Move2Connect Primitive Reflex Integration
Primitive Reflex Integration and Safe and Sound Protocol UK Provider
So, what is the Safe and Sound Protocol?
Need a brief, simplified explanation of Polyvagal Theory and the science behind the SSP?
Look no further…
You might also find the websites www.whatisthessp.com and www.safeandsoundcoaching.org useful.
In the years I’ve been working with neuroplasticity and primitive reflex integration, I’ve lost count of the number of parents who want to know the % their child’s reflexes are retained, as well as EXACTLY which reflexes are retained.
It is really important to know that we are not JUST looking at an exact percentage! We’re looking at the full picture. In fact, I do not even NEED to test a child’s (or their parent’s) reflexes in order to start working with them – I can see what I need to do by the time they’ve sat down in the room. The reflex tests are really only for the benefit of watching progress – but we also do that by watching behaviour, emotions and cognition from the time a child heads off with a new set of movements to work with.
Additionally, it’s important to understand that if we do not see a reflex reaction when we test, it doesn’t mean it’s not there: we also look at whether a body is compensating and trying to hide the presence of a reflex (very common in children with a strong fear paralysis reflex). It’s also possible that a reflex has not even emerged yet, which is why I rarely test for a huge range of reflexes initially.
Also, while a programme of movements is important, it is useful for parents to know that by co-regulating with and working WITH your child, you’ll almost certainly see the best results. If you push your child through a programme of movements that are impossible for them to grasp, all you’ll do is stress yourself and your child.
A few years back, I was contacted by someone who was concerned their child wasn’t making progress with another practitioner. After doing some delving, I discovered that this parent was putting their child through around half an hour of movements every single day. Rather than progressing, this child had “regressed” significantly – massive meltdowns and zoning out at school – due to the parent working ON rather than WITH.
Obviously, we all want quick fixes, but neuroplasticity is NEVER a quick fix, and it really isn’t something you can force on someone without attuning to their nervous system.
I love it when parents are fascinated by my work and want to give it a go too. By jumping onto my mat and experiencing passive movements for themselves, they are learning how it feels, which in turn helps them to deliver those movements more effectively for their child – asking for feedback while working with.
There are some children who simply cannot go through a primitive reflex assessment. That is fine! As I mentioned above, I do not need to test reflexes to know what we need to do. Very often, I have my gym ball with me. This is a great piece of equipment because children instinctively know how to use it to integrate their own reflexes. Sometimes they’ll sit on it and bounce, and other times they’ll use it to propell themselves around. This gives me a lot more information than merely getting a child to go through reflex tests: it gives me important information on how to calm their nervous systems.
The point of me writing this post is that in order to make the very best progress, the following factors need to be in place:
To find your nearest neurodevelopmental therapist, you can use this directory
I adore watching newborn babies make involuntary movements in their first few months of life. These involuntary movements are primitive reflexes, and are governed by the brainstem – the only part of our brain that is mature when a baby is born.
Very soon, babies start to be able to control their movements, and start being able to explore in the world. A baby has to inhibit primitive reflexes before moving to the next stage of development.
These videos are a fantastic demonstration of how we should learn to roll and then crawl.
In some cases, babies do not get onto their hands and knees and push up to crawling like this. Some babies get around by rolling or “bum shuffling”.
Is this “normal”? Should we worry if we have a bum shuffler? Take a look at this video: these children will more than likely find it impossible to concentrate for any length of time at school, and will develop vision difficulties.
We must give babies every opportunity to cycle through the developmental stages themselves – that means no props to sit them in, no walkers, no bouncers, and as little time in car seats and even slings/carriers as possible.
Allowing a baby the freedom to work it out for themselves helps them hard wire their brains for academic learning further down the line. This is why, when I work with older children with dyslexia, for example, it is important to go back to basics, putting the foundations for learning in place. There is no point in JUST addressing the ATNR reflex, for example, because this can only integrate if the preceding reflexes are firmly integrated.
As demonstrated by Baby Liv in the video, the Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) is a reflex that helps babies learn how to start crawling by rocking back and forth on hands and knees. It strengthens the core, and is a pre-cursor to the integration of the ATNR reflex. Crawling is an extremely important step of development because the associated movements myelinate and strengthen connections in the corpus callosum, which is the part of the brain that connects the two hemispheres.
In fact, it is very important to have a well-connected corpus callosum in order to learn how to read and decode efficiently, as well as to be able to write numbers and letters the right way around and even to ride a bike. Children who have not learned to cross crawl (opposite hand and knee on the floor at the same time) do not have such dense neural pathways, which often leads to problems with convergence and near and far vision.
