TLR Archives - Move2Connect Primitive Reflex Integration

Figure Skating (and primitive reflexes at any age)

This blog post delves into the transformative journey of taking up figure skating at this age. I look at how continued work with primitive reflexes at any age, using rhythmic movement training, can play a part in improving sports performance.

In 1980, I remember watching Robin Cousins win Gold at Lake Placid, and thinking how much I’d love to try skating. I remember being entranced and obsessed with Torvill and Dean. However, our ice rink was always rammed, so having lessons was not an option. The UK has the lowest number of ice rinks per capita in Europe, so skating for me was over the shoe roller skates – which by the way, we were allowed to take to school to skate in the playground in.

Age should never be a barrier to embracing new challenges and discovering the untapped potential of one’s body and mind. The world of figure skating re-opened up to me earlier this year as an arena for self-discovery, physical rejuvenation, and social connection. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Skating has become my sport. It’s become my obsession. It’s become a little chunk of social life.

hanged pair of white leather figure skates

Figure skating is a dynamic full-body workout that defies stereotypes associated with age. The constant movement and balance challenges contribute to improved cardiovascular health, flexibility, and overall fitness. Additionally, the weight-bearing nature of skating enhances bone density, a crucial aspect of maintaining skeletal health as we age.

At the rink, I am friends with skaters between the age of 4 and I don’t know what – late 60s/70s? Who knows. They’re all fabulous.

Core Strength and Stability

As a comprehensive workout for the body, figure skating places a strong emphasis on core strength.

I also notice something very funny: when skaters are first learning a new movement, I see hands mirroring what feet are doing. There are very few new skaters who don’t do this! And then, one day, the new movement becomes automatic, having been repeated enough, and the hands stop mirroring the feet. For some, this can take months, and for others, minutes.

Why do is this? It’s because some of us have to work extra hard to compensate for retained primitive reflexes!

Primitive reflexes at any age

I recently asked my coach to video me, and realised that what holds me back immensely is my persistent STNR reflex, which pops in and out as life happens around me. This reflex causes a weak core, which is pretty disastrous for figure skating. Equipping oneself with knowledge of rhythmic movement training movements is knowledge for life. For this reason, I’ve already been doing some targeted movements, which has helped my core stability, and helped my body to work out what my brain is asking it to do.

I shall be following a skating friend, Jade, for a case study. Jade also has a pronounced STNR reflex. We videoed her today, and we’ll be starting a movement programme imminently and tracking her progress as we go. Watch this space if you’d like to follow her progress! She’s totally up for being my first ever figure skating case study!

Here is Jade about to step onto the ice for the first time in around 4 months:

Overcoming Physical Challenges:

The journey of re-starting figure skating at my age (I’m old enough to remember Andy Pandy and Mary, Mungo and Midge) is undeniably a physical challenge, especially for someone as out of condition as I was when I started, but it’s one that holds immense rewards. Each new movement has become a testament to perseverance, courage, and personal growth.

For children, skating involves balance, motor planning and coordination and physical stamina (especially in hire skates). As primitive reflex enthusiasts will already know, balance and coordination are essential for learning!

A Sociable Symphony of Diversity

Figure skating transcends age and attracts a diverse community. I meet the same people every week and we either talk about skating or completely unrelated things. Last week, we were even snorting with laughter about fish pedicures and what would happen if the fish got a bit carried away.

The shared passion for the sport creates a welcoming environment where connections are formed on the ice and friendships blossom off it.

As the blades carve patterns on the ice, the journey of figure skating at any age becomes a dance of liberation. The synergy between social engagement and the physical challenges of figure skating creates a transformative experience that enriches the mind, strengthens the body, and fosters a sense of community.

It’s a reminder that, with the right support and mindset, age becomes a mere number, and the ice becomes a canvas for a vibrant and fulfilling chapter of life.

So, let the music play, the blades glide, and the spirit soar as figure skating becomes a testament to the courage to embrace life’s adventures, unbound by societal expectations.

As a final thought, I found this absolutely beautiful short film about a 90 year-old skater – enjoy!

