Kinesthesia
Kinesthesia is one’s body’s sense of movement. Memory from muscle movement is responsible, in part, for a child’s success in activities such as riding a bicycle and writing.
Clues that may indicate a weakness in kinesthesia include:
- inability to carry on a conversation while walking
- clumsiness when using utensils
- difficulty expressing ideas in writing
- slow articulation of words or ideas
- awkwardness in dressing and grooming skills
- difficulty in acquiring rapidity in typing
- trouble getting dressed, etc. in the dark or with eyes closed
In order to attend to sensory input like hearing someone talk while performing a motor response like writing,one is dependent to a large extent on the motor response being so automatic that it requires almost no cognitive attention.
Multitasking skills can be encouraged by patterned movements done in stages, first with the support of rhythm, then performed in neutral silence and finally with the challenge of responding to questions. Once mastered, the complexity of the movement can increase and again return to the support of rhythm.