Are retained reflexes holding your child back? Jo Rodhouse, a fully qualified and insured local Neural Developmental Therapist, explains…
An increasing number of children are being diagnosed with ASDs, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and auditory, visual & sensory processing disorders. Many also struggle with classroom learning, movement control, social interactions, concentration and emotional regulation & maturity.
Many diagnosed “labels” have a medical reference, which many find helpful, however the terms merely describe a set of symptoms. As Neuro Developmental Therapists, we see these myriad of symptoms as an indication of developmental delay. Very often there’s a simple explanation: retained primitive reflexes. What are they? Why do they matter?
In the womb and early stages of life, we’re equipped with a number of reflexes, such as grasping and sucking, to aid the birthing process and ensure the newborn’s survival and safety. As a newborn develops, the brain begins to mature and take control, so these reflexes are no longer needed and switch off. This is an essential stage of typical development. If, however, these reflexes remain they can affect appropriate function and a child may display immature patterns of behaviour, learning & development – lacking appropriate emotional & social responses and balance & co-ordination issues. We also see the impact at school. It may explain why a seemingly intelligent child struggles to learn and thrive.
Evidence is often seen at the early key stages, such as difficult or delayed birthing, feeding or latching issues, failure to crawl, delayed teething or speech, easily startled, disrupted sleep patterns, fussy eating, thumb suckers & chewers, toe-walkers, late in becoming “dry” or bedwetting, sensitivities to clothing & labels and poor fine motor skills/pencil grip. The most common feedback we receive from parents is that children are simply failing to thrive or “I could always tell something wasn’t quite right” – after all there is no better expert than a parent! There is increasing evidence that retained reflex can be highly influential in ASDs, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia.
The Moro (or startle) reflex is part of the infant’s fight-or-flight survival response which helps alert us to danger. It’s tested for at birth and inhibits by 6-8 months of age. If your child’s Moro reflex stays present, we see an exaggerated stress response, a hyper sensitivity and over reaction to sensory stimulus leading to poor impulse control, sensory overwhelm, emotional and social immaturity, anxiety and fears, anger and frustration. Other signs can be motion sickness, poor balance & coordination, poor concentration & focus and an inability to adapt well to change. Your child may be constantly on alert. This can impact all functions in the body tied to the overworked adrenal glands. The high cortisol levels released can also result in an inability to balance blood sugar levels (sugar cravings) and can have negative implications on sleep patterns, energy levels, stamina & resilience and mood swings.
We are able to establish whether primitive reflexes have been retained by a simple assessment. Our individualised, non–intrusive, drug-free neural stimulation programmes can be highly effective in reflex integration and addressing developmental delay. We offer both video call & in-person appointments at our friendly clinic in Thame.