ATNR:Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex retained reflexes Special Needs Education STNR: Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex TLR

Retained Reflexes And Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia

Retained Reflexes And Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia

Everyone has heard of dyslexia, but perhaps most people are less familiar with the terms dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia, which are also specific learning difficulties…

So, what do all these terms mean?

Dyspraxia is a neurological spectrum that involves difficulties in motor planning, coordination as well as organisation of thought, sequencing and working memory and often extreme difficulties in setting thoughts down on paper. Dyspraxia can also come with sensory processing difficulties, anxiety and difficulties socialising, and can often be misdiagnosed as autism.

Dyslexia can be defined as a specific learning difficulty that is neurological in origin, which results in difficulties learning to read and spell.

Dyscalculia is a numeracy equivalent of dyslexia, involving extreme difficulties with numbers, calculations and numerical reasoning.

Dysgraphia is characterised by extreme difficulty or avoidance in getting thoughts down on paper, with poor or often illegible handwriting.

What causes specific learning difficulties?

All these dys- diagnoses are caused by under-developed connections in the corpus callosum and irregularities in the parietal lobe. This causes a disconnect between left and right hemisphere and means that information between the two hemispheres cannot be processed as efficiently as someone with a fully functional corpus callosum. Added to this, problems with balance and coordination.

Underlying all these specific learning difficulties is a cascade of retained reflexes. Most with these SPLDs will have the following reflexes active: Fear Paralysis, Moro, Landau, Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex, Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex and Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex. It may be that these children/adults did not learn to roll effectively, get up on hands and knees and start to rock before reaching a hand out and starting to crawl, or to cross crawl during the appropriate developmental window, or that they skipped crawling altogether, perhaps they were late to meet milestones…

Does this sound familiar? If so, never fear! It is possible to repattern the brain to a certain extent, which will reduce or even eliminate these challenges.

You see, these developmental milestones aren’t simply there for fun – as they happen, our primitive reflexes gradually integrate. If we hit developmental milestones early or late or skip them altogether, we can expect to see reflexes hanging around in our systems. In fact, every one of us has a few, but it’s the extent to which they are retained that may or may not cause problems or learning difficulties.

I worked with a little boy of seven with extreme difficulties with the three Rs. He also had problems learning to ride a bike and had an extremely uncoordinated gait. So we got to work, and within a week of starting Rhythmic Movement Training, we saw improved eye tracking and he was suddenly able to ride his bike without stabilisers after two years of trying really hard to do so!

Difficulties learning to ride a bicycle can be related to the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex

His difficulties were all related to the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex, and his inability to separate head movements from arm movements. This stems from the time that this little boy was a baby, preparing to roll over, and turned his head to look at an outstretched arm, bending the opposite arm – something he never managed to get out of his system, because all his milestones were delayed – crawling at only 13 months and walking at 19 months.

We are now well into an Rhythmic Movement Training programme, and the differences are staggering. Many of his sensory processing signals – spinning, flapping, problems with sudden loud noises etc, have completely disappeared. His coordination has improved, his hypermobility has reduced noticeably, and his balance is much better – in fact, the latest is that he is learning to snowboard!

Rhythmic Movement Training is so called because we are training our brains to make the connections we should have made as babies, and training our bodies to notice small differences that can help us move forward – behaviourally, emotionally and academically.

Programmes involve an assessment taking around an hour, followed by shorter follow-up sessions every four weeks, and a bespoke programme of special movements for around 5 minutes per day, every single day.

Check https://rhythmicmovement.org/consultants for your nearest Rhythmic Movement Training consultant.

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.

STNR: Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex TLR

Retained reflexes, developmental milestones, and learning

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.

Rolling

Crawling

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.

Integrating primitive reflexes ensures the foundation for emotional regulation, efficient sensory processing, postural stability and learning.

An introduction to primitive reflexes

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:

play row, row, row your boat with another person, holding hands and touching feet
get children to cross crawl as much as possible, through tunnels etc
do push ups against a wall
do a snow angel movement on your back
use a balance ball to sit on while you work/watch tv

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