Are these Warning Signs and Red Flags Telling Me My Child may have a Retained Primitive Reflex Delaying their Learning Development?

This article provides parents, teachers and therapists with warning signs and red flags to watch for if you suspect your child has a retained Primitive Reflex hindering their learning and academic development. Integrated Learning Strategies (ILS) is a learning and academic center. 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.

What most parents and teachers don’t realize is a child could have a retained Primitive Reflex without their knowledge and it could be one of the biggest culprits or triggers if a child is struggling with emotional, behavioral and learning development.

Oftentimes parents say…

“My child has meltdowns, hates loud noises, can’t sleep at night, is a picky eater, always tugs on their waistband and hates their cloths.”

Or…

“My child can’t form their letters, writes uphill or downhill and isn’t tracking.”

Or…

“My child hates change, has lots of anxiety, is always in fight or flight mode, won’t socialize with other kids and has poor behavior in class.”

Now, these are just a few examples, but as soon as I hear these phrases from parents, my first thought is that they may have one or more retained primitive reflexes causing or at least contributing to some of these overlying issues.

Signs and Symptoms of Retained Primitive Reflexes

Because most parents and teachers don’t know what signs to watch for in their child or know enough about retained Primitive Reflexes, it can be hard to recognize if a child has one or more retained Primitive Reflexes. Remember, retained Primitive Reflexes are reflexes we are all born with, but as we grow older, they should integrate or “go to sleep” to make way for other developmental milestones like crawling, walking, grasping and talking.

So what signs do I watch for if my child might possibly have a retained Primitive Reflex?

Here are just a few you may find and what reflex may be causing some of the issues you are seeing in your child:

These are just a few signs above, but you can also find signs in the classroom as well. When children enter school, it’s assumed that they can sit still, attend, hold a writing instrument and use their eyes to track words across the page. For many children, these skills come naturally and without difficulty as they get older.

However, if a child has retained Primitive Reflexes or other disconnections in the brain, these simple tasks put the child at a disadvantage because they lack the physical and mental abilities to succeed in these foundational areas. It’s important to remember, there is a definite brain and body connection.

Integrate with Success Program

If you suspect your child has one or more retained Primitive Reflexes, there is a way to test your child and help integrate the reflexes with a few simple exercises you can do right in your living room. The Integrate with Success program helps parents, therapists, teachers and professionals integrate six basic and most commonly retained Primitive Reflexes.

To enroll in the course, join the waitlist here.

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