If your child struggles with reading, writing, or coordination, you've probably heard the words dyslexia or dyspraxia mentioned. Maybe they have a diagnosis. Maybe they're waiting for one. Maybe nobody has been able to give you a clear answer about what's going on.
There's something that's frequently missed in these conversations: retained primitive reflexes. Specific reflexes, when they fail to integrate in infancy, directly interfere with the skills needed for reading, writing, and coordinated movement. This isn't theory. I've seen it in clinic hundreds of times over 13 years.
How retained reflexes affect reading and writing
The ATNR and literacy
The Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex is the big one when it comes to reading and writing difficulties. This reflex links head turning to arm movement. Turn your head to the right and the right arm wants to extend while the left arm bends.
For a baby, this reflex helps with reaching and early hand-eye coordination. It should integrate by about 6 months. When it doesn't, the consequences for literacy are significant.
Writing: Every time a child looks at their hand while writing, the ATNR tries to extend that arm. They have to fight the reflex with every letter. Handwriting becomes slow, messy, inconsistent. The pencil grip is often wrong because the child is compensating for involuntary muscle activity. They press too hard or too lightly. They fatigue quickly. They avoid writing tasks. Teachers say they're not trying hard enough. They're trying harder than anyone.
Reading: The ATNR also affects eye tracking. Smooth, controlled eye movements across a page require the head to be still while the eyes move independently. A retained ATNR disrupts this. The child loses their place on the line. Letters seem to jump or move. They re-read the same line without realising. Reading is slow and exhausting, which gets mistaken for lack of ability.
Crossing the midline
The ATNR also interferes with crossing the body's midline. This is the invisible line down the centre of the body. To read fluently, the eyes need to track smoothly from left to right, crossing the midline in the middle of each line. When the ATNR is retained, this crossing point becomes a stumbling block. The eyes hesitate, jump, or lose their place right in the middle of the line.
If you've ever watched your child use a finger to track while reading, or noticed they seem fine with the first half of a line but stumble on the second half, this is likely the reason.
How retained reflexes affect coordination
Dyspraxia, or Developmental Coordination Disorder, involves difficulty with motor planning and execution. Children with dyspraxia struggle with tasks that require coordinated movement: getting dressed, using cutlery, catching a ball, handwriting, riding a bike.
Multiple primitive reflexes contribute to these difficulties when retained:
- TLR (Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex): Affects head control, balance, spatial orientation, and muscle tone. When retained, the child may have poor posture, walk on tiptoes, struggle with balance, and have difficulty judging distances and spatial relationships.
- STNR (Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex): Links head position to upper and lower body movement. A retained STNR makes it hard to coordinate arms and legs independently. Swimming, climbing, crawling, and sitting upright at a desk all become disproportionately difficult.
- Palmar reflex: The grasp reflex. When retained, it affects fine motor control. Pencil grip is awkward. Manipulating small objects is challenging. Mouth movements may also be affected because the palmar reflex has a neurological link to the muscles around the mouth, which can impact speech clarity.
What I do
I assess every major primitive reflex using specific clinical tests. The assessment takes about 90 minutes and tells me exactly which reflexes are retained and how they're affecting your child's reading, writing, or coordination.
From there, I build a movement-based programme that targets the retained reflexes in the correct developmental order. The exercises replicate the natural movements that should have integrated these reflexes in infancy. They're done at home, daily, for about 10 to 15 minutes. I reassess every 6 to 8 weeks and adjust the programme as reflexes integrate.
Most programmes run for 6 to 12 months. The improvements in reading, writing, and coordination are often striking. Not because I've taught reading or handwriting skills, but because I've removed the neurological barriers that were preventing those skills from developing properly.
Works alongside other support
If your child is already receiving support for dyslexia or dyspraxia through school, an educational psychologist, or an occupational therapist, reflex integration therapy complements all of that. It addresses the neurological foundation. Other interventions build on top of it. When the foundation is right, everything else works better.
No diagnosis required
You don't need a diagnosis of dyslexia, dyspraxia, or anything else. I assess for retained reflexes directly. If you've noticed your child struggles with reading, writing, or coordination and you want to understand why, I can help. I also work with adults who have lived with these difficulties their entire lives.
Get in touch
I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation. No obligation. Just a conversation about what's going on and whether reflex integration therapy is likely to help. Book a consultation or call me on 07469 870 295.