There is an interesting theory that a child is ready to learn to read once they loose their top front teeth, and indeed Steiner schools look at tooth loss as an indication of readiness for learning to read and write. I do not know how true this is, but it is true that children with neuro-developmental delays often lose teeth much later. Please take this statement with a pinch of salt, however, as I’m not sure how much peer-reviewed science there is behind it – but there is indeed plenty of anecdotal evidence. Additionally, several children that I’ve worked with have suddenly started losing milk teeth after starting primitive reflex work.
Primitive reflexes are like climbing a staircase: if we miss any steps, our ascent up the staircase is not as efficient. Retained reflexes mean that a person may struggle to do things that others assimilate naturally and effortlessly. Not only that, but the movements used in Rhythmic Movement Training are simple and fun – and children often start to ask for them every day, because their bodies NEED these movements.
Here are a few fun activities to try yourself, or to ask school to include in PE lessons:
A child who bum shuffles, or misses the crawling stage altogether has missed an important stage of development, and will almost certainly have an active STNR reflex. If you recognise this situation, you can always book in for an appointment with me via Book Appointment – Move2Connect
primitive reflex integration or the Safe and Sound Protocol
I am often approached by parents seeking out primitive reflex integration as a result of seeing the film “Attention, Please!”
Some people will go on to have a good look at my website, and might see my hierarchy of neurodevelopment, which is the way Move2Connect works… and some will ask whethere it’s worth doing primitive reflex integration or the Safe and Sound Protocol first.
In simple terms, the Safe and Sound Protocol addresses the Autonomic Nervous System, which, in developmental terms, is foundational to our development.
Preferably before, and most definitely after SSP, I recommend a couple of sessions with a cranial osteopath, OR some very gentle work with me in person on a weekly basis (with no home programme).
The Central Nervous System layer and upwards in this hierarchy is what most people know as “primitive reflex integration”. I urge anyone looking into this to research the Safe and Sound Protocol (Autonomic Nervous System) first, particularly if you are dealing with anxiety, behavioural outbursts, attention and focus at school, persistent glue ear in the past, demand avoidance or auditory sensitivities/auditory processing – and especially if you have a child with trauma. In many cases, SSP will offer a huge kick-start to any other interventions.
Because primitive reflexes are getting to be quite well known as a result of “Attention, Please” and Chris Evans’ revelations, people look at reflex integration as a magic bullet. The reality, however, is that our nervous systems and the way our brains are wired are intertwined, and we cannot do one without the other!
Please also bear in mind that primitive reflexes are what we see on the surface – they are a SYMPTOM of brain dysfunction. We need to work with the whole brain, by addressing autonomic dyfunction first and then the central nervous system, sometimes revisiting the autonomic nervous system if need be.
One frequently asked question is “how long does it take?”. When you start to work with neuroplasticity, you are embarking on a long-term process. If you start with primitive reflex integration, you may see rapid progress initially, which then starts to tail off and plateau if we have not addressed an early enough stage of neurodevelopment.
When we look at movement, we want the movements I teach you to be rhythmic, coordinated, symmetrical and exact. If they do not meet these criteria, we can assume that there are unintegrated reflexes at play, and, more broadly, that the central nervous system is under-developed. Quite simply, the more consistent you are, the more consistent the progress will be.
My greatest advice to parents looking into primitive reflexes/SSP is to work on yourself FIRST. I know you will probably ignore this advice – I would have done so too, had I read this 8 or so years ago. However, I expect I would have wasted far less money on interventions for my child had I been through the process myself FIRST. I’m particularly looking at you if you have taken your child to every assessment under the sun in order to get them to fit in. The reason why I say this is because you are the centre of your child’s world – you are their safe person. You need to provide your child with their boundaries and safety. If you do not have strong boundaries yourself, how can you do this? Additionally, it is extremely valuable for a parent to understand for yourself how it feels to undergo a programme – also how it feels to work WITH rather than ON a child.
Whatever you decide to do, please be prepared for this to be a long-term process that does not “fix”, but helps a person to be the person they were born to be.
For further information, please contact me.
For the past 3 years, our child attended an independent special school—one we had chosen carefully, hoping it would provide the specialist support and emotional safety he needed. We spent £18,000 on private reports and legal fees to evidence a place at this school. At the time, we believed it was the best place for him. We believed that expertise and empathy would safeguard his wellbeing.
But over the past year, everything changed.
