Many people worry about the issues they see within their children and look for a diagnosis, however, few realise the cause of these issues and the fact that knowing what to do, puts the power back in their hands!
Primitive reflexes allow the us to engage the world, which allows us to engage our senses. These stimuli come back and turn on genes that regulate brain development, building the brain from the bottom up.
Paraphrased: Dr Robert Melillo (Education Posturepro.co- Dr Robert Melillo on Brain Imbalances and Primitive Reflexes)
What are primitive reflexes?
According to Dr Robert Melillo, the only organ not fully developed at birth is the brain. The head of a foetus must move through a small birth canal, and it would seem that the genes that grow the brain cells wait for the signal that it is outside the mother’s body to for it to continue its development. These genes that regulate brain development are known as experience-dependent genes and are stimulated by environmental factors such as light, sound, movement, gravity, temperature and touch. For the brain to grow, movement is required. Movement initiates the engagement of our senses but our frontal lobe and motor cortex are not developed enough to do so. Enter the primitive reflexes!
Reflexes are spontaneous moves made by the body in response to a stimulus. Primitive reflexes originate in the brain stem and should be fully developed at birth and then should get “packed away” as they integrate into the mind-body system. This happens when the frontal lobes are developed, suppressing these so that the children may move into what is referred to as “normal” development. Postural reflexes on the other hand originate in the midbrain and are there to keep a child upright. These emerge after birth and should be fully developed by three and a half years old.
Primitive reflexes are visible as spontaneous movements made in response to a stimuli. This automatic response is often due to sensory signals with the goal of protecting the child until the child is strong enough to use voluntary movement to do so. We see these reflexive movements and behaviours when a child experiences a sudden change in temperature or change in head position as well as with tactile stimulation in the area of the reflex.
What is the purpose of retained primitive reflexes?
Primitive reflexes are there to help a defenseless baby survive, assist with birth as well as through the developmental milestones. Our first primitive reflex results in a baby keeping still and holding its breath. Incredible if you consider that it is all a foetus can do to protect itself. This is called the Fear Paralysis Reflex (FPR). Persons with this retained reflex will respond to a perceived fear by freezing as they seem ” paralysed” with fear. You can understand why when this is triggered, that the person will get the information that he or she is in danger. For this reason, this retained reflex is linked with all types of anxieties, unexplained fears and sleep disturbances. This reflex should become the Moro reflex which is all about fight-or-flight. People may ‘defend’ themselves when we see the fight response or do anything to avoid perceived danger with the flight response. When this doesn’t mature into the adult startle reflex, these people may also battle with anxiety and may lash out or use other behaviours to “protect” themselves.
Other reflexes are there to assist the baby during the first years of life so that they may eventually stand upright and move with balance and co-ordination. Sally Goddard Blythe states the following in her book, The Well Balanced Child Movement and Early Learning , “The process of motor development in the first year of life is described through a series of reflexes, which provide mirrors on the child’s developing nervous system, whilst providing an in-built training programme for motor skills.” The automatic response of each reflex is seen as a movement. The more a child moves, the more he can control his or her movements. By moving in all ways, motor cells begin a process of modification. Through repetition of these movements, patterns within the brain form, allowing for these to become co-ordinated and permanent. Smooth controlled movements are a sign of better connections not only between the body and brain, but within the brain itself.
Why should they integrate?
Having understood the role of reflexes in development, it is perhaps clearer as to how active reflexes are an issue for people of all ages. The reflexive responses we see in children often become some of behaviours used to diagnose children with learning difficulties. The layperson may see these as similarities between children diagnosed with learning difficulties such as ADHD and autism spectrum disorder. What they are seeing are the “symptoms” of retained reflexes in both while these children experience other issues alongside these.
Active primitive reflexes when triggered, will interfere with the information coming in from the sensory organs. This may result in processing issues as well as having then a delayed response from the brain to the rest of the body. Retained reflexes will affect a child on every level; physically, academically and emotionally. These are not limited to the following labels but add to the challenges experienced within:
Autism
ADHD
Dyslexia
Dyspraxia
Dysphasia
Learning Disorders
Sensory Processing Disorders
As well as with emotional development such as immature behaviour, shyness and more
Possible reasons for retained reflexes.
