Most people have never heard of primitive reflex integration therapy. That's not surprising. There are very few practitioners in the UK who offer it, and it's barely discussed in mainstream healthcare. But for the children and adults I work with, it's often the thing that finally makes sense of years of unexplained difficulties.
I'm Andrew Cheers. I spent 8 years working at the B.I.R.D Centre in Chester, one of the leading clinics in the country for neurodevelopmental assessment and intervention. That's where I trained in primitive reflex integration, working alongside some of the most experienced practitioners in the field. I've been doing this work for over a decade now, and it remains one of the most effective interventions I've ever used.
What are primitive reflexes?
Primitive reflexes are automatic movement patterns that every baby is born with. You've probably seen some of them without knowing what they were. The startle reflex when a baby throws its arms out. The grasp reflex when a newborn grips your finger. The rooting reflex that helps a baby find the breast.
These reflexes are essential for survival in the first months of life. They help with birth, feeding, bonding, and early movement. But here's the important part: they're meant to be temporary. As a baby's brain develops through the first year, these reflexes should gradually integrate. They switch off, and more mature, voluntary movement patterns take over.
When that doesn't happen, the reflexes stay active. We call them retained primitive reflexes. And they cause problems. Sometimes subtle. Sometimes significant.
If you want to understand each reflex in detail, I've written a full guide: What Are Primitive Reflexes?
What happens when reflexes don't integrate?
Think of retained reflexes as background interference in the nervous system. The brain is constantly having to work around them, compensate for them, or fight against them. That takes energy. It takes concentration. And it means that tasks other people find straightforward become genuinely hard work.
A child with a retained Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) will struggle every time they try to write. Turning their head triggers an involuntary arm movement. They have to fight that reflex with every single letter. No wonder their handwriting is messy. No wonder they're exhausted by the end of a school day.
A child with retained reflexes affecting the fight-or-flight system is stuck in a state of high alert. Sudden noises, bright lights, unexpected touch. Their nervous system overreacts to all of it. They look anxious. They look like they can't control their emotions. They might get labelled as difficult or overly sensitive.
A retained Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) makes it hard to sit still at a desk, to copy from a whiteboard, to maintain focus. Sound familiar? It should. These are the exact symptoms that lead to referrals for ADHD.
Signs you might recognise
In children
- Difficulty sitting still or poor posture (slumping, fidgeting, wrapping legs around chair)
- Struggles with reading, writing, or copying from the board
- Clumsy or uncoordinated movement
- Difficulty catching a ball or riding a bike
- Motion sickness or car sickness
- Bedwetting beyond age 5
- Sensitivity to clothing labels, loud noises, or bright lights
- Emotional meltdowns that seem disproportionate
- Difficulty making friends or reading social cues
- Poor concentration and easily distracted
In adults
- Clumsiness or poor spatial awareness
- Reading fatigue or losing your place on the page
- Poor balance
- Difficulty concentrating in busy or noisy environments
- Feeling overwhelmed or anxious without a clear trigger
- Chronic tension in the neck, shoulders, or jaw
- Motion sickness that never went away
None of these things mean you definitely have retained reflexes. But if you're reading this list and ticking off multiple items, it's worth investigating.
What therapy involves
This isn't talk therapy. It's not medication. It's movement-based, completely non-invasive, and suitable for children and adults.
The process starts with a thorough assessment. I test for each primitive reflex individually using specific clinical tests. I look at how you move, how you balance, how your eyes track, how your body responds to certain positions and stimuli. The assessment takes about 90 minutes and gives me a clear picture of which reflexes are retained and how they're affecting you.
From there, I build a programme of specific movements designed to replicate the natural developmental sequence that should have integrated those reflexes in the first place. You're essentially giving the brain a second chance to do what it didn't do in infancy.
The exercises are simple. They take about 10 to 15 minutes a day at home. I see you roughly every 6 to 8 weeks to reassess, track progress, and adjust the programme. Most people are on the programme for 6 to 12 months, depending on how many reflexes are involved.
The results can be remarkable. I've seen children go from the bottom of their class to thriving. I've seen adults describe it as life-changing. Not because I'm doing anything magical, but because when you remove the interference, the brain can finally do what it's been trying to do all along.
Why this service is so rare
Primitive reflex integration therapy is well established in parts of Europe, Scandinavia, and the US. In the UK, it's still relatively unknown. Most GPs haven't heard of it. Most schools haven't heard of it. There are very few practitioners offering it, and I'm one of them.
I trained at the B.I.R.D Centre in Chester, which was one of the few places in the country doing this work at a clinical level. I spent 8 years there, assessing and treating children and adults with retained reflexes alongside conditions like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. That experience is rare. It matters. And it's why people travel to see me from across the North West, North Wales, and beyond.
Who is this for?
I work with children and adults. You don't need a diagnosis. You don't need a referral. If you suspect that something isn't quite right and nobody has been able to explain it, this might be the answer.
I see people with existing diagnoses of ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. I also see plenty of people with no diagnosis at all. Retained reflexes don't care about labels.
Take the next step
If any of this resonates, get in touch. I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation so you can ask questions and work out if this is the right path. No pressure. No hard sell. Just a straight conversation about what I can do and whether it's likely to help.
Book a consultation or call me on 07469 870 295.