This is not a story we ever expected to tell. Yet it is one that speaks directly to the themes of Move2Connect: nervous system development, safety, stress, trauma, and the deep need children have for attuned, trustworthy environments.
Looking back, the earliest signs were small—subtle inconsistencies, communication gaps, moments that didn’t align with good safeguarding practice or trauma-informed values. Initially, we rationalised them. Parents often do. We want to believe the professionals caring for our children are doing their best.
But gradually, the pattern became impossible to ignore.
There were incidents we couldn’t reconcile. Decisions that didn’t make sense. Responses that left us uneasy. And over time, our child’s nervous system started telling us what the school would not: he did not feel safe anymore.
As concerns escalated, we took every step we were supposed to take—raising safeguarding issues, reporting incidents, requesting clarity, asking for support. Instead of reassurance, however, we were met with defensive language, inconsistent documentation, and a culture that made the simple act of asking questions feel adversarial.
What unfolded was something many SEND families will recognise:
Meanwhile, our child’s anxiety and sensory stress rose sharply.
Meanwhile, we tried to hold everything together—to stay calm, to stay rational, to keep him safe.
The turning point came when our GP—who also serves as safeguarding lead—met with us and recognised the seriousness of what was happening. She recorded her concern directly into our child’s NHS file. She listened. She validated what we had been living with for months.
And that moment changed everything.
Because chronic hypervigilance is not sustainable.
Because no family should have to chase safeguarding agencies for action.
Because no child should be asked to endure an environment their nervous system experiences as unsafe.
Ultimately, we made the difficult but necessary decision:
our child could not return to that school.
By that point, he was exhausted, withdrawn, and overwhelmed by peer relationships and staff interactions that repeatedly left him dysregulated. The setting was no longer emotionally or physically safe for him, and we had no choice but to remove him.
He has not been back since.
Our child is now out of school and waiting for Education Otherwise Than at School (EOTAS) to be formally agreed. The situation is being examined through several formal routes at once:
This was never the path we expected, nor the one we wanted. But when trust breaks down so completely, and when safeguarding concerns are not addressed, families are left with no other route.
His sibling has also been affected—becoming increasingly clingy and unsettled as he watched the emotional strain unfold at home. My own health, studies, and career progression have been impacted by the relentless advocacy required. These are the unseen consequences that rarely feature in policy discussions, but are very real for families like ours.
Safeguarding failures do not happen in isolation.
They reverberate through every corner of family life.
I’m sharing this not to apportion blame, but because families in the SEND system often endure experiences that remain hidden, minimised, or dismissed.
A child’s nervous system tells the truth long before paperwork does.
Children cannot learn in environments that feel unsafe.
Parents cannot thrive when safeguarding concerns are ignored.
And systems cannot claim to protect children if they are unwilling to hear uncomfortable truths.
Our child is now safe at home.
We are building an EOTAS package that will genuinely meet his needs—supporting his sensory profile, his learning style, and his emotional wellbeing.
The processes ahead may be long, but they are necessary.
And in the meantime, our priority is rebuilding his sense of safety, stability, and confidence.
At Move2Connect, I often emphasize to my clients the importance of paying attention to their sleep and dreams. Why might dream interpretation be such a key element? Because our dreams can offer profound insights into the state of our nervous system, emotional health, and even our progress in overcoming challenges.
When clients begin working on integrating reflexes like the Fear Paralysis Reflex (FPR) or Moro Reflex, or when they start using the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), something fascinating often happens: they start having vivid, sometimes downright wacky dreams. These dreams are more than just amusing anecdotes; they can be a sign of improved connection to the limbic system (the brain’s emotional center), trauma processing, and personal growth.
It’s not that people don’t dream—it’s that they often don’t remember their dreams. This can reflect an imbalance in the nervous system or a brain that feels “disconnected.” However, as they engage in neuroplasticity exercises or sensory integration therapies, they frequently report back with vivid dream experiences. This shift is a powerful indicator that their brain is reawakening in exciting and restorative ways.
Struggling to fall asleep, waking up multiple times during the night, or feeling like you can’t get out of bed are all reflective of the state of your nervous system. Sleep disturbances often stem from stress, unresolved trauma, or an overactive fight-or-flight response. Addressing these through tools like early movement patterns or the SSP can lead to better sleep, improved emotional regulation, and—yes—more meaningful dreams.
Currently, I’m navigating a tricky situation with my eldest son’s school. He’s a high-learning-potential (HLP) child with slow processing speed, which creates a unique set of challenges for educators. While his school is supportive, it’s clear that his unmet needs are impacting his sense of safety and happiness.
