What are Primary Reflexes? 

Primary reflexes are innate movement patterns present in all newborns as part of our genetic makeup. These reflexes begin to develop in utero as early as 6 weeks gestation and continue to mature throughout the first year of life. Ideally, they should fade into the background once their developmental role is fulfilled, only reactivating in times of stress, serving as our "survival system."

Stress triggers can vary widely from one individual to another. For some children, it might result from a stressful birth, such as a C-section or prolonged labor, or from oxygen deprivation. Others may experience stress due to accidents, illnesses (e.g., hospitalizations), or traumatic events (e.g., neglect, abuse, foster care, caregiver separation). There's no fixed threshold for the amount of stress required to cause primitive reflexes to persist, as it varies for each child.

While this is not a comprehensive list, You may observe signs of retained primitive reflexes in your child or yourself if they/you experience difficulties with or have a history of:

• Attention

• Anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma recovery, and other mental health concerns

• Coordination (fine motor, gross motor, bilateral)

• Education (reading, writing, math skills)

• Feeding

• Independence in daily activities

• Medical trauma (NICU stay, surgeries, invasive procedures)

• Neurological functioning

• Regulation

• Sensory Processing

• Sleep

• Toilet training (day and night time)

• Vision (tracking, scanning, dyslexia)