Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: Foundations of Academic Success in Utero

Primitive Reflexes: Origin and Role

God is a masterful designer. As early as 11-14 weeks of gestation, primitive reflexes begin to form. Primitive reflexes are involuntary motor responses originating in the brain stem. They become fully functional around 32-36 weeks of gestation—just in time to fulfill their roles!

1. Survival and Safety: When some reflexes, such as spinal galant and trunk extension, are activated by a mother’s contractions during labor, a physical response of moving the hips and extending the trunk aids in the birthing process. Once born, it is an infants natural response to root and suck in order to receive nourishment from milk. An essential safety reflex, known as the Moro or “startle reflex,” is triggered by a sudden change in position, a loud noise, or loss of support, helping infants cling to their caregivers as a survival mechanism.  Those are just a few examples. Isn’t that amazing?! 
2. Neurological Development: These reflexes form the foundation for the central nervous system and all subsequent learning. They help the brain and nervous system mature, preparing children for voluntary movements such as grasping, crawling, and walking. 
3. Integration for Growth: As children grow, these reflexes appear to disappear, but they are actually integrating to make way for intentional movements and lifelong reflexes, such as the gag reflex to prevent choking or the reflex to extend your arms to catch yourself when you fall (the hands-supporting reflex). 

---

Causes of Immature Reflexes

It’s essential to recognize that we live in a fallen world, where our DNA is imperfect, and environmental factors can impact the development of our central nervous system. Some situations that impact reflex development and maturation that are out of our control can include, but are not limited to, traumatic or premature birth, hypoxia (oxygen deprivation), and genetic or congenital conditions. Other scenarios that can be controlled are exposure to drugs and/or alcohol, inadequate prenatal care or nutrition, and overall ignorance of the importance of fostering developmental milestones. The groundwork of reflex development and maturation, which begins in utero and progresses through infancy and toddlerhood, dictates how we, as adolescents and adults, process and respond to the world around us. And we do this by using our eight senses (not five).  

---

Our 8 Senses

Let us imagine, for a moment, walking into a child’s birthday party. We see children running around, bright balloons, and flashes of camera light. We hear screams of excitement, chatter amongst the adults, and the humming of the blower for the inflatable bounce house. Our stomach growls in hunger (interoception) as we smell the savory pizza in the distance that we later taste, in addition to the sweet cake and cold ice cream. We feel someone brush up against us and the grass between our toes as we take off our socks and shoes to get into the bounce house. As we jump, we balance our bodies as we move in space (vestibular and proprioception). By the end, the overall input and stimulation have left us exhausted. Let’s take a closer look. 

• The Gift of Sight: Our brains acquire approximately 80% of information through our sight. Did you know that the human eye can distinguish approximately 10 million colors? What an incredible gift. But that isn’t all there is to this sense. We use our sight for detecting movement, navigating, and identifying objects and people, just to name a few. When our sense of sight is sensitive, we can be visually overstimulated by clutter, bright or flashing lights, vibrant colors, and/or lots of movement. The contrary would be that people would need extra visual stimuli to gain their attention, such as bright, fast-paced television shows. 
• The Faculty of Hearing: That favorite tune, birds chirping, or a child’s “I love you” can be music to our ears. Hearing plays a crucial role in learning to communicate and provides us with awareness of our surroundings. However, those who are sensitive to auditory input can pick up even the slightest noises, such as the humming of an air conditioner. Louder noises, such as the toilet flushing or a vacuum running, can cause them to cover their ears. Others may be unbothered by a boisterous setting.  
• The Art of Tasting: The human tongue has about 2,000–10,000 taste buds, each containing  50–100 taste receptor cells. These detect five basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (also known as savory). Your preference will determine the variety of your diet. Which do you prefer?  
• The Sense of Scent: For many, we enjoy the smell of freshly brewed coffee or the preparation of Thanksgiving dinner. However, that isn’t the case for all. Due to its close relationship with taste, the sense of smell can contribute to our dietary choices. Additionally, a scent can vividly trigger memories or emotions more effectively than other senses, due to the direct connection between the scent processors and the amygdala (the emotional and survival center) and the hippocampus (the memory center) in the brain.  
• The Power of Touch: Touch receptors are sensory nerve endings that are found in the skin, the body’s largest sensory organ! They can detect pressure, vibration, and texture. Tactile sensitivities can manifest in various forms, from intolerance to certain textures on the hands to discomfort with socks on the feet. Do you know someone who is sensitive to textures, or are you personally sensitive to them?  
• Vestibular Movement: There are two types of people—those who can’t get off the merry-go-round and those who can’t get on it. Our vestibular sense is involved in maintaining balance and spatial orientation. If sensitive, motion sickness and avoiding spinning or swinging is likely. In contrast, one may seek movement and participate in excessive swinging or spinning.  
• The Path of Proprioception: Awareness of your body in space plays a significant role in various aspects of life. Proprioception is using our muscles and joints to sense positions and movement through pressure. A lack of awareness of one’s body in space can lead to limited seated attention, result in unintentional rough play, and appear as clumsiness. The opposite would be avoiding deep pressure and having a light touch in play or during handwriting tasks.  
• Interoception, The Sense From Within: From feeling your heartbeat to sensing hunger, interoception is your internal awareness. Other sensations include knowing when you are full, thirsty, or when you need to urinate and/or empty your bowels.  

