Reflex Integration
Reflexes are movement patterns that the body performs without conscious thought. Before birth there should be several of these patterns present in the central nervous system, additional reflexes emerge during the birthing process. These reflexes are generally known as ‘primitive’. Ideally, through movement in the first few years of life, these primitive reflexes become dormant in the central nervous system and ‘postural’ reflexes are established.
The name postural is slightly misleading as reflexes can play a role not only in posture but in gross motor, fine motor, speech, sensory processing, emotional regulation, social skills, visual and cognitive/academic development.
Most people will have retained some primitive reflexes. For those of us that function well in the areas listed below the retention will be mild and not enough to cause us major difficulties. In our experience any individual with a challenge in one or more of the areas listed below will benefit from Reflex Integration.
Typically we see changes in some of the following areas within a few months;
- Balance and posture
- Gross motor skills
- Fine motor skills
- Speech development
- Sensory processing
- Emotional regulation
- Social skills
- Visual development
- Cognitive/academic skills
- Attention and concentration
Rhythmic Movement Therapy
Rhythmic movement training is a therapy that assesses where a person is in the process of natural reflex development and advises on movements to support them to follow the reflex development process as closely as possible.
Retained primitive reflexes may be inhibiting optimal function and contribute to challenges with our physical, social, emotional and /or academic development. In our experience this is almost always the case.
Step One
They will take around 10 minutes per day to complete.
Step Two
Visit every 4-weeks for 6 months.
Your first session will test which reflexes need support and a home-programme of gentle movements are demonstrated to bring about changes. Clients will then visit every four weeks to have this reviewed and it will take approximately three sessions to see a change.
When will I see changes?
Typically, if the movements are completed five days per week, we see small changes after 4 weeks. These are usually only noticed by parents. After three months it is usual for others to notice changes. More significant improvments can take several months.
Can my child ‘get worse’ before they ‘get better’?
With some childen we sometimes see an increase in challenging behaviour for short periods of time, typically 2-3 weeks. It is more common with children who have emotional challenges. This process is called Neural Pruning which occurs when there are changes in development. Examples include sleep distrubances and emotional regulation challenges.
How long does it take?
Families who follow the movements as prescribed typically see a small change within 4 weeks and a more significant one within six months. The amount of time before disacharge varies from child to child and is dependent on the severity of the child’s challenges. Most families attend for 6-24 months.
Contact us
Call Us
07715268522
Email Us
sam@blueskiesahead.org.uk
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