Inhibition of Primitive Reflexes to aid Laterality, Hemispherical Dominance and Improve Reading Ability
Inhibition of Primitive Reflexes to aid Laterality, Hemispherical Dominance and Improve Reading Ability.
The human central nervous system is complex due to the fact that it has evolved over many millions of years of evolutionary trial and error. Each child must retrace much of that long evolutionary history in developing and organising his own nervous system to the fullest. Each child must follow an essential sequence of experiences and development that has been laid down by his evolutionary heritage, developing first the more ancient and more primitive sections of his brain and moving sequentially to the recent and more complex areas. Each child must retrace this progression from the primitive reflex levels of muscular function to the uniquely human functions of speech and cognition.
In the event that one or more stages are missed or not entirely completed, the final development and organisation will be lacking.
His lack of development may lead exhibit either mobility, learning problems, coordination problems leading to speech problems, reading problems or behaviour problems
This developmental and organisational sequence which begins at birth, progresses vertically through the spinal cord, then through the brain stem and medulla, the mid brain (old brain) and up through the two hemispheres of the cortex. In human beings there is one final stage in this progression. This is the lateral development wherein one hemisphere of the cortex becomes the language or dominant hemisphere of the brain. This final stage is usually completed within 5-6 years of age. As a result of this uniquely human, final, lateral stage, man becomes the only creature who is completely one sided – that is right handed, right footed, right eyed and right eared, or conversely, left hand left footed, left eyed and left eared. Only man has spoken and written symbolic language.
For whatever reason the sequential development is not satisfactorily achieved by the child, problems with speech and language will ensue.
Their are many reasons in the progress from conception of the child, prenataly through to birth and postnataly through the first year of life when events can interrupt, delay or completely stop this sequential devlopement, and the event which influences the development can occur at any stage. We know for instance that during birth if the head is in the wrong position, it must be turned to maintain the development. If this head turning is not carried out at birth, and the child is later found to have a mobility problem we can us the reflex in turning the head to enable the arms and legs to be moved as part of the treatment process to rectify the mobility problem.
In the event that the child has not crept on hands and knees at the appropriate time, goes directly to walking, the treatment is for the child to creep.
Treatment is based on recapitulation, we provide the child the opportunity to experience the missed stage of development.
Previously we have mentioned the need to progress from primitive reflex levels of muscular function through to mobility speech and cognition. For this to occur satisfactorily then the reflex which enables one function to be completed must be replaced by another reflex to progress development. Retention of any of these reflexes inhibits progress. Recapitulation is essential to replace the retained reflex.
To enable treatment through recapitulation to occur an understanding of these reflexes and the role they play in development must be considered.
WHAT ARE PRIMITIVE REFLEXES?
Primitive reflexes are survival reflexes occurring sequentially in the first few weeks of fetal development, automatic, stereotyped movements, directed by a very primitive part of the brain (brainstem).
Are executed without involvement of higher levels of the brain (the cortex).
Ideally short lived, and as each fulfils its function is replaced by more sophisticated structures (Postural Reflexes) which are controlled by the cortex retained if they do not fulfil their function.Considered aberrant and evidence of an immaturity within the CNS if present beyond their time.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES?
Under normal circumstances, each set of movements identified as a reflex, plays a part, and then the CNS allows the package of interrelated movements to "break-up" and be integrated into increasingly complex voluntary controlled movement.
Many events however, can interfere with development for instance, genetic pre-disposition or inherited characteristics, stresses during pregnancy, birth trauma, and environmental deprivation are but a few examples.
Neuro-developmental delay is a term, which describes the presence of a cluster of aberrant reflexes because of an omission or arrest of a stage of early development.
Neurological Reorganisation using Sensory Integration Therapy based on recapitulation is the pathway to facilitate elimination of retained reflexes, replace them with new reflexes to complete the development process.
Neurological organisation is essential for the learning processes to develop Laterality and One-sidedness and Hemispherical Dominance essential for effective use of Reading and Writing.
THE PRIMITIVE REFLEXES
The Moro Reflex
Emerges at 9 weeks in utero and is the earliest form of "fight or flight" (reaction to stress) which is fully present at birth is usually inhibited between 2-4 months of life.
When retained the child is acutely sensitive, perceptive, imaginative on the one hand, but immature and over reactive on the other. The child copes in one of two ways- withdrawing from difficult situations, difficulty socialising and neither accepting or demonstrating affection or becoming aggressive, highly excitable, over-reactive and dominating.
