JANUARY 7 — Advancements in technology and the medical field have brought immense change in day-to-day life. We are currently witnessing insurmountable access to knowledge at our fingertips. The literacy rate has skyrocketed worldwide. Artificial intelligence is transforming traditional learning and reshaping how children learn, with new methods and tools emerging daily to accelerate learning and information processing.
What this means for children is that expectations for academic excellence have increased significantly as awareness of the importance of education has risen. Parents and caretakers are now struggling to cope with the societal pressure to raise a brilliant child. In parallel, there has been a recent increase in the number of children struggling with reading, writing, and learning.
When a child struggles in school, the initial assumptions are often that the problem lies in poor motivation, attention, or behavioural issues, or in low academic ability. As a result, these children are swiftly being labeled as ‘slow learners’ and are sent for repeated behavioural and psychological evaluations, and in some cases, denied mainstream school.
Yet we may be overlooking the ‘elephant in the room’: the vestibular organ, which lies within the inner ear, and serves as the body’s balance and motion sensor. A growing body of research has shown that vestibular delay or hypofunction, either congenital or acquired from childhood infections or medications, can impair the child’s cognitive development and learning.
The vestibular system is considered the first sensory system to develop at birth, although it fully matures during adolescence. The vestibular system is governed by three main vestibular organs (semicircular canal, utricle, and saccule), which are located within the inner ear.
The vestibular system acts like an internal GPS, allowing us to understand where we are in relation to our surroundings and helping the brain process movement, position, and navigation. This system plays a cardinal role in our everyday life as it contributes to a wide range of essential functions and is involved in the highest levels of perception and voluntary behaviour.
An intact vestibular system is crucial for sensory processing and integration, which is the foundation of the reading and learning process. Apart from gaze stabilisation and postural stability, the vestibular system is instrumental in aiding complex sensorimotor activities that enable perception of self-motion, cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and executive functions, as well as emotion regulation.
Studies on vestibular delay among children with poor academic performance have been published and are currently being widely investigated. Recent literature has shown that the vestibular end organs, notably the otolith organs, saccule, and utricle, play an essential role in memory and learning.
Children with vestibular conditions are at higher risk of attention span issues and struggle with behaviour and emotional management, putting them at risk of developing neurodevelopmental conditions resulting in the need for special education services.
Children with vestibular hypofunction or delay may present with atypical symptoms, such as appearing clumsy with frequent falls, being restless, difficulty concentrating, struggles with reading and writing, poor handwriting, problems with spatial concepts such as right-left, delayed motor skills and poor coordination, delayed speech and language acquisition, or avoidance of sports or playground activities.
Overt vestibular symptoms, such as spinning sensations and dizziness, may also be present in some children, though they are typically seen in older children. When vestibular signals are unreliable, the brain is constantly trying to compensate to maintain balance, posture, and visual focus. This constant compensation reduces the brain’s capacity to support learning, memory, concentration, and problem-solving.
What is essential to understand is that these children are capable of learning and catching up with their peers, but they need the right support and understanding. Early identification and prompt intervention are crucial to improve the overall function and learning outcomes.
As efforts to develop an early vestibular screening programme are underway, parents and caretakers who suspect vestibular delays in their children are encouraged to seek early screening and needful follow-ups.
It is worth noting that not every child who struggles academically has a vestibular problem. Nevertheless, every child deserves a holistic evaluation, rather than being reduced to academic labels such as ‘slow learner’. We need to strive to shift the conversation from blame to support. Before we label a child as a slow learner, we must ask whether their inner GPS is being given the chance to function optimally.
* Dr Jeyasakthy Saniasiaya is a Consultant Paediatric Otorhinolaryngologist at the Universiti Malaya Specialist Centre and may be reached at [email protected]
*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
