The Retained Reflexes Causing Tactile Defensiveness and Hypersensitivity

This article provides helpful information about retained Primitive Reflexes and Tactile Defensiveness. 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.

Because a child learns through their senses, developing the tactile system is one of the most important ways a child learns. Kids often learn through play, which means they have to use their touch and manipulation of toys to grow.

However, some kids who have an underdeveloped tactile system may develop tactile defensiveness, especially if they have one or more retained Primitive Reflexes. Retained Primitive Reflexes can make tactile responses more intense when the child comes in contact with unwanted tactile stimuli.

Why is Tactile Development so important?

A child develops their sense of touch in utero around 16 weeks of life. The tactile sense never turns off or takes a break, which is one of the reasons why it can be sensitive.

Tactile learning is important for supporting a child’s physical, cognitive and emotional development.

Our tactile responses refer to how our sense of touch gets information from the skin. Some tactile receptors are close to the surface of the sin, while others run deeper. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

• Light Touch: Sends messages to the brain that says “pay attention.”
• Medium Touch: Happens when someone applies firm pressure to the skin.
• High Touch Sensitivity: Areas of the body like the fingertips, tongue and lips that are sensitive to touch.

Tactile development is important because most kids learn through their tactile system. Some of the following ways tactile contributes to higher learning includes the following:

• Hands-on learning activities (i.e., art projects, nature, acting)
• Taps their pencil, moves their feet, holds and object while studying
• Uses fingers to trace letters, numbers and shapes for spelling and reading
• Moving, exploring and testing their environment and the stimuli around them

Tactile information can send the brain signals that can cause positive or negative emotional responses.

What is Tactile Defensiveness?

When a child comes in contact with negative tactile stimuli, they experience what we call tactile defensiveness. Neurologically the brain overreacts to tactile information and sees it as a potential threat. Tactile defensiveness is a neural disorder that is frequently seen in neurodivergent kids or those who have some type of learning challenge.

In addition, a child’s sensory system has trouble filtering out unwanted tactile information when it comes in contact with the body. You may find a child with tactile defensiveness also struggles with the following:

• Sensory Processing
• Autism
• Retained Primitive Reflexes
• Oral Sensory issues (extreme picky eating)

Kids who experience tactile defensiveness have trouble functioning when they come in contact with certain textures or touch.

Signs and Symptoms of Tactile Defensiveness

Children who regularly experience tactile defensiveness may display many emotions and behaviors. When a child is sensitive to tactile stimuli within their environment, you may notice some of the following signs and symptoms:

• Difficulty wearing clothing made of itchy or rough fabric
• Dislikes tags on shirts and other clothing garments
• Instantly goes into the “fight-or-flight” response with non-threatening touches
• Does not like to be involved with messy activities such as painting, gardening, or cooking
• Avoids big crowds
• Unexpected hugs, kisses or touches are usually unwanted
• Can be a picky eater due to texture on the tongue and lips
• Has issues with food temperature (too hot or too cold)
• Very ticklish
• Becomes anxious on windy days

Sometimes a child is not completely aware of what they are feeling when it comes to tactile stimuli, but they know it is uncomfortable. In many cases, the child is not conscious of how strongly they may respond when exposed to unwanted tactile stimuli. Light touch can feel irritating, painful or threatening to kids who experience tactile defensiveness.

Retained Primitive Reflexes and Tactile Defensiveness

Tactile defensiveness is often found in children who have one or more retained Primitive Reflexes. When retained reflexes disrupt the child’s tolerance to tactile information, the child’s receptors often trigger the fight or flight response.

Depending on how many reflexes are retained or impacted by tactile sensitivities, the severity may differ in each child. Some children find tactile stimuli mildly irritating, while others interpret it as a threat.

If a child experiences tactile defensiveness, they may have one or more of the following retained Primitive Reflexes.

Fear Paralysis Reflex

Children with a retained Fear Paralysis reflex often experience tactile defensiveness and hypersensitivity to touch. The child often avoids hugs and may react with the fight or flight response when touched affectionately, during play or when they come in contact with in unfamiliar tactile stimuli.

Moro Reflex

The Moro reflex is one of the biggest contributors to tactile defensiveness. Why is that? Because the Moro reflex is closely tied to a child’s sensory system, tactile disruptions are one of the most common when it comes to retention.

A retained Moro reflex can cause extreme reactions in the child when they come in contact with tactile stimuli they are trying to avoid. The reflex can be set off by excess information that causes hypersensitivity to touch or texture.