The Palmar Reflex:
Emerges at 11 weeks in utero, is fully present at birth and usually inhibited by 2-3 months of life is the infant grasp reflex and is replaced by the pincer grip at 36 weeks of age. When retained beyond 4-5 months of life will impede both manual dexterity and manipulatory activities. Is one of a group of reflexes which affect handwriting, speech and articulation.
The Plantar Reflex:
Facilitates kicking movements, muscle tone and provides vestibular stimulation which stimulates the balance mechanism and increases neural connections during uterine life, not only assists the birth process but is reinforced by it and may be one reason why caesarean babies are at greater risk of developmental delay.
If retained it will impede creeping and cross-pattern crawling which is important for hand-eye coordination and the integration of the vestibular information with other senses
Stimulates the myenilation process required to protect nerve fibres in the CNS.
Also affects balance, laterality, visual-perceptual difficulties, handwriting and written expression.
The Rooting Reflex: Sucking Reflex
Emerges at 24-28 weeks in utero, is fully present at birth, and is inhibited by 3-4 months if retained may affect swallowing, feeding, speech, articulation and manual dexterity in an older child
The Spinal Galant:
Emerges at 20 weeks in utero, is actively present at birth and inhibited by 3-9 months if fully retained, or only retained on one side may affect posture, gait and other forms of locomotion. Is responsible for fidgeting, bedwetting, poor concentration and short term memory, and hip rotation to one side when walking
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR)
Emerges 18 weeks in utero to stimulate the balance mechanism and increase neural connections. ATNR assists birth process and is reinforced by it fully present at birth
Develops eye-hand coordination, trains one side of the body at a time; extends ability to focus from 17 cm to arms length.
Inhibited about 6 months of life (so that focus on distant objects can develop) ensures free passage of air when baby is in the prone position, increases extensor muscle tone.
When retained, the ATNR can result in the following manifestations:-
Homolateral movements when walking, marching skipping instead of cross-pattern movements
Cannot manipulate objects with both hands, poor ocular pursuit movements, fails to establish a preferred hand/eye/leg/ear and hence a dominant side so that movements are always slightly hesitant.
Mixed laterality. Poor handwriting and poor expression of ideas on paper
Visual-perceptual difficulties (symmetrical representation of figures)
The Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR) Forwards:
Emerges in utero, is fully present at birth and is inhibited by 4 months- is closely linked to the Moro as both are vestibular in origin and activated by movement of the head. When retained can lead to spatial problems, motion sickness, poor posture & muscle tone, visual perceptual difficulties, poor sequencing skills and a poor sense of time.
The Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR) Backwards
Emerges at birth and is inhibited gradually from 6 weeks to 3 years, is involved in the simultaneous development of postural reflexes, symmetrical tonic neck reflex and the Landau reflex can result in poor balance and coordination, organisational skills and stiff jerky movements if retained.
POSTURAL REFLEXES
These are transformed primitive reflexes and executed by higher regions in the brain (cortex). Once present they should remain for life. Their absence is an indication that the CNS is immature.
The Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex- Flexion & Extension (STNR):
When the child is in the quadruped position, flexion of the head causes the arms to bend and the legs to extend, head extension on the other hand causes the legs to flex and arms to straighten.Emerges at about 6-9 months of life and is inhibited about 9-11 months, if retained affects posture, hand-eye coordination and swimming skills. Results in the tendency to slump when sitting at a desk, ape-like walk, "clumsy child" syndrome, difficulties with binocular vision, slowness at copying tasks and messy eating habits.
Landau Reflex:
Emerges 3-10 months neonate and is inhibited by 36 months, can only occur when the TLR has been integrated and adequate muscle tone has developed.
Segmental Rolling Reflexes:
Emerge 6-10 months neonate and remain for life. Are essential for the integration of cross lateral movements such as smooth walking, running, jumping, skipping, marching, and swimming. In some individuals, full integration and transformation of the primitive reflexes fails to occur and they remain active despite normal development in other areas. When this occurs, it contributes to the underdevelopment of efficient proprioceptive-motor integration, hand-eye co-ordination, lateral integration and aspects of perceptual performance.
WHAT IS A REFLEX INHIBITION PROGRAM?
A Reflex inhibition programme; Sensory Integration Therapy
Is based on the theory of recapitulation ie. it is possible to replicate specific stages of development through the repetition of movement patterns based upon early development.
Gives the brain a "second chance" to pass through the stages which were omitted or incomplete in the first year of life.
Establishes neural connections.
Consists of specific physical, stereotyped movements practised for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per day, the most essential physical exercises, are cross patterned creeping on hands and knees, to create laterality, controlled spinning and rolling to promote vestibulary functions, essential for balance, speech and language.
