyes produce electrical nerve impulses for differing colours, hues, and brightness. What we see is how our brain processes these impulses. Sight is very important for reading, writing, counting, and physical activity.
Smell (or olfaction) is when we detect the scent of odor molecules in the air. Our olfactory system begins in the nose and consists of hundreds of receptors. Odor molecules can have many different features. Thus, we are able to detect different scents. A great sense of smell gives us a better sense of the environment.
Taste (or gustation) is our taste buds ability to detect differences between substances like food, certain minerals, and poisons, etc. There are five basic tastes: sweet, bitter, sour, salty and umami. Our sense of taste is most sensitive when we are young and diminishes as we get older.
Hearing (or audition) is the way that we perceive sounds. We hear sound through waves that travel in the air from object that vibrate or change in pressure. We detect sound through our ear organ. Similar to sight, our auditory processing relies on the brain to recognize different sounds.
Touch (or somatosensory) is a sensitivity resulting from activation of our neural receptors, follicles and various other pressure receptors. Our somatosensory system is spread through our entire body and can be triggered by temperature (hot and cold) and textures (soft, hard, etc.).
The vestibular system is how our body reacts to gravity, movement, and balance. It measures things like accelereation, g-force, body movements, and head positions. One of the most important functions of this system is our ability to coordinate eye movement with head movement. An example of the vestibular system in action is knowing whether you are standing up or sitting down, or being able to walk along a balance beam.
Proprioception is activated through push and pull activities. It is our body’s ability to sense the position of our body parts in relation to one another and the amount of strength it takes to create movement. this sense lets us know exactly where specific body parts are, their position, and their capability of movement. An example of proprioception would be clapping or hands together.
At We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym, we provide Play With A Purpose™. Play With A Purpose is exercising and stimulating any of the seven senses through positive physical, emotional and social development. These seven senses include sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch, the vestibular system, and proprioception. Our specially designed sensory-safe equipment and the classes that we offer all work to encourage these!