We’ve requested an annual review of his Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) to explore a better-suited setting. This process is complex and emotionally taxing, but I’m fortunate to have tools that help me stay grounded and resilient.
As a parent, it’s easy to feel the weight of responsibility, especially when advocating for a child’s needs. This can sometimes lead professionals to misplace blame on a parent’s mental state rather than addressing systemic issues. Thankfully, in our case, the local authority and our SENCo have been proactive and supportive, giving me hope for a positive resolution.
Last night, I had a peculiar dream:
I dreamt that my husband and I rented a flimsy microlight from our local ice rink. The manager didn’t even ask for a pilot’s license! As we took off through a tiny gap in the trees, we clipped some branches and later landed in someone’s garden. The owners welcomed us with tea and Jaffa cakes but kept delaying our departure with irrelevant anecdotes. Eventually, we made it back to the ice rink, returning the microlight in one piece.
What does this mean? While I’m not a professional dream interpreter, I believe my subconscious was working through my current situation. To me, the dream suggested that while we know we’re navigating the right path, those currently in charge (the school system) may not fully grasp the stakes. Despite setbacks, we must keep pushing forward to avoid lasting harm. Weirdly, in real life, the ice rink is my safe space, but then we did visit a seasonal rink last week with very poorly maintained ice, so I expect my brain has made the link between poor ice maintenance and renting out microlights without any knowledge of licensing requirements!
This realization gave me the clarity and determination to pursue an EHCP review and advocate for change, so I’ve just bitten the bullet and sent off an email this morning.
Your dreams can provide powerful insights into your emotional health, unresolved challenges, and even your progress in neuroplasticity work. If you’re curious about what your sleep patterns and dreams might be revealing—or if you’re struggling with sleep and want to explore how reflex integration can help—let’s connect.
Book a free discovery call here and start your journey toward better sleep, emotional balance, and personal growth.
By optimizing your sleep and addressing nervous system imbalances, you’ll be amazed at the changes not only in your dreams but in your daily life.
Does your child sit in this position?
This is known as “w-sitting”. You may or may not have heard that it’s not a great position for the hips, or that it’s “bad”.
Your child sits like this because they are comfortable sitting like this.
I’m about to tell you what causes a child to sit like this. I will explain what consequences it may have for attention and learning. I also will explain what you can do to help them.
This W position is very comfortable for a child with a weak core. Your child may have been diagnosed with hypermobility – or perhaps not. They may fall over frequently, they may get exhausted easily compared to their peers. In class, they will find it hard to sit comfortably in a chair. They might keep experimenting with several different positions in one sitting. They never truly feel comfortable with their feet flat on the floor.
W-sitting is a classic sign of an unintegrated STNR (Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex).
This wonderful video demonstrates beautifully how it *should* happen, within the appropriate developmental window:
Let me make a very important point:
Merely stopping a child from w-sitting will not address the neurological cause, and will not address the knock-on effects of having poor core stability, nor the future problems it may cause.
I was talking to my son’s teacher when he was in Reception. She told me that there is a noticeable reduction in stamina and core strength in children these days. A large proportion of children in Reception classes are unable to support themselves when sitting or drawing. They struggle at a table or even on the mat during story time.
Why this epidemic?
Well… we are simply not allowing our children to move enough. We are restricting movement by using “equipment” and props. Some babies end up sitting in car seats for hours at a time, or end up in jumparoos, Bumbos, or even being “worn” for longer than absolutely necessary. Later on, children tend to move less, glued to screens for long periods of time. Play areas are now hyper-safe, with protection against knocks, bumps etc. When I was growing up, most children had a scab on their knees several times a term – for example, we were allowed to take roller skates to school – and accidents on skates, other than the odd bleeding knee, were very rare.
What babies REALLY need is to be given plenty of floor time and as children, plenty of opportunities to explore surroundings, in order to work out how to organise their bodies for themselves, how to integrate their reflexes and move on to the next stage of development – unprompted.
After all, if you help a chick hatch, it will fail to thrive.
So, what causes w-sitting?
As I’ve mentioned, w-sitting is a symptom of a weak core. It is likely that a child will have skipped a stage of development. It is almost certain that these children will have an active STNR (Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex), which is a transitional reflex that follows the Moro, TLR and ATNR. It emerges at around four to six months of age and integrates between nine to twelve months of age – but only if rolling, sitting, rocking on hands and knees, crawling, pulling to standing and walking have happened within an appropriate timeframe.
The STNR reflex allows a child to understand arm, leg and body movements without moving the head. It also affects the development of binocular vision and binaural hearing.
