Developmental Concerns

What are primitive reflexes?

Most parents have never heard of primitive reflexes. That is because they are often checked at the first few well-baby visits. However, few health professionals make sure they go away at the appropriate time (usually after 6-12 months of life). Primitive reflexes need to be evaluated in all infants and children because they are an indicator of how well the brain and body have developed and made early connections. 

As the brain matures and builds more complex movement patterns, the early primitive reflex patterns become controlled as opposed to automatic. Take, for example, that adorable reflex newborns have where they grip your finger every time you touch their palms. This reflex teaches them how to sense objects in their palm, how to make a fist and how to coordinate all of their hand muscles simultaneously to close. Eventually, they can CHOOSE to pick up or drop objects (this is when dinner time becomes fun!). Once a child knows how to use the hand muscles together, they can learn to do more complex fine motor skills such as holding a pencil.

However, when reflexes continue to be automated longer than necessary, the brain cannot mature properly, and optimal function is disrupted. Often parents aren’t aware that these early movement patterns can be a big part of the many problems kids have today – ultimately influencing the ability to learn in school, control their behavior, make friends and coordinate their bodies in sports. A child with poor hand-eye coordination and body awareness is going to struggle to hit a ball, shoot a basket or write well since all of these skills build on simple patterns of “muscle memory” learned in infancy. 

Our team of chiropractors have extra training in identifying retained primitive reflexes and developmental imbalances to better assist you and your child on supporting the nervous system through chiropractic, at home exercises and advice to enhance their ability to learn, grow and thrive in their environment and in themselves.

Why would a person need a developmental assessment?

A developmental exam is beneficial for people of all ages. Development is influenced by a variety of things ranging from movement and muscle tone, birth stress, illness, chronic stress, environmental toxins, and epigenetics (how genes turn off and on).

The brain develops from the bottom-up and then regulates all functions from the top-down. If stages were skipped that have altered the bottom-up development of the brain, then it cannot properly regulate and react to the information it receives. When this happens, people begin to have issues with attention, behavior, academics, social skills and coordination. In order for your brain to coordinate its movement system, immune system, spatial awareness system, thoughts, emotions and behaviors, it needs to develop symmetrically and in the correct order.

By identifying the areas that the brain didn’t develop correctly, we can combine spinal adjustments and exercises to re-develop missed stages and balance how the brain functions. Common signs and symptoms go away when the brain can function and coordinate the body correctly.