Spinal Galant Reflex Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Move2Connect Primitive Reflex Integration

W-Sitting – what does it mean?

Does your child sit in this position?

This is known as “w-sitting”, and you may or may not have heard that it’s not a great position for the hips.

Your child sits like this because they are comfortable sitting like this.

However, I’m about to tell you what causes a child to sit like this, what consequences it may have for attention and learning, and 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, and will perhaps keep experimenting with several different positions in a chair in one sitting, and never truly be comfortable with feet flat on the floor. This is because of a lack of core strength.

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.

Jacob Rees-Mogg is a very visible example of someone with a weak core and poor stamina

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, and that a large proportion of children in Reception classes are unable to support themselves when sitting, drawing, 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.

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 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. 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.

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 your nearest RMTi practitioner, please go to https://rhythmicmovement.co.uk/where-is-my-nearest-provider/

FPR: Fear Paralysis Reflex Moro reflex Spinal Galant Reflex

Sensory Processing Disorder: How movement is the key to helping our children

Sensory processing disorder. So common in our children. In fact, for most parents of neuro-diverse children, sensory processing difficulties are probably the first thing that they noticed as “different” from peers.

Why do some children have sensory processing disorder? In brief, it’s down to a differently wired brain. Quite simply, the part of the brain called the Reticular Activating System (RAS) – within the brainstem – has not formed strong enough neural connections with the thalamus and higher sensory processing levels of the neocortex. This means that the brain cannot process sensory input efficiently, so we see sensory overwhelm, distractedness or even fear.

This article explains how movement and the integration of primitive reflexes can really help reduce or even eliminate the sensory challenges of someone with SPD.

The involuntary movements we make as foetuses and newborns are doing a vital job: They are forming neural connections. These involuntary movements – reflexes – should disappear within the first year of life, giving way to adult postural reflexes and conscious movement, controlled by the cerebellum. However, if these primitive reflexes remain active in the system, it will mean that the brain has not formed the optimal neural connections from the brainstem, and consequently we may see sensory processing, motor coordination, emotional or behavioural challenges.

In my clinic, I assess for primitive reflexes and then work with the child and their parents to help integrate reflexes that might be causing challenges. This is done by repeating precisely the movement patterns that foetuses and newborns make, which helps the reflexes gradually integrate and helps the brain and central nervous system move to the next stage of development. It is important to remember that reflex integration is not a quick fix – in fact, it can take months for people to move on from their old patterns of posture and behaviour. However, you will see significant change.

I had one little boy in clinic whose parents had marked around fifty of his frequent sensory behaviours in Angie Voss’s excellent book Understanding Your Child’s Sensory Signals. Following just three months of a reflex integration programme using RMTi (Rhythmic Movement Training International) methodology, this reduced to just fourteen sensory signals, and two years further on, just four. The sensory signals included behaviours such as flapping, spinning, humming, chewing, dribbling, making eye contact, etc. He is now a calmer, more present child.

You can also try to include various movements into your child’s day, every day, although when working with emotional or behavioural challenges, it is preferable to see a trained professional.

A retained Moro Reflex is at the root of sensory processing difficulties

Try the following:

Cat arches, snow angels, star jumps, lying on back and pretending to be an anemone and slowly opening to become a starfish, and then back to anemone.

I have clinics in Cranleigh and Horsham. Please contact me if you would like to discuss or find out more.

FPR: Fear Paralysis Reflex Spinal Galant Reflex

Natural bed wetting help

Why do I have a photo of a dandelion featured on this blog post? Well, because the French for dandelion is pis-en-lit – literally “piss in bed”, because dandelion is a natural diuretic.

Natural bed wetting help

Bed wetting can continue into a child’s teens, and can cause stress when planning for activities, such as scout camps or school residential courses.

natural bed wetting help

At what age should a child become dry at night?

Night dryness, as you may already know, is not the same as day dryness. It is a neuro-developmental milestone. Just because a child is a fantastic reader and can do quadratic equations at the age of 8, it doesn’t mean that they are neurologically ready to remain dry at night.

