Retained TLR Reflex Behind Your Child’s Balance and Coordination Issues

This article contains information about how a retained TLR reflex could affect your child’s balance and coordination. Integrated Learning Strategies (ILS) is a learning and academic center. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. As a reminder, ILS is not a health care provider and none of our materials or services provide a diagnosis or treatment of a specific condition or learning challenge you may see in your child or student. If you seek a diagnosis or treatment for your child or student, please contact a trained professional who can provide an evaluation of the child.

Running, kicking a ball, riding a bike and sitting straight in a chair are things most kids do easily. However, if a child struggles doing simple physical tasks, there might be an underlying reason that goes deeper than just being uncoordinated.

If an older child tends to slump in their chair or battles staying balanced on their bicycle, they may have a retained Primitive Reflex known as the Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR). You may not realize a retained TLR could cause trouble with a child on a daily basis, but you can see the signs. When a child has a retained TLR reflex, they may also struggle with the following:

• Muscle Strength
• Bad Posture
• Balance issues
• Slumping or laying on the desk when writing

What is the TLR reflex?

A TLR reflex is the response a baby makes when the head position is changed.

In Attention, Balance and Coordination, Sally Goddard describes in the first few weeks of life, the infant starts gaining some control over this reflex by holding its head up when lying on their stomach (tummy time). This head control movement is the first step in gaining strength in the neck muscles, which assists in supporting the upper-trunk muscles. It eventually leads to the child’s control over muscle tone throughout the body regardless of head position.

In normal development, correct head alignment and control is the first lesson a baby must learn. Steadily, this head control provides the vestibular system a starting point where it can direct muscle groups and systems to work together. This cooperation between the vision system, core muscle groups and proprioception (the sensation of movement and position) help your child maintain balance and posture. All of these skills are used in the classroom to help kids do the following:

• Listen to the teacher
• Sit for longer periods of time in a chair
• Copy notes from the chalkboard
• Track words on a page
• Build social relationships with other children
• Focus and concentrate

Why a Retained TLR may cause Balance Issues

Balance is a critical part of a person’s daily life, and your child’s need for balance is just as great. Balance provides your child with the ability to keep the body centered over the feet. When balance and posture are lacking, it affects many daily activities.

If your child has a retained TLR reflex that is impacting your child’s balance, you may notice he or she has trouble with the following:

• Walking
• Running (possibly while playing sports)
• Riding a bike
• Navigating around furniture and other obstacles
• Has no sense of direction
• Can’t judge speed
• Tracking abilities that affect eye-hand coordination, reading and writing

If your child struggles with balance issues, the risk for falling increases, which includes certain activities and sports. Almost every part of a sports game involves balance and coordination. When a child participates in sports, many natural abilities come into play. Your child has to judge the speed of the ball and navigate their position in coordination with the other teammates.

To play sports or to be physically active, your child’s balance system must be regulated in order to run, jump and track the ball. When your child’s balance system is utilized properly, they can determine sense of direction (spatial awareness) to complete several tasks at the same time.

Knowing if your child’s balance and coordination issues are associated with a retained TLR reflex is an important step. It can mean the difference in improving their learning in the classroom. 

Simple Tests for a retained TLR Reflex

If your child’s balance and coordination issues do not stem from retained primitive reflex, you do not need to complete the tests below. However, if you don’t know or are unsure if this could be a possibility, try these activities with your child or student to see how their body responds. Complete the test three times. If the child “fails” the test one time, the reflex is considered retained.

Test 1 – Head Tilts

As you test your child or student using the head tilt, we recommend standing behind them to catch them if they fall or become dizzy. Watch the child for the following:

• Swaying
• Bent knees
• Collapsing
• Falling
• Taking a step backward

Here are the steps for completing the test:

1. Have your child stand straight with their legs and feet together (arms at their side).
2. Ask the child close their eyes and have the child tilt their head back as far as they can and hold that position for five seconds.
3. Now have your child close their eyes and tilt their head forward toward their chest and hold for five seconds.
4. Repeat the exercise three times.

If the child falls backward (or forward) or loses their balance when tilting their head backward and forward, the TLR reflex is retained. 

Test 2 – Superman

As you test your child or student using the superman, we recommend sitting in front of them in case they need your support. Watch the child for the following:

• Swaying
• Can’t lift their neck, legs and arms at the same time
• Falling to one side or the other
• Tires easily and can’t hold the exercise for more than five seconds
• Bends their legs and can’t keep them straight in the superman position

Here are the steps for completing the test:

1. Ask the child to lay on their tummy on a soft mat or surface.
2. Count to three and tell the child to lift their arms and legs off the floor at the same time in the superman position (arms back by their sides instead of in front as seen below).
3. Hold the position for 10 seconds.
4. Repeat the exercise three times.

The child’s knees will immediately bend if the TLR reflex is retained. It will take a lot of thought and concentration to keep their legs straight or they will not be able to straighten them at all without help. If a TLR reflex is retained, the child will also tilt back and forth without control of their body.

Retained Primitive Reflexes Roadmap

If your child or student does have a retained TLR reflex from the tests above, download this roadmap below to begin the steps toward integration. This roadmap provides additional signs and symptoms of retained reflexes that could be impacting your child’s learning development. The roadmap also provides additional tools and resources that can help you with integration exercises. To download your free copy, complete the form below.

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Integrated Learning Strategies is a Utah-based center dedicated to helping mainstream children and children with learning challenges achieve academic success. Our services provide kids with non-traditional tutoring programs within the Davis County, Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, Farmington, and Centerville areas. Areas to find Integrated Learning Strategies include: Reading tutors in Kaysville, Math tutors in Kaysville, Common Core Tutors in Kaysville, Tutors in Utah, Utah Tutoring Programs