Introduction

• A child’s potential is determined genetically but the experiences the child has of his environment will determine whether he will be able to achieve this potential.
• He learns about the world through his nervous system within the environment provided to him by his care giver.
• The nervous system is equipped with various senses
  • Sight or vision
  • Hearing
  • Touch
  • Smell
  • Taste
  • Proprioception ( position sense of muscles and joints)
  • Vestibular (balance)

Appropriate stimulation of these senses with loving and sensitive care will help the brain grow and :

• Will encourage the development of a happy and emotionally secure child
• Better prepare the child to face the challenges in life at home, in school and in future life
• It is important to start stimulation activities as early as possible

Do all children need multisensory stimulation?

• All children will benefit from multisensory stimulation.
• It is particularly important in children with special needs to :
  • Minimize disability
  • Maximize potential
• Stimulation should occur in daily activities between the child and care giver
• Interaction should be warm, nurturing, responsive, filled with fun and enjoyable

What areas of development are enhanced by multisensory stimulation?

• Multisensory stimulation helps children to develop various types of skills needed to be competent individuals.
• It enhances mastery of different skills in many areas including :
• Gross motor control (running, walking, jumping )
  • Fine motor control (writing, grasping, cutting)
  • Initiating and planning motor activities (playing badminton)
  • Emotional stability and security (calmer, happier)
  • Psychosocial skills (making friends)
  • Language skills (increase vocabulary)
  • Communication (better relationship)
  • Academic performance (ability to write)
  • Body awareness (ability to swim)
  • Muscle alertness (gymnastic)
  • Visual perception (archery)
  • Coordination and postural stability (cycling)

Activities that provide stimulation

• Nurturing, dependable and responsive care that a child receives will help the child to develop and feel love, trust and comfort. This can happen through :
  • Frequent eye contact
  • Frequent physical contact
  • Gentle massage and touch
  • Loving cuddles
  • Responsive cooing
  • Gentle, simple descriptive talk
• Daily activities of feeding, cleaning, bathing, changing nappies and other household activities
• Contact with other adults and children that promotes acceptance and recognition of the child
• A stimulating environment that allows learning through safe exploration
• Age appropriate play, games and toys

Play as a medium of stimulation
With appropriate adult supervision and guidance, play serves an important role in a child’s development at different ages as it encourages different aspects of development :

• Sensory (texture, shape, colour)
• Social skill and values (cooperation, turn taking, waiting, winning and losing )
• Cognitive (creativity, imagination, promotion of independence)
• Emotion (expression of feelings, control of anger and frustration)
• Values and moral (knowing right and wrong, understanding others, accepting others, learning forgiveness, learning sense of fairness)