retained reflexes Archives - Move2Connect Primitive Reflex Integration

The vital role of parents in Primitive Reflex Integration programmes

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.

Primitive reflex integration

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.

Primitive Reflex Integration Programmes

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.

My 55cm gym ball – the most popular activity in my clinic!

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:

Parents need to invest in the process
This is about working WITH your child, not ON them – co-regulation is at the heart of safety
Do not fixate on reflexes – this is a whole brain/body approach, and your connection with your child is fundamental for their progress
Allow your child to lead you – watch for signs of them trying to integrate their own reflexes.
Consistency is key. You cannot stop/start or only contact your therapist when it suits you – you need to make a commitment to do movements 5-7 times a week with your child and visit your therapist every 4-6 weeks on average

To find your nearest neurodevelopmental therapist, you can use this directory

Book your initial appointment here!

ATNR:Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex Babkin reflex FPR: Fear Paralysis Reflex Moro reflex retained reflexes retained reflexes Spinal Galant Reflex STNR: Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex TLR

The Hidden Key: Ways Retained Primitive Reflexes May Impact Your Daily Life

Trying to explain what retained primitive reflexes are in an elevator pitch- style presentation is very difficult. This requires more than a 30 second summary.

The elevator pitch version of what I do is that I work to help primitive reflexes to integrate. These are the reflexes we are all born with, which should have disappeared in the first two years of our lives, as we progress through the “typical” milestones, such as rolling, sitting, crawling, etc, within the “typical” window of development. If we do not integrate these primitive reflexes, they remain “retained” in our systems, and cause emotional, behavioural and learning challenges throughout life.

When people ask what I do, some think it’s some sort of wacky alternative therapy. Some think it’s massage. Some think I’m somehow conveying energy or something like that to “recipients”. I don’t do ANY of these things, and to me, neuro-developmental therapy is anything but alternative! In fact, it’s something that could save squillions – if our health service would only adopt it.

So, what do I actually do, then?

Neuro-developmental therapy is a very gentle, movement-based, non-talking therapy, which gradually (sometimes suddenly) reduces social, emotional, behavioural and sensory challenges.

I work with central nervous systems and brains! I give the central nervous system and brain a second chance to develop typically if there has been a glitch in development.

Integrating retained primitive reflexes

Our development is like a very complex chain reaction: If a foetus’ development is interrupted in utero or during childbirth by some kind of stress/trauma, or a new-born’s development is interrupted by restricting movement or by some trauma, the next link in the chain cannot be completed, so neural connections are not as efficient as they would be without the interruption.

What this means going forward is that a person will have challenges – some noticeable and some that they are able to compensate for. As a matter of fact, most people have several glitches in their development that are not obvious to the untrained eye, but it is worth mentioning that our behaviour and personalities are very much shaped by our reflex profiles.

Neuroplasticity

Equally, I would like to emphasise that reflexes are just what we see on the surface. It is also extremely important to work with the gut and autonomic nervous system – otherwise you can do all the work you want with reflexes, but they’ll never fully integrate.

I work towards integration using foetal and newborn movement patterns, which mimic primitive reflex patterns, giving us a second chance to create the brain connections we should have created first time around.

How to integrate retained primitive reflexes

Every client who comes to me is a unique individual. Of course, part of the appointment involves testing for retained primitive reflexes, but I also carefully observe a client, taking in their use of language, movement, postural control and how they interact with me, a caregiver and their environment.

I may get children to draw a picture for me, and notice whether they are left or right handed, how they hold a pencil, what colours they use, how their pencil control and colouring is… after observing, I will home in on a few reflexes that I want to assess. I’ll then get my client to do some work with me, which involves a series of rhythmic and pre-birth movements and pressures that I get the client to resist.

For this reason, every client will receive a unique programme of movements. With any kind of neuroplasticity work, it’s a case of little and often, so I require my clients to stick to their programme daily, come rain or shine. However, a programme will often be as little as 5 minutes per day or sometimes even less.

I use a combination of Rhythmic Movement Training and somatic movement to integrate reflexes.

Signs of retained primitive reflexes

What happens if primitive reflexes are retained?

Poor emotional regulation
Inability to focus
Sensory processing difficulties
Mixing up left and right
Difficulty with motor planning and coordination
Anxiety
Shyness
Being a hyperchondriac
Self harm
Poor core strength – especially when children (and adults) w-sit

How do you get rid of retained primitive reflexes?

Sometimes I can get a person to notice differences almost immediately. Sometimes it takes months of peeling back layers to get to the root of a problem.

In the future, it is my dream to get the NHS to recognise neuro-developmental therapy as a way to help children (and adults), but in the meantime, you can visit me at my clinic in Sussex.

They say that if you find a job you love, you’ll never work another day. For me and my colleagues specialising in neuro-developmental therapy, this cannot be more true. I feel that I’ve found my vocation: seeing people transform through movement is the most rewarding experience I could ever wish for.

Neuroplasticity retained reflexes retained reflexes Special Needs Education Uncategorized

DIY Primitive Reflex Exercises

I’ve always warned against DIY primitive reflex exercises without the careful guidance of a practitioner.

However, realistically speaking, not everyone has the budget to commit long-term to a programme with a practitioner, some people live a long way from a practitioner, and people will always look for ways to try to do this work for themselves – I know I would have been the same.

I am now happy to endorse an alternative that’s second-best to coming to see a therapist in person. I do stress that this is second best, as it’s a programme that will not address the earliest piece of the development puzzle in the same way that the Safe and Sound Protocol and RMTi do.

It’s a self-managed listening programme consisting of 20 hours of music coupled with a movement programme, devised by Tomatis, called Soundsory. Soundsory uses bone conduction headphones coupled with an ecclectic rhythmic collection of music and a movement programme, which is available via a login allocated when you sign up.

Soundsory

Soundsory can help with sensory, emotional, motor coordination and learning challenges by primarily targetting the vestibular system. However, if a person would be unable to copy or replicate the movements, it may be necessary to modify the programme to incorporate passive movements, with input by me.

I would still always recommend the Safe and Sound Protocol as a pre-cursor to Soundsory, but this is a great do-it-yourself, home-based programme for those who either do not have time to come into clinic or do not have the funds to complete a bespoke reflex integration programme.

What I like about this programme is that it’s yours to own for a one-off cost, and requires no practitioner input or monthly subscriptions. If you get on well with this, you could later consider signing up for one of the longer term programmes, but then again, you might want to repeat Soundsory.

Buy Soundsory

DIY Primitive Reflex Exercises It’s a self-managed listening programme consisting of 20 hours of music coupled with a movement programme, devised by Tomatis, called Soundsory. Soundsory uses bone conduction headphones coupled with an ecclectic rhythmic collection of music and a movement programme, which is available via a login allocated when you sign up.