Aberrant reflex activity needs to be addressed in order to facilitate normal development and eliminate many of the physical, academic and emotional problems their presence caused.
The human central nervous system is complex due to the fact that it has evolved over many millions of years of evolutionary trial and error. Each child must retrace much of that long evolutionary history in developing and organising his own nervous system to the fullest. Each child must follow an essential sequence of experiences and development that has been laid down by his evolutionary heritage, developing first the more ancient and more primitive sections of his brain and moving sequentially to the recent and more complex areas. Each child must retrace this progression from the primitive reflex levels of muscular function to the uniquely human functions of speech and cognition.
In the event that one or more stages are missed or not entirely completed, the final development and organisation will be lacking.
His lack of development may lead exhibit either mobility, learning problems, coordination problems leading to speech problems, reading problems or behaviour problems
This developmental and organisational sequence which begins at birth, progresses vertically through the spinal cord, then through the brain stem and medulla, the mid brain (old brain) and up through the two hemispheres of the cortex. In human beings there is one final stage in this progression. This is the lateral development wherein one hemisphere of the cortex becomes the language or dominant hemisphere of the brain. This final stage is usually completed within 5-6 years of age. As a result of this uniquely human, final, lateral stage, man becomes the only creature who is completely one sided – that is right handed, right footed, right eyed and right eared, or conversely, left hand left footed, left eyed and left eared. Only man has spoken and written symbolic language.
For whatever reason the sequential development is not satisfactorily achieved by the child, problems with speech and language will ensue.
Their are many reasons in the progress from conception of the child, prenataly through to birth and postnataly through the first year of life when events can interrupt, delay or completely stop this sequential devlopement, and the event which influences the development can occur at any stage. We know for instance that during birth if the head is in the wrong position, it must be turned to maintain the development. If this head turning is not carried out at birth, and the child is later found to have a mobility problem we can us the reflex in turning the head to enable the arms and legs to be moved as part of the treatment process to rectify the mobility problem.
In the event that the child has not crept on hands and knees at the appropriate time, goes directly to walking, the treatment is for the child to creep.
Treatment is based on recapitulation, we provide the child the opportunity to experience the missed stage of development.
Previously we have mentioned the need to progress from primitive reflex levels of muscular function through to mobility speech and cognition. For this to occur satisfactorily then the reflex which enables one function to be completed must be replaced by another reflex to progress development. Retention of any of these reflexes inhibits progress. Recapitulation is essential to replace the retained reflex.
To enable treatment through recapitulation to occur an understanding of these reflexes and the role they play in development must be considered.
WHAT ARE PRIMITIVE REFLEXES?
Primitive reflexes are survival reflexes occurring sequentially in the first few weeks of fetal development, automatic, stereotyped movements, directed by a very primitive part of the brain (brainstem).
Are executed without involvement of higher levels of the brain (the cortex).
Ideally short lived, and as each fulfils its function is replaced by more sophisticated structures (Postural Reflexes) which are controlled by the cortex retained if they do not fulfil their function.Considered aberrant and evidence of an immaturity within the CNS if present beyond their time.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES?
Under normal circumstances, each set of movements identified as a reflex, plays a part, and then the CNS allows the package of interrelated movements to "break-up" and be integrated into increasingly complex voluntary controlled movement.
Many events however, can interfere with development for instance, genetic pre-disposition or inherited characteristics, stresses during pregnancy, birth trauma, and environmental deprivation are but a few examples.
Neuro-developmental delay is a term, which describes the presence of a cluster of aberrant reflexes because of an omission or arrest of a stage of early development.
Neurological Reorganisation using Sensory Integration Therapy based on recapitulation is the pathway to facilitate elimination of retained reflexes, replace them with new reflexes to complete the development process.
Neurological organisation is essential for the learning processes to develop Laterality and One-sidedness and Hemispherical Dominance essential for effective use of Reading and Writing.
THE PRIMITIVE REFLEXES
The Moro Reflex
Emerges at 9 weeks in utero and is the earliest form of "fight or flight" (reaction to stress) which is fully present at birth is usually inhibited between 2-4 months of life.
When retained the child is acutely sensitive, perceptive, imaginative on the one hand, but immature and over reactive on the other. The child copes in one of two ways- withdrawing from difficult situations, difficulty socialising and neither accepting or demonstrating affection or becoming aggressive, highly excitable, over-reactive and dominating.
The Palmar Reflex:
Emerges at 11 weeks in utero, is fully present at birth and usually inhibited by 2-3 months of life is the infant grasp reflex and is replaced by the pincer grip at 36 weeks of age. When retained beyond 4-5 months of life will impede both manual dexterity and manipulatory activities. Is one of a group of reflexes which affect handwriting, speech and articulation.
