My previous thread
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt205885.html
led me onto a journey of discoveries for myself. I discovered that there are issues when the primitive reflexes from when we were infants are not properly integrated and are therefore retained, potentially leading to developmental problems in people with ASDs and ADHD, dyslexia, etc.
[I have started a new thread because on the other thread it didnt start out this way and I wanted to draw direct attention to this part also]
This page
http://www.totalhealthclinic.co/index.p ... l-reflexes
Describes:
What is a retained neonatal reflex?
You central nervous system is the centre for living. It’s health and performance determines how we perceive the world around us and how we respond to circumstances, stressor and obstacles which arise.
During our development in the womb, and in the early months of out lives the higher processing or thinking areas of our brain are not fully developed. At this time we are protected and assisted by primitive reflexes to illicit involuntary responses when we are not yet able to use rational thought, A reflex response may vary from rapid muscular movements (knee jerk reactions) to those involving breathing, peroeptual adjustments, hormonal changes and more complex body movements.
As your central nervous system, matures as you grow, the need for many involuntary reflex responses is reduced. At this point, if the reflex is not lost, its reaction when stimulated can become undesirable. Some reflexes however are necessary throughout life, such as when we quickly move a limb away from heat when we are burned.
Sometimes is reflexes are retained they can upset some, or all, of the functions of the higher control centres of the brain. These children present with problems, Sometimes if reflexes are retained they can upset some, or all, of the functions of the higher control centres of the brain. These children present with problems behaving, learning, and co-ordinating gross or fine motor movements.
Treatments involve mild muscle testing and gentle pressure on particular points, often combined with specific phase of breathing. Our experience has demonstrated that the order of treatment is very important to the overall outcome. A minimum of one week between visits ensures that the previous treatment and its effects have had time for benefits to adequately integrate.
After our initial course of eight to twelve weekly visits, we advise a follow up session, six weeks later. Some reflexes integrate within a week, whereas others take a little longer.
Fear Paralysis Reflex
This reflex can create feelings of anxiety or “butterflies in your stomach”. Children may prefer to withdraw from situations rather than try something new. When retained, tantrums and/or shyness are common.
Moro Reflex
We often find this retained reflex associated with over-reaction to stimulation of any of the senses – bright light, rough touch, loud noise. As well, we believe this retained alarm response can contribute to hyper-excitability, agitation, and difficulty socializing.
Juvenile Suck Thrust
If a Juvenile Suck Thrust is not adequately integrated, the tongue projects forwards before moving backward in the normal swallow. This action can continually push the front teeth forwards, altering the shape of the upper jaw. It is a huge problem for dentists (and their patients).
Rooting Reflex
Thumb sucking and fussy eating can be attributed to the retention of this reflex. As the tongue sits too far forward (as if ready to suck), it may result in speech and articulation problems, dribbling, and difficulty swallowing and chewing.
Palmar Reflex
A child can describe retention of this reflex as “it’s hard getting my ideas from my head, down my arm, and onto paper”. This can disturb both the flow of writing and expression of thoughts. They may be better at telling stories verbally than in written form, and may be ok when spelling words outloud, however jumble their letters up when writing. This reflex is important for fine motor control.
Plantar Reflex
Balance, walking and coordination may be affected by this retained reflex. This may put pressure on the pelvis and, in turn, cause low back or hip strain.
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex
Important for hand-eye coordination and distance perception. Some of the more obvious patterns relating to this retained reflex are messy hand writing, disturbed walking and poor eye-body skills such as weak catching/kicking abilities.
Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex
Retention of this reflex may cause difficulty in judging distance, speed, depth, space and may be accompanied with motion sickness. This reflex concentrates on the child’s balance system.
Sagittal Labyrinthine Reflex
Tiredness at the end of the school day, poor concentration or retention of information in class is often associated with this reflex failing to integrate. This reflex is demonstrated when the child prefers to push their chair out too far, lean onto the desk, and props their head up on their hand to ensure their head is in line with their torso. Alternatively they may slump or prefer to do their homework lying on their stomach
Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex
Retention of this reflex affects gross motor skills. Children are more injury prone, clumsy, and may find it difficult to coordinate their upper and lower body together. Exercise may not be enjoyed but once corrected, we commonly see an eagerness to exercise and an improved performance running and swimming.
Spinal Galant Reflex
Children who present with ‘ants in the pants’, wiggling and squirming whilst seated, often have this retained reflex. This constant irritant affects concentration and short term memory and is often related to poor bladder control.
Disturbed Eye Tracking Right to Left
Reading difficulties and poor comprehension of written information are indicators of this retained reflex. It can be noted in a child who prefers to turn their head instead of shifting their gaze.
There are some theories also that autism comes about due to a failure to prune neurons in the early stages of Life. Here is a page that talks about it, though it is in very early stages
http://arstechnica.com/science/2007/12/ ... th-autism/
In a lecture given at this past weekend's American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) annual meeting, researchers presented results that suggest that brain overgrowth in the latter part of an infant's first year of life may contribute to autistic characteristics. The data and results are consistent with prior work that has found brain overgrowth in autistic children by two years of age. The lead researcher on the work, Joseph Piven, who is the director of the Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Center at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, states that "One reason these findings are important is because early post-natal onset raises the possibility that there may be a window for early treatment and prevention that could be identified by future studies."
Under normal brain development, neural connections are formed, but some are subsequently eliminated through a process known as "pruning." The pruning refines normal brain conditions and increases the efficiency of the remaining connections in the brain. According to Piven, one hypothesis is that some autistic children's brain undergo less pruning, which could lead to the larger brain sizes observed. Even with this apparent link, Dr. Piven urges caution from reading too much into it. Since the autism label represents a spectrum of disorders, saying one form of brain overgrowth is solely responsible isn't appropriate at this point. It should also be noted that this work has yet to undergo a peer review process, as this research was presented at a conference this week.
Piven also made note of an upcoming study that he will be involved in that will examine the infant siblings of more than 500 autistic children. MRI images of the younger siblings brains will be taken at 6, 12, and 24 months. Since autism has a genetic component, basic statistics states that some of the children will be diagnosed with autism during the course of the study. The investigators hope to be able to identify any brain changes in infancy that may be a precursor to autistic symptoms.
I also came across this article:
http://www.rhythmicmovement.com/index.p ... &Itemid=18
And this 10 min YouTube presentation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLBWHyhW1gk
I HIGHLY relate to many of these retained primitive reflex symptoms!! !! !
What does everyone else think about this idea? And do you relate to the primitive reflex retention symptoms?
06 Aug 2012, 4:56 am
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