Effects of vestibular stimulation on spontaneous use of verbal language in developmentally delayed children (sensory integration, speech, mental retardation, language acquisition)

The relationship between vestibular stimulation and language development in a group of five primary trainable mentally deficient and five developmentally retarded preschoolers was studied. Subjects received vestibular stimulation prior to a free play situation and were monitored for spontaneous recognizable language use. Results indicated an increase in spontaneous verbal language use for both groups immediately after the stimulation periods, and suggest vestibular stimulation as an effective nonverbal intervention method for the facilitation of spontaneous language.