The Plantar Reflex:
Facilitates kicking movements, muscle tone and provides vestibular stimulation which stimulates the balance mechanism and increases neural connections during uterine life, not only assists the birth process but is reinforced by it and may be one reason why caesarean babies are at greater risk of developmental delay.
If retained it will impede creeping and cross-pattern crawling which is important for hand-eye coordination and the integration of the vestibular information with other senses
Stimulates the myenilation process required to protect nerve fibres in the CNS.
Also affects balance, laterality, visual-perceptual difficulties, handwriting and written expression.
The Rooting Reflex: Sucking Reflex
Emerges at 24-28 weeks in utero, is fully present at birth, and is inhibited by 3-4 months if retained may affect swallowing, feeding, speech, articulation and manual dexterity in an older child
The Spinal Galant:
Emerges at 20 weeks in utero, is actively present at birth and inhibited by 3-9 months if fully retained, or only retained on one side may affect posture, gait and other forms of locomotion. Is responsible for fidgeting, bedwetting, poor concentration and short term memory, and hip rotation to one side when walking
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR)
Emerges 18 weeks in utero to stimulate the balance mechanism and increase neural connections. ATNR assists birth process and is reinforced by it fully present at birth
Develops eye-hand coordination, trains one side of the body at a time; extends ability to focus from 17 cm to arms length.
Inhibited about 6 months of life (so that focus on distant objects can develop) ensures free passage of air when baby is in the prone position, increases extensor muscle tone.
When retained, the ATNR can result in the following manifestations:-
Homolateral movements when walking, marching skipping instead of cross-pattern movements
Cannot manipulate objects with both hands, poor ocular pursuit movements, fails to establish a preferred hand/eye/leg/ear and hence a dominant side so that movements are always slightly hesitant.
Mixed laterality. Poor handwriting and poor expression of ideas on paper
Visual-perceptual difficulties (symmetrical representation of figures)
The Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR) Forwards:
Emerges in utero, is fully present at birth and is inhibited by 4 months- is closely linked to the Moro as both are vestibular in origin and activated by movement of the head. When retained can lead to spatial problems, motion sickness, poor posture & muscle tone, visual perceptual difficulties, poor sequencing skills and a poor sense of time.
The Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR) Backwards
Emerges at birth and is inhibited gradually from 6 weeks to 3 years, is involved in the simultaneous development of postural reflexes, symmetrical tonic neck reflex and the Landau reflex can result in poor balance and coordination, organisational skills and stiff jerky movements if retained.
POSTURAL REFLEXES
These are transformed primitive reflexes and executed by higher regions in the brain (cortex). Once present they should remain for life. Their absence is an indication that the CNS is immature.
The Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex- Flexion & Extension (STNR):
When the child is in the quadruped position, flexion of the head causes the arms to bend and the legs to extend, head extension on the other hand causes the legs to flex and arms to straighten.Emerges at about 6-9 months of life and is inhibited about 9-11 months, if retained affects posture, hand-eye coordination and swimming skills. Results in the tendency to slump when sitting at a desk, ape-like walk, "clumsy child" syndrome, difficulties with binocular vision, slowness at copying tasks and messy eating habits.
Landau Reflex:
Emerges 3-10 months neonate and is inhibited by 36 months, can only occur when the TLR has been integrated and adequate muscle tone has developed.
Segmental Rolling Reflexes:
Emerge 6-10 months neonate and remain for life. Are essential for the integration of cross lateral movements such as smooth walking, running, jumping, skipping, marching, and swimming. In some individuals, full integration and transformation of the primitive reflexes fails to occur and they remain active despite normal development in other areas. When this occurs, it contributes to the underdevelopment of efficient proprioceptive-motor integration, hand-eye co-ordination, lateral integration and aspects of perceptual performance.
WHAT IS A REFLEX INHIBITION PROGRAM?
A Reflex inhibition programme; Sensory Integration Therapy
Is based on the theory of recapitulation ie. it is possible to replicate specific stages of development through the repetition of movement patterns based upon early development.
Gives the brain a "second chance" to pass through the stages which were omitted or incomplete in the first year of life.
Establishes neural connections.
Consists of specific physical, stereotyped movements practised for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per day, the most essential physical exercises, are cross patterned creeping on hands and knees, to create laterality, controlled spinning and rolling to promote vestibulary functions, essential for balance, speech and language.
Aberrant reflex activity needs to be addressed in order to facilitate normal development and eliminate many of the physical, academic and emotional problems their presence caused.
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