Children who have never integrated the STNR often have learning challenges. When I say challenges, these need not necessarily be obvious. These children find it hard to sit in chairs or at tables, often slumped, with their legs wrapped around the legs of their chair for support, and can find themselves copying from a board slower than peers who do not have this reflex retained.
The other striking difference to note between my own year 6 class photo and my son’s year 6 class photo is this: In 1983, only one child in the class was wearing glasses. This was quite unusual. In my son’s year 6 class (taken a couple of years ago), about a third of the children wear glasses. This is because w-sitting is also linked to challenges with near-to-far vision.
Having an active STNR often means that vision and hearing senses have not properly developed. STNR children often find sport a challenge as their hand-eye coordination tends to be poor due to not developing sufficient connections between the left and right hemispheres, which will affect reading and writing.
It is also important to know that just because someone has a six pack, it doesn’t mean that their STNR has integrated. Reflex integration will not happen unless the body re-patterns in a specific way. So, no, I do not want to see your abs as proof of your core strength, thank you.
The STNR reflex can be integrated using the rhythmic movement patterns observed in foetuses and new-borns. You may be able to help by allowing your child to MOVE as nature intended – take them to the park, get them to walk around in a crab position, get them to wheel themselves around on their tummy on a skateboard, get them to use a balance ball, try family yoga classes or ballet…
In order for the STNR to integrate fully, it is sensible to look at what else is active and work through a movement programme to help the brain make the appropriate neural connections. These movements can take as little as five minutes a day.
For a one-hour 1:1 online consultation with me, or to book a free 20 minute discovery call, or an appointment at my clinic (and yes – I do work with adults too!), you can book here.
Please note that I can only give pointers online – I can only work effectively with clients in-person.
I am a qualified Rhythmic Movement Training International practitioner and trainee trainer.
In the years I’ve been working with neuroplasticity and primitive reflex integration programmes, I’ve lost count of the number of parents who want to know the % their child’s reflexes are retained, as well as exactly which reflexes are retained.
It is really important to know that we are not JUST looking at an exact percentage! We’re looking at the full picture. In fact, I do not even NEED to test a child’s (or their parent’s) reflexes in order to start working with them – I can see what I need to do by the time they’ve sat down in the room. The reflex tests are really only for the benefit of watching progress – but we also do that by watching behaviour, emotions and cognition from the time a child heads off with a new set of movements to work with.
Additionally, it’s important to understand that if we do not see a reflex reaction when we test, it doesn’t mean it’s not there: we also look at whether a body is compensating and trying to hide the presence of a reflex (very common in children with a strong fear paralysis reflex). It’s also possible that a reflex has not even emerged yet, which is why I rarely test for a huge range of reflexes initially.
Also, while a programme of movements is important, it is useful for parents to know that by co-regulating with and working WITH your child, you’ll almost certainly see the best results. If you push your child through a programme of movements that are impossible for them to grasp, all you’ll do is stress yourself and your child.
A few years back, I was contacted by someone who was concerned their child wasn’t making progress with another practitioner. After doing some delving, I discovered that this parent was putting their child through around half an hour of movements every single day. Rather than progressing, this child had “regressed” significantly – massive meltdowns and zoning out at school – due to the parent working ON rather than WITH.
Regression, by the way, does not mean that a brain has gone backwards or shrunk, or anything sinister like that. It means that a person is stuck in fight/flight/freeze, and is simply more sensitive to their environment. For example, things that upset or trigger them are even more upsetting/triggering than usual. People tend to call behaviours “regressions” when they uncomfortable to be around.
Obviously, we all want quick fixes, but neuroplasticity is NEVER a quick fix, and it really isn’t something you can force on someone without attuning to their nervous system.
I love it when parents are fascinated by my work and want to give it a go too. By jumping onto my mat and experiencing passive movements for themselves, they are learning how it feels, which in turn helps them to deliver those movements more effectively for their child – asking for feedback while working with.
There are some children who simply cannot go through a primitive reflex assessment. That is fine! As I mentioned above, I do not need to test reflexes to know what we need to do. Very often, I have my gym ball with me. This is a great piece of equipment because children instinctively know how to use it to integrate their own reflexes. Sometimes they’ll sit on it and bounce, and other times they’ll use it to propell themselves around. This gives me a lot more information than merely getting a child to go through reflex tests: it gives me important information on how to calm their nervous systems.
The point of me writing this post is that in order to make the very best progress, the following factors need to be in place:
To find your nearest neurodevelopmental therapist, you can use this directory