CHILD

Primitive reflexes are a set of programmes in the brain which are present in all humans for survival. They are integrated and switched off when an infant starts to have conscious control of his/her movements. They have a limited time span and are switched off or integrated through normal childhood activities. If the reflexes are retained they can lead to neuro-developmental delay and poor sensory integration e.g. they can impair balance which will cause a child difficulty in judging space, distance, depth and speed. Balance is vital for everyone, for example, when astronauts lose their sense of balance in space they start to write from right to left, reverse numbers and letters and produce mirror writing. The following reflexes are the ones that are most often retained.

Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex: affects balance, visual tracking and often leads to reading problems.

Tonic Neck-Righting Reflex: prevents the child from achieving good posture and balance.

Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Righting Reflex: can lead to poor pencil grip leading to difficulty copying off the board and poor recording skills as well as an aversion to writing. It is the reflex most often involved in poor academic performance.

Moro Reflex: causes children to be over hypersensitive to sound and light and touch and therefore causes concentration problems. It also contributes to emotional and stress problems. It is the reflex most involved in poor and irrational behaviour.

There are many other reflexes that can contribute to learning and behavioural problems. It is only when there are a cluster of reflexes that are retained and not integrated that problems begin to emerge.

Assessment for retained reflexes
Fun and friendly tests such as balancing on one leg and marching on the spot.

Treatment for retained reflexes
Neuro-energetic kinesiology sessions for integrating primitive reflexes and exercise for a week or so to help with the process.

Therapies used for retained reflexes

Kinesiology
Kinesiology is a system of muscle testing and balancing that uses the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, massage, and energy work to release physical and mental stress. The flow of energy is evaluated using muscle monitoring. This indicates the state of energy flow (and blockage) in the brain and body.

In the field of working with children with learning problems kinesiology is based on recent neuro-physiological findings which suggest it is timing and synchronisation of neural activity that creates high order cognitive functions. If the brain doesn’t integrate separate processes into meaningful combinations (cognitive ability) then loss of synchronisation may occur which results in learning problems. Kinesiology helps to integrate the brain by dispersing stress. Muscle monitoring provides an interface between neurological function and the more subtle energies of the energetic, emotional and mental bodies. It helps to re-establish the electro-magnetic integrity within the brain and thus brain function is improved.

Neural Organisation Technique
Neural Organisation Technique (NOT) is a highly organised application of a specialised kinesiology protocol that deals specifically with the integration and organisation of the central nervous system. Children who have learning or behavioural difficulties often display disorganisation or immaturity of the nervous system which interferes with the ability to process or interpret the information coming in from the senses and thereby affects learning.

Sensory Integration Exercises
Children’s learning and behaviour are based on early motor sensory integration. More complex learning and behaviour evolves from the developmental stages. Teachers often refer to writing, spelling and reading as “the basics”; in fact, these are very complex neurological processes that need good sensory motor development. Children who would benefit from sensory integration exercise typically display symptoms such as clumsiness, feeling tired easily, disliking or finding games difficult, breaking bones, slumping or constantly moving.

Sound Therapy
Sound therapy helps by working in establishing ear dominance and helping auditory processing problems by using gaiting and filtering through music such as Bach and Mozart to establish the full range of frequencies from 20 to 20,000HZ. This process is done by listening to special CDs for a period of eight or sixteen weeks with specialised headphones.

A child who would benefit from sound therapy would have difficulty following instructions and/or have a short concentration and attention span. Memory may be poor and they tune out often. Currently The Listening Program is used at the CHILD centre. For more information see www.advancedbrain.com and the research section on this website on the results of the study completed by Dr Alweena Zairi to see the effects of sound therapy on reading and learning in a primary school in England.