Why is My Child Not Paying Attention in School?
As our kids settle into a rhythm for the new year, all parents and educators want them to have a positive experience. For some students, being in the classroom can be stressful if they have an immature nervous system with unintegrated reflexes that have not developed properly.
Why is my child not paying attention in the classroom?
If your child’s teachers have previously shared concerns about a lack of attention and focus in the classroom - perhaps they’ve mentioned that they are dreamy or distracted, it would be worthwhile to take a closer look at the four foundational reflexes. These unintegrated primary reflexes (aka retained reflexes) are crucial in the control of posture and movement, and affect schooling skills such as reading and writing, visual and auditory perception, attention and focus, short and long term memory. Having a strong foundation in these four reflexes are not just helpful, but absolutely essential for a positive experience in an academic setting.
What happens when a reflex is unintegrated?
When a child has reflexes that are unintegrated, they have poor control of their bodies. This shows up in their movement or while they’re sitting on a chair and are stationary. There is an inner conflict within the child at an unconscious level, and there is much energy and effort wasted in compensations in order to do the required desk work. Not only does it hamper the development of other reflexes, it requires the child to frequently self-adjust the body position. This will look like fidgeting, “ants in the pants”, or constant shifting. The child will not be able to articulate why they are moving so much - instead they may say, “I can’t help it”, or, “ I don’t know”.
Here we explore the relationship between the spinal reflexes: Spinal Galant & Spinal Perez; as well as the Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) & the Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR). These four reflexes are part of larger archetypal movement patterns and affect one another.
Let’s use the example of a child sitting in the classroom and explore how these unintegrated reflexes affect the ability to sit and attend to the task required.
Spinal Reflexes That Work With Postural Control
In the classroom we want to have strength and control of our entire body from head to toe while we’re seated. Our face and eyes need to coordinate to look down and to look up from the books on the desk to the teacher and whiteboard. Next, the trunk and buttocks also need to be coordinated so that the posture is in extension and in flexion appropriately. Those who have difficulties shift their weight often trying not to slide off the chair. This is a sign of unintegrated Spinal Galant and Spinal Perez.
Because these reflexes are so interconnected, if a child has one of these reflexes unintegrated, then the other reflex will be unintegrated as well. We must take a look at reflexes that develop slightly later called the Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) and the Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR).
ATNR and STNR: The Brain Hemispheres in Action
Like Spinal Galant and Spinal Perez, ATNR and STNR are very closely linked to each other.
A child with unintegrated Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) will have discomfort coordinating head and limbs. During handwriting they may have an inner compulsion to straighten their arm or apply pressure onto the page while writing to keep the arm bent. One variable is whether they are right handed or left handed. ATNR supports the development of the respective brain hemispheres - allowing for asymmetry in the body.
Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) supports the movement of the head in relation to the arms and legs bending - being able to look up and down, postural stability, and balance. When children are hooking their feet around the legs of a chair, they are trying to maintain their stability on the chair - and this is indicative of the STNR being unintegrated. STNR is a BIG factor in visual processing! Vision therapy without working with STNR will not yield real lasting progress. STNR allows the development of symmetry - both brain hemispheres working together as a team.
If ATNR does not develop well or is unintegrated, it will affect the development of STNR and vice versa.
An Intricate Relationship in the Classroom: Spinal Galant, Spinal Perez, ATNR & STNR
These four reflexes have a complex and intricate relationship with each other. Every time there is movement, which could be something as looking up at the teacher talking, it ripples into other movements in the body. In a 10 year old child whose reflexes may not be fully integrated, it comes across as being fidgety or goofing off in class. What we perceive as a simple action - sitting on a chair and writing - may actually be taxing on the child because they are fighting with this inner compulsion to move, prompted by these unintegrated reflexes.
At Neural Connections, we focus on offering treatment and protocols to help integrate the reflexes - schedule a Discovery Call with us today to see if we can help.