A child should be dry at night at some point between the ages of three and six. If it’s just the odd accident a little bit later than this, the chances are that it will settle down. However, if at age six, bed wetting continues to be a consistent issue, please read on.

Why do some children continue to wet the bed?

There are various myths circulating – but sometimes with a grain of truth at their foundation. One is that anxiety causes bed wetting. In a way this is true – because anxiety and over-thinking things is likely to be related to active primitive reflexes…

It is also important to rule out severe constipation – which can, you’ve guessed it – be as a result of anxiety. If you’ve tried the laxative route with no success, it may well also be worth trying the autonomic nervous system route, and looking at the Safe and Sound Protocol. The SSP coupled with nutrition – which you may find changing from beige preferences to food containing natural fibre – is a great option for dealing with constipation.

However, some children, who do not suffer with constipation, will only have accidents at night when they are under some sort of stress – but this is also due to active reflexes, which rear their heads at times of stress.

natural bed wetting help

So, what is the Spinal Galant reflex?

The Spinal Galant reflex is a very early reflex which emerges at around 20-28 weeks. It plays a very important role in the birthing process, helping the baby to move its way down the birthing canal, twisting appropriately as it goes. If the Spinal Galant hasn’t developed properly, it can cause issues in the birthing process – for example, a baby may get stuck. Equally, if a baby is born by c-section, the Spinal Galant is likely not to have done its thing either.

The reflex should integrate at around three months after birth and transform into the lifelong postural amphibian reflex. A person who hasn’t developed an amphibian reflex may have an awkward gait, and little integration between upper and lower body, which may cause coordination challenges.

Additionally, I’ve noticed that people with a very strong Spinal Galant are more likely to have midline and also auditory processing issues. So this is an important one to integrate.

What are the signs of an unintegrated Spinal Galant reflex?

Other than bed wetting, tell-tale signs of an active spinal galant reflex are a child who cannot sit still and wriggles constantly, doesn’t like tight waistbands, and doesn’t really like labels in their clothing.

An unintegrated Spinal Galant will have an impact on a person’s awareness of laterality, as well as potentially causing auditory processing challenges, potentially leading to lower back problems and even potentially scoliosis. It can also cause a lack of focus, poor short-term memory, poor stamina and extreme distractibility.

How can we get rid of the Spinal Galant reflex?

To encourage your child to integrate a possibly unintegrated Spinal Galant, get them to scoot around the floor on their back, roll on a balance ball, or roll a ball up and down a wall using their back. You can also get them to dance the “twist”, sit on a balance ball, walk around the floor on their bottom or do snow angels.

natural bed wetting help

However, it may be that it’s appropriate to see a professional to look at the full picture and check to see whether any other reflexes are present.

Whenever I’ve assessed a child whose parents have been worried about late bed wetting, I’ve always discovered other reflexes at play.

As neurodevelopmental therapists, we sometimes see a child’s bed wetting stop within weeks after teaching the appropriate movements and starting to work with a child. However, because the Spinal Galant can be very much intertwined with the Fear Paralysis and Moro reflexes, sometimes a little bit more unravelling will need to be done so that everything integrates properly, which could mean a few months of consistent work on the part of parents.

Sometimes, people only stick with the movements I give them for a couple of weeks and then say they haven’t noticed any difference. Think about how long your child has been developing for: these things won’t go overnight! And we are looking for full integration at brainstem level. So, you need to keep going until this has happened, or you won’t solve the problem.

It is also worth mentioning that late bed wetting may be due to low levels of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). If this is the case, it’s worth getting medication. However, it’s also well worth mentioning that late bed wetting is most likely to be due to a neuro-developmental delay.

natural bed wetting help

It is also important to bear in mind that we do not aim to “fix” people with reflex integration. What we do aim to do is to reduce or remove dysfunctions due to imbalances in the body that are causing emotional, behavioural and learning challenges.

natural bed wetting help natural bed wetting helpnatural bed wetting helpnatural bed wetting helpnatural bed wetting help