Reflex Integration
We have been talking about the symptoms that can manifest in someone with attention challenges.  The vast majority of students who come to our learning center have some challenges with attention, but only a small minority are truly ADHD.  Successful, easy learning depends upon a solid foundation of underlying skills.  If a child has problems with any of the underlying learning skills, his attention system will also be stressed.  While attention may become a problem in school or with homework, it may not actually be the real problem.  To make sure that we are actually treating what is causing the attention difficulties, we generally evaluate five areas that can cause attention difficulties separate from, or in addition to, a biochemical reason. 

One of the areas we evaluate is Reflex Integration.  Primitive reflexes are present in infants, but should become integrated within three years.  If these reflexes don't "disappear", they will continue to fire and cause interference that inhibits efficient development and easy learning. 

Here are some examples:

Abby has difficulty copying notes.  She holds her pencil with a tight grip and has sloppy handwriting.  Writing for any length of time takes enormous effort, so she avoids it.  She would rather talk than have to write down her ideas.  Her parents constantly remind her to focus when she is working.  Abby has a retained Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex.  Each time she turns her head, her arm wants to follow.  Now obviously when she turns her head, her arm doesn't straighten out, but that is because the brain is having to send a signal to stop this reflex from occurring.  This takes away her ability to focus on what she is doing.  Students with this retained reflex often have poor handwriting, difficulty keeping their place when reading, and an inability to express themselves in a written form. 

Tommy wiggles constantly in his chair.  It keeps him from getting his work done and is very distracting to the students sitting near him.  His teachers and parents are constantly reminding him to "sit still and pay attention."  But, Tommy can't sit still in his chair because he has a retained Spinal Galant Reflex.  This reflex causes him to wiggle in his chair when he doesn't mean to.  When he tries hard to sit still, it takes all of his attention, so he can't really think about what the teacher is saying or what he's supposed to be doing on his assignments. 

These are just two examples of how reflexes impact attention and learning.  There is a high correlation between developmental delay and poorly integrated reflexes:

Dysfunction

Related Reflex

Percent with poorly integrated reflex

Poor Memory

ATNR

78%

Weak logic and reasoning and abstract thinking

STNR

57%

ADD, ADHD

STNR, ATNR, Spinal Galant

58%

Bed wetting                Poor bladder control

Spinal Galant

72%


Problems paying attention in class can be a sign to parents that their child is struggling in school.  This should not be ignored.  Parents and teachers need to be aware that whenever an area of underlying processing or learning skills is inefficient, extra energy will be needed to perform.  This stresses the person's attention.  It is important to look very carefully to determine if the attention challenges seen in class are the cause of the learning problem or the symptom.