What Are Primitive Reflexes, and Why Do They Matter?
The layer underneath meltdowns, focus, posture and sleep that most approaches never check.
Every baby is born with a set of automatic movement patterns. They're meant to fade in the first couple of years as the higher brain takes over. When they don't fully fade, they quietly get in the way of everything that comes after, focus, coordination, emotional regulation, sleep.
On a free 15 minute call, we'll tell you honestly what we think is going on, and whether we can help.
No obligation. No diagnosis needed. Just fifteen minutes with Adi and Dana.
The layer nobody checked.
We're Adi and Dana. Before any of this became our work, it was our life. We sat through years of appointments where nobody mentioned primitive reflexes, even though they were shaping so much of what we were seeing at home. We trained as primitive reflex specialists because once we understood this layer, everything else made more sense.
We built Hopeful Neuron because we couldn't find what our own children needed anywhere else.
Does any of this sound like your child?
Retained primitive reflexes show up differently in every child, but these are some of the most common signs parents recognise once they know what to look for.
A few of the reflexes we screen for.
There are dozens of primitive reflexes. These are a few of the most common ones we see still active in the children who come to us.
Moro Reflex
The infant startle reflex. When retained, it can show up as anxiety, sensory overwhelm and an exaggerated startle response to noise or light.
ATNR
The asymmetrical tonic neck reflex. Linked to handwriting difficulty, poor hand eye coordination, and trouble crossing the midline of the body.
STNR
The symmetrical tonic neck reflex. Often behind poor sitting posture, W sitting, and difficulty copying from a whiteboard.
Spinal Galant
Can contribute to fidgeting, bedwetting past the expected age, and discomfort with anything touching the lower back.
Where reflex work fits in the bigger picture.
Integrating reflexes is step two of the four we always follow, and it only works properly once step one is in place. Here's the full sequence.
Safety first. The nervous system has to come out of survival mode.
A dysregulated nervous system can't do the focused work reflex integration requires. This has to come first.
Switch off the reflexes that never finished developing.
Specific, repeatable movement exercises help the brain finish the developmental process it didn't complete the first time.
Strengthen the bridge between body and brain.
Once reflexes are integrating, balance and coordination work builds on that new foundation.
Now focus, communication and independence can actually land.
Not because your child tried harder, but because the foundation is finally there to support it.
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Families supported across London and internationally
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Every review from parents who felt heard
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Individual programmes, built around your child
During your free 15 minute call, you'll discover:
- Which primitive reflexes we think may still be active in your child
- How those reflexes connect to what you're seeing at home, focus, posture, sleep or emotional regulation
- Whether our programme is the right fit, or if something else would serve your child better
In their own words.
"Dana and Adi are a great team, incredibly knowledgeable and supportive. They always found a way to help our son and gave us the strength to do the same at home."
"After an intensive week with Dana and Adi, we saw improvement in our son's behaviour. He is calmer now, his focus has improved and his sleep has improved."
"Very caring and truly have your best interests at heart. Check ins from Dana help keep you focused on working at home. Highly recommend."
Things parents ask us about primitive reflexes.
Book a free 15 minute call with Adi & Dana.
No waiting list, no diagnosis needed, and no pressure to commit to anything. Just a straight conversation with two people who've been where you are.