Primitive Reflex Integration Case Studies
Chronic Toe Walking Resolves, Emotional Regulation Improves
4-year-old no longer needs leg braces after reflex integration.
This child was referred to occupational therapy for several issues, including severe toe-walking and difficulty regulating emotions. Standard coping and sensory integration methods weren't helping enough. See the great improvements that resulted when his OT introduced rhythmic movements and primitive reflex integration.
Submitted by A.H., Occupational Therapist
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Chronic toe-walking, to the point that leg braces were necessary | No longer walking on toes; leg braces no longer required |
| Difficulty regulating emotions | Dramatic improvement in emotional regulation |
| Signs of fatigue with “superman" exercises | Better stamina |
Alex is a 4-year old boy whom was placed on my caseload for concerns related to hyperactivity, toe-walking, difficulty regulating emotions, and sensory processing. The previous OT that saw him had made many emotional regulation and sensory processing goals to help with regulation.
I had tried for many months working to help regulate him using coping strategies, sensory integration strategies and more. However, he continued to exhibit many symptoms, just slightly improved. Since taking your course, I decided to test his reflexes to see if there were any unintegrated. Alex showed signs of an unintegrated Babinski, ATNR, TLR, and Spinal Galant reflexes. So, I started working with him to complete rhythmic movements, which only took a couple weeks. We then started working on the TLR and Babinski reflexes because parents were most concerned with his inability to follow directions, coordination, ability to focus, and toe-walking. After about 4 weeks of consistent practice with the exercises [from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course], the child whom had braces and PT for chronic toe-walking, was no longer walking on his toes at all. He no longer needed to wear his braces which he had had for over a year. Additionally, after about 6-8 weeks of treatment Alex was no longer showing signs of fatigue with “superman exercises” and had shown a dramatic improvement in his emotional regulation. Unfortunately, due to insurance coverage reasons, I was not able to continue treatment, but I was planning to progress with ATNR and Spinal Galant reflex integration. The biggest thing that I learned from this experience was that consistency pays off! This family put a lot of work into completing the exercises at home and it paid off for him. In total, I utilized the tools from this [Brain and Sensory Foundations] course for roughly 8 sessions and saw so much improvement. It gives me hope working with my other patients!
Edited for length and clarity, emphasis added
*Disclaimer: The activities in the Brain and Sensory Foundations curriculum make use of the natural processes of neuroplasticity and development that are innately wired in the design of human beings to promote maturity and function. These activities appear to calm, organize, and mature the neuro-sensory-motor systems just as we see in the healthy development of human infants. Individual results may vary, and we do not claim to offer a diagnosis or cure for any specific condition or disorder. The Brain and Sensory Foundations activities appear to improve overall functioning resulting in measurable improvements for a range of conditions as demonstrated in over 1800 case studies from participants.