The body is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:13 &14). We see this eloquent design evident in the emergence, peak and integration of these reflexes as they wait their turn to assist the developing child. For this reason, when one reflex fails to emerge or inhibit, it may cause a chain reaction preventing other reflexes from emerging. Below are some of the possible reasons for these reflexes not integrating found in Dr Marlize Basson’s course, Early Childhood Reflexes and Reactions;
Type of birth (Caesarean section, induced, breech birth or trauma at birth.)
Toxicity exposure (environmental and reactions to vaccinations)
Anaesthetics
Nutrition (allergies and intolerances)
Injuries including head injuires
Illnesses as well as chronic ear infections and high fever
Lack of movement or movement opportunities (overuse of baby walkers, car seats, bouncers, too much screen time, early crawling and walking)
Stress during and after pregnancy
Trauma may also result in reflexes previously integrated re-emerging. Weakened muscles resulting from the aging process may also see these re-emergence of these and may lead to people tripping and falling more easily.
What are some of these primitive reflexes?
Primitive reflexes emerge as early as five weeks in the womb and should be fully developed forty weeks gestation to ready the child for the birthing process and survival. These should be inhibited by 6-12 months by a developing brain.
Some of these reflexes include the following;
Fear Paralysis Reflex
Moro
Root and Suck
Palmer
Plantar
Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR)
Babkin reflex
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR)
Spinal Galant
Landau
Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR)
Spinal Perez and Vollmer
Babinski … and more
How do these affect people physically?
Active primitive reflexes may affect a person physically as they prevent the development of movement patterns. As a child moves, the cerebellum works with the vestibular system (the part of the brain responsible for balance), the brain stem as well as the basal ganglia, in order to process sensory input with the goal of making movement smooth. Smooth and rhythmical movements allow for connections between the cerebellum and different areas of the cortex. Jerky, unco-ordinated and asymmetrical movements are signs of retained primitive reflexes; Below are some ways in which active primitive reflexes may affect a child physically:
Prolonged breaking of voice
Sensitivities
Sensory Processing Issues
Sleep disturbances
Adverse reactions to medication
Balance and co-ordination issues
Motion sickness
Poor Pupillary reaction to light
Tense muscles
Difficulties chewing food
Picky eaters and eating disorders
Tongue too far forward in the mouth
Complains about sore back, feet
Scoliosis
One leg longer than the other
Bladder weakness
Wetting the bed after the age of five-years
Ingrown toenails
Excessive drooling and mouth breathing
Frequent foot sprains
Tendency to be cross-eyed
Dislikes physical activity and sports
Eye-tracking problems
Makes noises or sings to self
Hand-eye co-ordination issues
Low muscle tone
Poor posture
Inner temperature gage not working
Awkward walking and running
Poor digestion
Food intolerances
May have increased arching of the palate
May need orthodontal work
Restless legs
Gets tired quickly… and others
How do these affect people emotionally?
As explained before, when these primitive reflexes are triggered, a person may experience emotions that make them feel unsafe. Different reflexes may result in different emotional responses. They may also get in the way of a person’s ability to mature emotionally and develop social skills. Here are some of the emotional “symptoms” related to retained or active primitive reflexes:
Emotionally immature
Withdrawal or excessive shyness
Anxiety and insecurities
Tendency to lash out
Poor adaptably and a tendency to be inflexible
Depression and despondency
Unexplained fears
Tendency to be a loner
May be abrupt or rude
Hyperactivity
Manipulative or dominant behaviour
Difficulty connecting with others
Defiant behaviour
Impulsive behaviour
Poor self-esteem
Unrealistic view of self
May battle to let things go
Tendency to be secretive
Obsessive compulsive symptoms
Needs constant reassurance
Not good listeners
Argumentative
Talks too much and interrupts
Lack emotional grounding
Perfectionistic behaviour
Difficulty with self-control
Trouble getting in touch with feelings
Difficulty perceiving other people’s viewpoints… and more
How do these affect people in terms of learning?
