Primitive Reflex Integration for your occupational therapy patients can make a world of difference. Primitive Reflexes have been found to cause neurological underdevelopment which affects the body, behavior, development, vision and sensory processing. Find out what they are and how to Integrate Primitive Reflexes.

What are They?

Primitive Reflexes are the special reflexes that develop in the brain stem before birth. This set of involuntary Primitive Reflexes help the baby with positioning in the womb, birthing, the first breath of life, feeding, urination etc. Most of these Primitive Reflexes go away through the first year of life as higher functions of the brain and muscle control develop.

If the reflexes remain, they interfere with the neurological organization of the brain which causes learning, behavioral, social, sensory and health problems. These remaining reflexes are unnoticed muscle movements in older children and adults that would not normally be noticed if one did not know what to look for. They cause ongoing issues until they are solved through exercises.

Retained Landau Reflex

Retained Moro Reflex

What Can Be Done?

If any of them remain past 12 months, they are called Retained Primitive Reflexes and they are a problem. There are simple exercises that can solve each one. This process is called Integrating Primitive Reflexes. Once they are integrated through these little exercises, many Learning Disabilities, Behavioral, Sensory Disorders, and health issues disappear or are greatly improved. You need to check for each of them, even if your child is not displaying the usual symptoms. If one remains unnoticed, it slows improvement in cognitive function. We will soon be adding information on Retained Babinski Reflex.

Symptoms when Primitive Reflexes Remain:

Because Primitive Reflexes start at the base of the brain. Functions that try to develop above them don’t wire properly. It can cause or contribute to:

Autism

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Asperger’s

Hemispheric Imbalance

Sensory Disorders

Hyper Activity

ADHD

Speech Disorders

Social Disorders

Asthma

Dyslexia

Dysgraphia

Dyscalculia

Immune Problems

Other Health Issues

Other Learning Disabilities

This is the first thing to check for. They can solve a multitude of problems. Other therapies or Brain Stimulation such as Hemispheric Integration Therapy, work best if Retained Primitive Reflexes are integrated or are being exercised first or at the same time.

How did this happen?

There are many children and adults that for one reason or another still have one or more Primitive Reflexes remaining. Some causes may include a traumatic birth, lack of “tummy time”, too much time laying in seaters or swings, induced labor, and traumatic C-Section birth. Most of the time, there is not a known reason.

Fear not. These are simple assessments and exercises that can be done 10 minutes per day for a few months. Then stimulate the other brain functions with these cognitive exercises and the Disabilities often go away or symptoms improve amazingly. Click on the individual pictures above to see the tests and exercises.