Have you ever attempted to understand why your child has delays? Believe it or not, one possible cause is linked to your baby’s first months of life. This unique, and often overlooked, explanation is related to reflexes, which shape how children move, learn, and develop.
All children are born with automatic movements called primitive reflexes that help them survive and thrive in their early months. For example, the Moro Reflex is why newborns throw out their arms when startled, which is an early “fight or flight” response. The Rooting Reflex allows children to find a nipple and suck for nourishment. The Palmer Grasp Reflex is why babies hold tightly to your finger.
As a baby’s brain matures, the primitive reflexes should naturally integrate by the end of the first year. As primitive reflexes become integrated, children develop higher-level motor skills such as crawling, walking, and writing. Unfortunately, in some children, reflexes remain retained. Integrated reflexes lead to appropriate development and retained reflexes cause developmental delays.
Without special training, teachers, parents, pediatricians and other professionals are unable to identify which reflexes are retained and which are integrated. Retained reflexes are difficult to identify but they quietly interfere with how your child moves, focuses, and processes the world.
For instance, a retained Moro Reflex can cause ongoing startle reactions, which may lead poor focus or sensory sensitivities. A retained Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) can make it harder to track words across a page or coordinate both sides of the body for sports.
Your child may have retained reflexes if you have ever noticed difficulties with sitting still or concentrating, struggles with poor balance or coordination, displays of weak handwriting or reading skills, or consistently inappropriate reactions to sensory input. Children with retained reflexes simply have delays in their nervous system’s ability to organize itself, which makes everyday tasks more difficult.
As a parent, you need to understand that retained reflexes are a delay and not a disorder. Reflexes can be integrated at any time because the brain and body can change at any age. Through specific movement-based exercises, children (and even adults) can integrate retained reflexes and establish higher levels patterns of control.
If you are concerned about this, seek help from an occupational therapist that is trained in reflex integration. Occupational therapists often guide families through fun and helpful activities that mimic early developmental stages and help the brain complete what it started. Children often experience improvements in focus, coordination, and confidence after consistent practice of occupational therapy exercises.
Brain Activities to Try at Home
1) Encourage cross-lateral movements into play that crosses the midline of the body. Activities like crawling races, “windmill” toe touches, or opposite-hand high-fives help both sides of the brain communicate and support reflex integration naturally.
2) Include your children in chores such as sweeping, mopping, folding laundry, and anything that crosses the bodies midline.
3) Create obstacle courses that include crawling in tunnels, going under surfaces, and incorporate activities that develop balance, coordination, and cross-lateral movements.
Dr. Beth Long received her education in Counseling Psychology from Chapman University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Beth has worked in six unique clinical environments across the country and currently owns Works of Wonder Therapy in Montgomery. Beth utilizes the knowledge from a variety of different disciplines to give her patients the best care possible. To learn more visit www.worksofwondertherapy.com.