Kids with a retained Moro may have hypersensitivities to certain textures that include the following:

• Clothing
• Foods
• Blankets
• Play Items (slime, Play-Doh, sand, etc.)
• Soaps
• Headbands around the head or ears
• Being wet (swimming or in the ocean)
• Cooking or baking items (meats, eggs, sugar, flour, etc.)

If children have a weakened tactile system because of a retained Moro reflex, they may display some of the following behaviors:

• Squirming or fidgeting
• Gagging
• Itching or tugging at clothes
• Sleeping on top of the blankets at night or no blankets at all
• Has meltdowns when skin is wet or sandy and can’t shower right away
• Refuses to engage in messy play (slime, liquids, kinetic sand, etc.)

Spinal Galant Reflex

Children with a retained Spinal Galant reflex are usually hypersensitive to touch, especially in the lumbar area. Sometimes, the reflex can be triggered even before the body comes into direct contact with tactile information.

In addition, kids with a retained Spinal Galant reflex often avoid tight clothing because it also activates the reflex. You may think the child has ADHD or “ants in the pants” because they continue to squirm or fidget in their desk when it’s really the reflex being activated by contact with tactile stimulation.

If the reflex is activated by a tactile response to clothing or fabric textures, you may want to adjust their clothes if they continue to wear the following:

• Belts
• Seams around the waist
• Elastics in the pants
• Tags or labels in clothes
• Textures that itch, scratch or rubs the skin of the child

Rooting Reflex

If a child has a retained Rooting reflex, they are typically sensitive to textures of foods and are usually considered “picky eaters.” Kids with a retained Rooting reflex usually only eat 10 foods or less.

A retained Rooting reflex makes it difficult for the child to chew, swallow and taste solid or textured foods. In addition, children with a retained Rooting reflex are usually very sensitive around the lips and mouth, especially when certain textures of foods or liquids touch the lips.

A child with tactile defensiveness to foods with a retained Rooting reflex, may disklike or avoid the following:

• Foods that require chewing
• Crunchy foods
• Touching food and feeding themselves
• Brushing Teeth
• Washing face

Palmar Reflex

A child with tactile defensiveness who also has a retained Palmar reflex is usually sensitive to tactile stimuli they come in contact with on the palm of the hands. This may also include the following when it comes to messy play and fine motor development:

• Holding pencils
• Using markers
• Coloring with crayons
• Using glue
• Finger painting
• Kinetic sand or sand in a sandbox
• Slime

The child’s reaction is typically extreme and they often over-act to tactile sensations.  As a result, the child may try to shake off the texture or want to immediately wash their hands.

Retained Primitive Reflexes Roadmap

For more information on the signs and symptoms of six retained Primitive reflexes, complete the form below to download a free copy of our Retained Primitive Reflexes Roadmap. When you’ve completed the form, check your email inbox for the download link, including your junk and spam folder. If you do not see the download link come to your email inbox, please email us at info@ilslearning.com.

References

Gieysztor, E. Z., Choińska, A. M., & Paprocka-Borowicz, M. (2016). Persistence of primitive reflexes and associated motor problems in healthy preschool children. Archives of Medical Science, 14(1), 167–173. https://doi.org/10.5114/aoms.2016.60503

Pecuch, A., Gieysztor, E., Telenga, M., Wolańska, E., Kowal, M., & Paprocka-Borowicz, M. (2020). Primitive reflex activity in relation to the sensory profile in healthy preschool children. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 8210. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218210

Taylor, M., Houghton, S., & Chapman, E. (2004). Primitive reflexes and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Developmental origins of classroom dysfunction. International Journal of Special Education, 19(1), 12-24. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ852040.pdf

Pecuch, A., Gieysztor, E., Wolańska, E., Telenga, M., & Paprocka-Borowicz, M. (2021). Primitive reflex activity in relation to motor skills in healthy preschool children. Brain Sciences, 11(8), 967. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11080967

Baranek, G. T., Foster, L. G., & Berkson, G. (1997). Tactile defensiveness and stereotyped behaviors. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 51(2), 91-95. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.51.2.91

Dunn, W., & Westman, K. (1997). Tactile defensiveness in children with developmental disabilities: responsiveness and habituation. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 51(7), 530-537. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.51.7.530

Grzegorzewska, A., & Kaczmarczyk, K. (2003). Stability of tactile defensiveness across cultures: European and American children’s responses to the Touch Inventory for Elementary-School-Aged Children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57(10), 1394-1399. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12900789/

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