Your child is bright. You know they are. But something isn't clicking. Maybe school is a battleground. Maybe they can't sit still, can't concentrate, can't get their thoughts onto paper. Maybe they come home exhausted and melting down every day. You've tried everything the school suggested. Maybe you've been told to wait and see. Maybe you've been told it's just behaviour.
It might not be any of those things. It might be retained primitive reflexes.
How retained reflexes show up in children
Primitive reflexes are automatic movement patterns that every baby is born with. They're supposed to integrate during the first year of life. When they don't, they create interference in the nervous system that affects everything from posture to reading to emotional regulation.
Here's what I see in my clinic, week after week:
- The fidgeter. Can't sit still. Wraps legs around chair legs. Slumps. Constantly shifting position. Teachers say they're not paying attention, but the truth is their body literally won't let them be still. Often a retained STNR or Spinal Galant reflex.
- The reluctant reader. Loses their place on the page. Letters seem to move. Reading is exhausting and slow. The ATNR reflex is usually involved, and it directly affects eye tracking and hand-eye coordination.
- The clumsy one. Trips over their own feet. Can't catch a ball. Struggled to learn to ride a bike. The TLR and STNR reflexes affect balance, coordination, and muscle tone.
- The sensitive child. Overreacts to noise, clothing tags, unexpected touch. Has meltdowns that seem out of proportion. Retained reflexes can keep the fight-or-flight response permanently switched on.
- The bedwetter. Still wetting the bed at 6, 7, 8 years old. A retained Spinal Galant reflex is a common and overlooked cause.
None of these children are lazy. None of them are naughty. Their nervous system is working against them, and nobody has spotted it.
What the assessment looks like
I start with a detailed history. Birth history matters. Early milestones matter. Did they crawl? For how long? Did they skip stages? These details tell me a lot about what might have gone wrong with reflex integration.
Then I assess each reflex individually using specific clinical tests. I'll ask your child to adopt certain positions, perform particular movements, and I'll observe how their body responds. The assessment takes about 90 minutes and it's completely non-invasive. Most children find it interesting rather than stressful.
By the end, I know exactly which reflexes are retained and how they're affecting your child. That's when I build the programme.
What the programme involves
The therapy is movement-based. I prescribe a set of specific exercises that replicate the natural developmental movements your child's brain missed or didn't complete. These movements give the brain a second opportunity to integrate the reflexes properly.
The exercises are done at home. They take about 10 to 15 minutes a day. I'll show you and your child exactly what to do, and I'll give you written and visual instructions to take away. Your role as a parent is to supervise the exercises and keep them consistent.
Consistency is everything. The children who do their exercises daily make the fastest progress. The ones who do them three times a week still improve, but it takes longer.
I see your child roughly every 6 to 8 weeks for reassessment. Each time, I retest the reflexes, measure progress, and adjust the programme. Some reflexes integrate quickly. Others take more time. A typical programme runs for 6 to 12 months.
What kind of changes do parents notice?
The early changes are often subtle. Sleeping better. Slightly calmer. Less reactive. Then the bigger shifts start. Handwriting improves. Reading becomes less of a struggle. They can sit at the dinner table without falling off the chair. They come home from school and they're not in pieces.
I've worked with hundreds of children over 13 years. The pattern is consistent. When you address the underlying reflexes, the knock-on improvements across learning, behaviour, and emotional regulation are real and lasting.
No diagnosis required
You don't need a diagnosis of ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or dyspraxia to access this therapy. I assess for retained reflexes directly. Many children I work with have no formal diagnosis. Their parents simply recognised that something wasn't right and went looking for answers.
If your child does have a diagnosis, this therapy works well alongside other support. It addresses a foundational layer that other interventions often miss.
Get in touch
If you're reading this and thinking "that sounds like my child," trust that instinct. You know your child better than anyone.
I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation. We'll talk through what you're seeing and I'll be honest about whether I think I can help. Book a consultation or call me on 07469 870 295.
