If you've landed on this page, chances are you've just heard the term "primitive reflexes" for the first time and you want to understand what they actually are. Good. I'll explain it in plain language, because this doesn't need to be complicated.
The basics
Primitive reflexes are automatic movement patterns that develop in the womb and during the first weeks of life. Every baby is born with them. They're controlled by the brainstem, the oldest, most basic part of the brain, and they serve specific survival functions.
As the baby's brain matures over the first year, these reflexes are supposed to be gradually inhibited and replaced by more sophisticated, voluntary movement patterns. This process is called integration. When it happens as it should, the reflexes do their job and quietly retire. When it doesn't happen, they stay active. We call these retained primitive reflexes, and they cause problems.
The key primitive reflexes
Rooting reflex
What it does: Stroke a baby's cheek and they turn their head towards the touch, opening their mouth. It helps the baby find the breast for feeding.
When it should integrate: By about 4 months.
When it's retained: It can affect speech and articulation because of its link to the muscles around the mouth. Some children dribble beyond the normal age, have difficulty with certain sounds, or are hypersensitive around the mouth and face. Fussy eating is also common.
Palmar grasp reflex
What it does: Place something in a newborn's palm and their fingers close tightly around it. It's the reflex that makes babies grip your finger.
When it should integrate: By about 6 months.
When it's retained: Fine motor skills suffer. Pencil grip is poor. Handwriting is difficult and tiring. There's often tension in the hands and wrists. Because the palmar reflex has a neurological connection to the mouth, you might notice the child sticking their tongue out while writing or concentrating. Manipulating small objects, doing up buttons, and using cutlery can all be affected.
ATNR (Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex)
What it does: When the baby turns their head to one side, the arm and leg on that side extend while the opposite arm and leg flex. It looks like a fencing position. It assists with the birth process and early reaching.
When it should integrate: By about 6 months.
When it's retained: This reflex has a massive impact on reading and writing. It interferes with hand-eye coordination, eye tracking across a page, crossing the body's midline, and maintaining a stable writing position. Children with a retained ATNR often have messy handwriting, lose their place while reading, and find literacy tasks exhausting. It's one of the most common reflexes I find in children referred for dyslexia.
STNR (Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex)
What it does: When the baby looks down, the arms bend and the legs straighten. When they look up, the arms straighten and the legs bend. It's a transitional reflex that helps the baby learn to get on all fours and eventually crawl.
When it should integrate: By about 9 to 11 months.
When it's retained: Sitting at a desk is a physical struggle. The child slumps, fidgets, leans on their arms, and can't maintain posture. Copying from a whiteboard is difficult because looking up and down triggers involuntary changes in muscle tone. They often sit in a W-position on the floor. Swimming is hard. They look exactly like a child with ADHD. Many are diagnosed with it when retained reflexes are the actual problem.
TLR (Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex)
What it does: The TLR has two components. Tipping the head forward causes the body to curl into a foetal position. Tipping it back causes the body to extend and stiffen. It helps develop muscle tone, balance, and spatial orientation.
When it should integrate: Gradually, over the first 3 years.
When it's retained: Balance is poor. The child may walk on their toes. Posture is either too floppy or too rigid. Spatial awareness is off. They bump into things, misjudge distances, and struggle with activities that require balance like riding a bike. Motion sickness is common because the vestibular system isn't working efficiently.
Spinal Galant reflex
What it does: Stroke one side of the baby's lower back and the hip on that side swings towards the touch. It plays a role in the birth process, helping the baby move through the birth canal.
When it should integrate: By about 9 months.
When it's retained: The child can't tolerate anything touching or pressing against their lower back. Sitting with their back against a chair is uncomfortable. Waistbands, tucked-in shirts, and belts are irritating. They wriggle constantly. Bedwetting beyond age 5 is strongly associated with a retained Spinal Galant reflex because it affects bladder control. This reflex is frequently overlooked and frequently significant.
What causes reflexes to be retained?
Several factors can prevent normal integration:
- Difficult, traumatic, or very fast birth
- Caesarean section (the birth process itself helps integrate certain reflexes)
- Premature birth
- Illness or hospitalisation in early infancy
- Limited tummy time or floor time
- Skipping or spending very little time crawling
- Chronic ear infections in the first year
- Prolonged use of baby walkers or bouncers
Sometimes there's no obvious cause at all. The point isn't to assign blame. The point is to identify the problem and fix it.
What to do next
If you've read through these descriptions and recognised your child, yourself, or someone you know, the next step is an assessment. I test for every major primitive reflex using specific clinical protocols. The assessment takes about 90 minutes and gives a clear picture of what's going on.
From there, I build a movement-based programme to integrate any retained reflexes. It's non-invasive, takes about 10 to 15 minutes a day at home, and typically runs for 6 to 12 months. I'm one of very few practitioners in the UK offering this therapy, and I have over 13 years of clinical experience, including 8 years at the B.I.R.D Centre in Chester.
I work with children and adults. No diagnosis required. No referral needed.
Book a free phone consultation or call me on 07469 870 295 and we'll talk it through.
