Primitive Reflex Integration

WHAT ARE PRIMITIVE REFLEXES?

 

As infants develop into toddlers, these reflexes should do what health care professionals call “integration”. The response that comes with the primitive reflex should integrate into a more mature or voluntary movement. If they are still present long after they should have integrated, the child will display certain characteristics specific to the retained reflex, many of which hold back their development and academic skills. 

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Reflex's and their long term affects if left unintegrated:

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Tonic Reflex Integration :Balance and coordination problems, Shrunken posture, Fatigues easily, Muscle tone imbalances, difficulty judging distances, depth, space, and speed, Fear of heights, “W” sitting, motion sickness, Visual, speech, auditory difficulties, tendency to be cross-eyed, Stiff, jerky movement, toe walking, difficulty walking up and down stairs difficulty following directional or movement instructions  and poor core strength.

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Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex ATNR: Poor focus, Dyslexia, difficulty crossing the midline and working in the midfield, poor gross- and fine-motor skills, difficulty with balance & coordination, difficulty learning to ride a bike, difficulty with visual tasks (teaming and tracking), slow, ambling walk, poor or tense pencil grip: awkward writing position neck and shoulder tension, challenges with handwriting, difficulty expressing ideas through writing, Poor bilateral integration (poor communication via corpus callosum) and a messy eater.

 

Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex STNR: slumped posture, weak muscles, especially in upper arms Poor hand-eye coordination, appear lazy or slothful, real difficulty moving fluidly squirming or fidgeting; discomfort sitting and standing headaches and migraines from chronic muscle tension, difficulty writing and reading, homolateral, ape-like walking, vision disorders trouble staying on task, clumsy, messy eater and difficulty copying from a chalkboard

 

 Grasp Reflex Palmar / Babkin Reflex: Poor fine-motor skills, tight or awkward pencil grip, difficulty with handwriting nail biting, hypersensitive palms, tension in hands, wrists, arms and shoulders, tightly clenched fists, compulsive chewing excessive drooling, difficulty separating hand and mouth movements, speech problems, stuttering addictions plantar.

 

Babinski: Difficulty walking or running, loose ankles, easily sprained, poor vestibular development, Poor coordination may limp if only one side is active, foot cramps, toe walking, walking with toes pointed inward and outward, tension in legs, hips, low back, walking on the inside or outside edges of feet, difficulty coordinating thought and movement Fear

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Paralysis Reflex FPR:  Shallow, difficult breathing, underlying anxiety when triggered, loss of focus and visual control insecure, low self-esteem, depression/isolation/withdrawal, constant feelings of overwhelm, Challenges with transitions, extreme shyness, fear in groups, excessive fear of embarrassment, extreme self-consciousness, Fear of separation from a loved one, clinging sleep and eating disorders, feeling stuck, Selective mutism, low tolerance to stress withdrawal from touch aggressive or controlling behaviour, craves attention, extreme fear of failure, perfectionist/ frustration, phobias obsessive-compulsive disorder, tendency toward mostly peripheral vision, or mostly tunnel (centrally focused) vision,

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Moro Reflex: Sleep disturbances, difficulty settling down to sleep, easily triggered, reacts in anger or emotional outbursts Shyness, poor balance and coordination, poor stamina, motion sickness, vision/reading/ writing difficulties, poor digestion, tendency toward hypoglycemia, weak immune system, asthma, allergies, and infections, hypersensitivity to light, movement, sound, touch, and smell, difficulty adapting to change, poor core strength, cycles of hyperactivity & extreme fatigue Easily distracted, difficulty filtering out extraneous stimuli, difficulty catching a ball, Difficulty with visual perception,  tires easily or is irritable under fluorescent lighting

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Spinal Galant Reflex: Difficulty with potty training, bed wetting or soiling past 5 years of age, fidgeting, difficulty sitting still, hypersensitivity to touch on the back or waist, poor concentration, poor short-term memory, unbalanced walk, tripping often Scoliosis when active on one side only, and weakness in the back stiff lumbar spine

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Headrighting Reflexes: Poor balance, easily fatigued, poor visual perception, poor control of eye movements, weak neck muscles, poor posture, difficulties with reading and spelling and difficulties concentrating and learning