Learning doesn’t just happen in the head
When looking at why a child cannot learn the same way as another child, we need to look at this child as a whole-being. There are many reasons why a child who is as capable as the next, just cannot apply themselves in the same way. I learned through working with my own child who has a specific learning difficulty that the learning will happen once we have addressed what’s going on with their body.
This is where a full history of the child is important. Many children and adults have Retained Primary Reflexes. We will notice this in how they stand, sit, move, wear clothes, write, read, run, sleep, react etc.
We find that where there is a DSMV diagnosis, a specific learning difficulty, emotional issues or sensory issues then supporting and integrating primitive and primary reflexes will help. They will change the day to day life of a child in and outside of the classroom.
Listen to what Chris Evans said on his Virgin radio show last year about his son Eli. A fun loving bright 7 year old who couldn’t read and write. Doing a program of integrating the primary reflexes helped him significantly. Chris also realised his other son Noah and himself have retained reflexes. He got support at a clinic in England but you can get help here at my clinic!
“See A Child Differently, See A Different Child” Stuart Shanker
Ever noticed when a new housing development is started and how long it takes for them the do the foundations? Once the FOUNDATIONS are correct the rest of the house goes up quite quickly! There is no point starting at the roof, the house must be built bottom up! This is exactly the same with humans. We also need a strong foundation in place for everything that comes after to be supported correctly and once we do this then the structures above us won’t collapse!
How do Retained Primary Reflexes affect development and learning?
Retained Primary Reflexes could cause or be part of some of these learning challenges your kids experience and they directly affect their learning development. I didn’t know any other this either and I spent years trying to find out what was going on with my own child. ‘Expert’ after ‘Expert’, still no real answers. The school did what they could with their knowledge and available resources but this fell short of what he needed.
A child struggling in school affects the whole family unit!
It’s sometimes hard to know if your child has a retained reflex and if it’s related to their learning development; however, there are a few key signs to watch out for if you think your child may have one or multiple retained reflexes.
- Had a traumatic birth or was a C-section delivery
- Sensitive to touch, sound, smell and taste
- Balance issues, is clumsy, struggles with sports, runs into furniture, can’t ride a bike
- Freezes or is in constant fight or flight mode
- Poor impulse control, easily distracted, severe mood swings
- Can’t cross the midline, trouble with hand-eye coordination, struggles with fine motor
- Has difficulty tracking when reading and writing
- Poor posture, attention issues, wraps legs around chair, wets the bed after age 5
- W-sitting, poor muscle control, toe walking
- Picky eater
- Chews or sucks pencils or toys
- Outbursts of Aggressive
- Under performance in school
- Spelling problems
- Sequencing in maths
- Fidgety, a need to be constantly ‘on the move’
- Difficulty using a knife and fork, dribbles food over themselves
- Difficulty dressing, doing buttons on clothes
- Under performance at school
This is not an exhaustive list but it may help you see some of the signs and behaviours in your own child.
Many kids with learning challenges often have a retained reflex, but kids that have sensory issues no matter their diagnosis are some of the most likely to have one or more reflexes retained. Each of the senses are often affected by retained Primary Reflexes and can contribute to the child’s sensitivities to light and sound, visual information for tracking and reading, and auditory responses for comprehension and following directions.
What can I do help my child in school?
Call me for a chat, it will cost you nothing to talk. Call 07789767700 or email [email protected]
