A. The vestibular sense begins developing in utero and continues to develop throughout childhood. A newborn baby already demon- strates responses to gravity and movement. If you hold a baby in your arms and then suddenly lower her, her arms and legs will extend out quickly. This is because the canals in her inner ears are
telling her she is falling and she’d better do something quickly. Her brain alerts her muscular-skeletal system, and her arms and legs respond by quickly extending. This reaction is the beginning of what will mature into a protective extension response needed in order to become safely upright and mobile.
The vestibular system develops through the natural progression of childhood movements, which allows it to become increasingly refined in its relationship to gravity. Since development of the vestibular system has relied on our drive to move and explore our environment, children who aren’t able to move, or who seldom move because of environmental reason, may not have a well-integrated vestibular system.