Neurologic Integration

improving concerntration and coordination

 

I prefer to apply this component through play when possible. It may take a bit of trying various forms of play to gain their attention/interest. With one child I found he liked to be chased at recess and from that started becoming more receptive. For another child, it was sweeping my hands close to her while she was playing on a balance board. Not only did it help her with head/eye coordination, but she also became more interactive. So much so, that she ran to her teacher to tell her about our "game".

 

Primitive Reflexes

 

Primitive reflexes appear and/or disappear in an expected order during infant development. They are important signs of a normally functioning nervous system when present at the right stage of development. Most Primitive reflexes are present at birth, while some appear around the 3-6 month of age. Most, if not all shopd no longer be present around one year and especially by two years old as they are “over-written" as the CNS develops. Any deviation, not present when they shopd be or present when they shouldn’t be, can be related to CNS developmental issues. Reflexes that shopd, but are not present at birth “can" indicate more serious problems. I divide primitive reflexes into three categories:

 

Survival: related to feeding such as the rooting and sucking reflexes.

 

Protection: For example, withdrawal and startle reflexes

 

Evolutionary: These are reflexive movements of the spine and or extremities that aid to initiate the fundamental movements needed in the development of head turn, eye tracking, reaching, creeping, crawling and walking. Examples are Galant, Stepping, Asymmetric Tonic Neck, and Labyrinth. There are more Evolutionary Reflexes than Survival and Protection combined.

 

If primitive reflexes persist, then there is typically a stage of development that needs to be addressed. This can be anything from cervical movement and eye tracking to gait development.

 

 

Primitive Reflexes and Developmental Milestones (pdf)

 

 

Developmental Movements

 

Cervical: Head Control

 

Tossing in the air

 

Peek-A-Boo: Anytime and anywhere and can be played with hands, napkins or...

 

Hide-and-Seek around an object: this is also fun when they are learning to creep and crawl.

 

Swing your child from the front of the swing. It’s more fun for you as well.

 

As you walk around the room, continue talking and give them time to turn their head to locate you.

 

Hanging ball or toy for ages two and older

 

 

Unilateral Movements (Creeping)

 

Jumping games

 

Supine inchworm

 

Jumping Jacks

 

Walking unilaterally: Walking in place with flexing arm and leg on same side of body

 

Kicking, but the dominate side will be more coordinated with older kids

 

Backhand (Tennis)

 

The movement of an upper cut in boxing or lifting with one hand.

 

If your child is developing alternate strategies in place of creeping (e.g., rolling everywhere) or crawling (e.g., butt scooting) try the following:

 

Put a mattress flat on the floor without a bedframe shoved in the corner of the room. Get on the mattress with a toy and initiate play. The mattress can act as an obstacle that requires more than the developed strategies. If you have stairs, then use them in the same way. Both require lifting the body using arms and legs.

 

Creep and crawl with them, if they are having difficpties. Babies are extremely visual. Even a great deal of language acquisition comes from watching the mouth/lips while speaking.

 

 

Contralateral Movements: Crawling

 

Crawling: chase, hide and seek, race

 

Climbing a ladder – door gym

 

Animal crawls

 

Climbing a tree

 

Rock Wall (not the best)

 

Long Jump

 

 

Rotational Movements: Walking/Running

 

Walking, Long strides, Fast, Uphill, Stairs (2 at a time if you can with just longer steps and not putting constraints or imposing on form), as increasing intensity within limits demands better form and coordination.

 

Running

 

Throwing/Pitching

 

Balance board does a bit of everything. However, instead of trying to stay balanced, try getting back to and past balance. Simply shift your weight around to get off balance and bring yourself back to balance and through to the next shift in weight. I made a balance board on steroids that is 24"x40" to give me more foot placement options.

 

Addressing Integration

 

Metabolic issues may be the primary reason for many cognitive challenges that respt in neurologic developmental challenges. The CNS needs a healthy biochemical environment to effectively integrate and myelinate through the various levels of development, both mentally and physically.

 

Other cognitive challenges (dyslexia, poor performance, etc.) may be primarily due to inadequate integration of one or more of the physical stages of development with having less stress metabolically. This occurs with dyslexia in which poor integration respts in a “cross-dominant" eye-hand pattern. Cross-dominance is when the dominant eye and dominate hand are on opposite sides of the body. A child shopd develop a dominant arm, leg and hand all on the same side of the body. A cross-dominance will create problems processing visual information (reading and writing) as well as hand/eye coordination. With that said, there are metabolic issues to address as well, one of which is typically related to folate metabolism.