Consultation

 Learning takes place when we integrate information we receive through our senses and express our understanding through our behavior and actions. We all have multiple types of intelligence.  Emotional, kinesthetic, lateral thinking and intuitive, to name a few.

 What are Learning Challenges?

Physical, emotional and environmental factors can create blocks that prevent learners from accessing their full potential.

 These may cause challenges in speech and communication, reading, attention, motor co-ordination and many societal   labels such as ADD, ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia.

We consider these as learning challenges to be worked with and not “disorders”.

                                  What are Childhood Reflexes?

Reflexes are involuntary, survival and developmental movements that a baby uses to ensure safety and security   during the first years of life. The reflexes play a major role in establishing the  neural connections necessary for all future learning. If the reflexes are not fully emerged, developed and integrated, they will hinder the smooth development of many learning and behavioural functions. Reflexes go through three stages.  Retaining them at any stage can affect learning.          

Retained childhood reflexes are the root cause of the out-of-sync sensory and motor patterns that can affect learning and behavior.

                                                           EMERGE   DEVELOP  INTEGRATE

Below are a few examples of primitive reflexes

Fear Paralysis Reflex – withdrawal response; first step in coping with stress later in life

Moro Reflex – startle reaction that forms basis of emotional maturity.

Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex – develops balance, muscle tone and ocular-motor functions

Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex &  Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex – develop hand eye co-ordination and are the basis of all lateral functions, from crawling to efficient use of right and left brain hemispheres

Rooting & Suck Reflex – helps in feeding but retention affects development of speech and articulation.

                                                                        The Brain-Body Connection

A number of retained reflexes will show up as unintegrated sensory information  processing and motor output functions.

The following sensory motor functions have an interdependent relationship with primitive and postural reflexes.

The Vestibular function is our sense of balance against gravity that strongly influences muscle tone and eye movements and our ability to pay attention.

Ocular-motor function is the relationship between vision, muscle movements & other senses, especially touch.

Auditory  - the ability to filter unwanted sounds to hear details in context of the big picture.

Tactile and kinesthetic abilities ensure the intake and processing of  information through touch and movement.

Proprioception -  interpretation of body awareness and position through joints, muscles and  ligaments.

Laterality is the ability to work with both sides of the body and brain.

Centering is the ability to be emotionally and physically organized.

Focus is the ability to feel physically safe to be attentive and comprehend.

 With specific movements and processes, we can build neural connections that can mature and integrate the reflexes and senses, re-educating and balancing our physical, emotional and intellectual systems.