Typical Children’s Responsivity Patterns of the Tactile and Vestibular Systems

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to investigate the responsivity patterns of typical 3- and 4-year-old Israeli children to tactile or vestibular stimulation, or both, and to examine whether differences in these patterns exist between them with respect to age and gender. The study sample consisted of one hundred seventeen 3-year-old and one hundred forty-three 4-year-old healthy Israeli children (N=260). Mothers of these children completed a comprehensive tactile and vestibular responsivity questionnaire. The subjects' tactile and vestibular responsivity scores were neither hyperresponsive nor hyporesponsive. In addition, neither age nor gender was found to significantly differentiate between respective participant groups for hypo- or hyperresponsive behaviors. Typical Israeli children can be characterized by moderate responsivities to tactile and vestibular stimulation. Responsivity to tactile and vestibular input was similar for 3- and 4-year-olds, across genders.