Primitive Reflex Integration Case Studies

Submitted by Marie Cicilya

Maria is my daughter who was diagnosed PDD and Arnold Chiari type 2, when 18 months of age. She was also of low muscle tone. She was always on her back and could not be on stomach, very less tummy time when she was a baby. She walked when 2. She started talking when she was 4. She was potty trained when 6. She was not able to be in a school environment due to sensory issues like sound, group and sense of space. She is 9 years old now. She is homeschooled. She has good vocabulary. She is in a stage to pronounce words which she likes.

She had poor eye contact. Sleeping on her own took an hour to settle on her bed. She would push away her blankets. Could not sit concentrated once for stories. She would spin around without feeling dizzy [indicates underdeveloped vestibular system]. She would not hold a pen to write she would ask me to write and draw for her. If she holds the pen it was to draw scribbles. She would see funny things but could not laugh. She could not follow commands.

I started the course [Brain and Sensory Foundations, First Level] in April 2019. I started with Rhythmic Movement, she was very sensitive. Even for very less time she could not handle and she would scream. We did rocking the bed for very few seconds for three to four months. It was never on regular basis. Sonia had asked us to start integrating the reflexes. My daughter could not follow commands then. I had to extend the course for another year as I was not able to apply all the movements. The Rhythmic movement 2, 3 and 4 was done for few seconds for the next few months.

Her Rhythmic routine is not stable till date. Even then, her progress was immense. The melt downs continued. In the beginning of this year we started noticing her improvements like able to mirror us. Now I wanted to do the case study with her before the end of the assignments. The Challenges listed for each reflexes were almost all present for my daughter. It was clear she needed integration of all the reflexes. I started integrating her reflexes [from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course] one reflex a day with the following order. TLR [Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex], Foot Reflexes, Spinal Galant, Hand reflexes, Fear Paralysis [reflex], Moro, ATNR [Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex], Head righting and STNR [Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex]. During this routine noticed her screaming was added with crying and hitting.

She was very emotional to anything and would cry a lot. Hook-ups, positive points and massaging lips helped to calm her. So the routine was implemented. There were only few minutes of integration. I had to start a routine with 5-step balance. Because I noticed in the first set of reflexes the FPR and Moro was done with the balance, due to her emotional outbursts. The 5 STEP BALANCE proved very useful now, implementing it almost for all reflexes. I made her sit down or supine and did integration and repatterning passively. She follows visuals, so drew face sad and then smiling and told Maria happy for the goal. Her meltdowns are bearable now. She herself is able to control herself better than before. I am sorry I am not a therapist I don’t get the technical words to explain.

Maria was not able to follow orders but allowed me to do stimulation and integration passively with the help of another facilitator. She was able to follow few orders like sit stand and be on fours etc. This she was not able to do before. Neither did she allow me do it passively for her before. The little of RM [rhythmic movement from the Brain and Sensory Foundations course] has created a foundation and did help a lot. I chose to do only few seconds of integrations. I would stimulate then do either RM or the playful developmental movements or passive isometrics. The remarkable thing was only for two to four weeks I did the integrations. But the remarkable difference I saw in her was the following.

Her eye contact is almost all the time, she has more meaningful sentences, she laughs to funny comments or animations, she listens to few orders and executes them, her sleep has improved a lot, She allows blanket on her now, She sits for a complete story and asks few more times, She turns around or spins and said that her head is turning and became dizzy. The important thing was her drawing I have attached her former scribbles and her recent after first week of hand reflex session. She drew her favourite monsters and for the very first time she wrote “LOVE” she speaks and knows French. Since we speak in English she likes and she has a good vocabulary in English.

Doing this course has been a blessing! I am very encouraged to see her improvements. I have already enrolled for the second level. I am waiting to implement more tools from there for my daughter. Thank you Sonia you have been such a blessing to my family.

[Edited for length and clarity; emphasis added]