Looking Beyond Behaviour to Understand the Whole Child

Children who seem highly sensitive or emotionally reactive may be experiencing nervous system stress. Sometimes retained primitive reflexes can contribute to difficulties with emotional regulation, resilience, and coping with everyday challenges.

Some children live in a constant state of alertness. This can affect behaviour, learning, confidence, and relationships. Retained primitive reflexes may play a role in keeping the nervous system stuck in survival mode.

Meltdowns can sometimes be linked to sensory overwhelm, nervous system immaturity, emotional regulation difficulties, or retained primitive reflexes.

Yes. Primitive reflexes are closely linked to the development of the nervous system. When they remain active beyond infancy, they may contribute to anxiety, hypervigilance, and emotional challenges.

Difficulty sitting still, focusing, or filtering distractions may be linked to immature neurological development and retained primitive reflexes.

Some children are clearly intelligent but find learning unexpectedly difficult. Underlying developmental factors, including retained reflexes, can impact attention, coordination, reading, writing, and confidence.

Retained primitive reflexes can sometimes contribute to difficulties with visual tracking, posture, coordination, handwriting, and other skills needed for successful learning.

Heightened sensory sensitivity can occur when the nervous system is under stress. Primitive reflexes can contribute to sensory processing difficulties.

Children often seek movement or sensory input when their brains are trying to self-regulate - working with the primitive reflexes can help with self-regulation.

Persistent alertness, anxiety, sensory sensitivities - often caused by retained primitive reflexes - may affect a child's ability to relax and sleep.

Many parents report improvements in relaxation and sleep when working with therapies to address retained primitive reflexes.

Many families explore reflex integration as part of a wider support approach to help make life easier for their child and their family. A professional assessment can help determine whether retained primitive reflexes may be contributing to a child's challenges.

Yes, please email kate@brainbodyboost.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation, 15 min phone call to discuss your situation and to help you decide if you think the Brain & Body Calm Academy would be a good fit your child