Because primitive reflexes are seen as so important by the body, when triggered they interrupt learning. Anxiety and fear further cause children to shift into fight-or-flight mode and we see them moving from whole-brain thinking to their unique limited way of thinking also referred to as their profile in our work. Primitive reflexes also result in movements that do not support learning affecting a child’s ability to sit still, hold the pencil correctly or use their eyes to read with comprehension as they shift from the board to their books. The following are some of the ways in which these primitive reflexes affect learning:
Poor concentration
Difficulty completing tasks
Difficulty shutting out background noise
Auditory processing issues
Speech and articulation issues
Chews on pencil etc
Difficulty developing fine motor skills
Poor dexterity and pencil grip
Stuttering and stammering
Difficulty grasping concepts
Difficulty with mathematical concepts
Spelling issues
Dyslexia- letter and number reversals
Difficulty constructing stories with flow
Lying on the desk when working or holding head in hand
Skips words when reading
slow at copying off the board
Spatial difficulties
Poor sequencing skills
Poor sense of time
Trouble staying on task
Difficulty perceiving sounds
Poor handwriting
Repeats words/lines when reading or writing
Fidgeting
Reading with no feeling
Attention problems
Hyperactivity
Impulse control problems
Poor short-term and long-term memory
Vision issues
Post Covid and other traumas.
This pandemic has caused many problems that may not go away unless we begin to work on integrating these reflexes. Covid saw the “re-education” of the Fear Paralysis Reflex through doing what we would do to assist a person, yet in reverse. When we use specific moves, we need to do it continuously for a length of time. We first ensure the person knows and feels safe while we add movement and ensure our client is breathing. During the pandemic fear was introduced as people spoke about life and death. Our children were exposed to this as we were bombarded by this message either via social media or in conversation. We then limited healthy air, by the wearing of masks and then limited movement and social interaction. Notice the exact opposite of what we would do, limiting breath as opposed to allowing breath, limiting movement instead of allowing movement and experiencing a life-threatening disease rather than experiencing safety. It is no wonder that anxiety and anxiety disorders run rife post pandemic with this being one of the biggest symptoms of the active FPR. Lack of movement and learning that take the child into consideration have further resulted in big gaps in our schooling system with outrageous amounts of children unable to read in grade 4 (the same bunch that were meant to attend grade 1 in 2020).
As mentioned above trauma or stress may also result in an inhibited reflex, re-emerging. We all have a “survival kit “that the body uses as a default in stressful situations. Each of us will have certain reflexes that we might see present after such a time. Knowing the signs of these allows us to inhibit them once more. In our work, we use specific movements to do so.
What can I do if I recognise some of the above symptoms in myself or in my children?
In my work as an Educational Kinesiologist using Rhythmic Movement Training and other reflex work, I use movement to instruct the body to “pack” retained primitive reflexes away. Packing these away will result in less of the above symptoms freeing up the mind to cope better in school, work or in life! Without these interruptions, movement becomes more co-ordinated and the body can strengthen. It is never too late to work back into the mind-body system so as to bridge gaps and make a real difference. Many of my clients have begun to see positive changes in themselves. This process…
begins with a profiling session to understand the retained primitive reflexes
a movement programme is put together
Follow-up sessions will allow for the updating of movement programmes as the person displays readiness
This is not a quick fix, and one must appreciate the fact that we are developing the brain and body through these movement sessions. Having said that, the investment has a great return in that it is a more permanent solution to many of the above symptoms.
When is a movement programme not for you?
Such a program is not for you if…
you are expecting an overnight “fix”
If you are not able to dedicate 15 minutes to the moves every second day
If you see sitting still, eyes and ears forward as the only way to learn
How can I learn more about reflexes?
Courses and workshops are designed for the layperson, being the mom, the teacher, the au pair or even the tutor as well as the occupational therapist and other professionals. These courses and workshops are created to empower you so that you can make a real difference without needing a large space to work in or much time! Look out for our next Webinar on Reflexes or contact us for more information on courses that will equip you to use these specific moves to help integrate these primitive reflexes.
Other courses you might want to find out more about:
Rhythmic Movement Training (level 1,2 and 3)
RMTi- Making Connections
RMTi- School Readiness
RMTi- Face the Fear
Check out https://rhythmicmovement.org
Contact us:
For further information, feel free to contact us at info@mindfulmoves.co.za, or check out our website at www.mindfulmoves.co.za.
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1 thought on “What are Retained Primitive Reflexes?”
This was the best explanation, clear and straight to the point. Thanks.