---

Sensory Processing

From infancy to adulthood, we rely on our eight senses to navigate life. We receive sensory input, which then travels up the spinal cord to our brain, where we process the information and respond accordingly. Our response can be typical, an overreaction, or an underreaction. When reflexes are immature (also known as “retained”), as mentioned earlier, we can observe challenges at various stages of development. In infancy, it may appear as a delay in meeting developmental milestones. In toddlerhood, it may be characterized by poor emotional regulation, and in adolescence, it can manifest as academic struggles. Adults can struggle with immature reflexes and sensory processing just the same. However, we can learn to mask, adapt, and avoid situations that make our bodies feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable.

---

Working With God When Our Children Need Help

1. Pray: Ask God for wisdom and guidance for every decision concerning your child(ren). He does know them best! 
2. Engage: Promote and encourage physical, cognitive, and social/emotional milestones. 

Examples of milestones by age (based on general guidelines): 

• 0–6 Months: Smiling (2 months), rolling over (4–6 months), responding to voices
• 6–12 Months: Sitting without support (6–8 months), babbling (6–9 months), pulling to stand (9–12 months)
• 1–2 Years: Walking independently (12–18 months), saying simple words (12–15 months), imitating actions (18–24 months)
• 2–3 Years: Running, climbing, using short sentences, engaging in pretend play
• 3–5 Years: Drawing simple shapes, dressing independently, sharing with others

***Please note that there is variability in meeting these milestones, as each child advances at their own pace. It is more important to reach milestones at a slower pace than to bypass some and advance quickly.***

3. Observe: Signs that your child(ren) may need an evaluation and further treatment, but are not showing significant delays in meeting developmental milestones, include favoring one side, limited ability to sit for long periods of time (they should be able to sit 1 minute for each year old that they are; ex: 3 year olds = 3 minutes), poor emotional regulation/frequent meltdowns, fleeting attention, selective eating, sensory sensitivities, difficulty sleeping at night, night time bladder accidents, challenges with toilet training, and more.
4. Seek Help: Fortunately, there are ways to identify and treat retained primitive reflexes, in order to “re-pattern” and mature them. Occupational, speech, and physical therapists who specialize in reflex integration treat your child(ren) from the inside out, aiming for lasting gains rather than superficial and temporary ones. Please note that a child does NOT need an official diagnosis to receive treatment. This will be determined by the evaluating therapist. Any concern is a priority if it affects the child’s quality of life. Don’t hesitate to voice your concerns to your child’s primary care physician (PCP) and get a referral for treatment.  It is best to address these concerns as early as possible so that your child is set up for success. 

---

Conclusion: Stewarding God’s Gifts

We want to be good stewards of the blessings God has given us. Now that we know the origin, role, and importance of reflexes, their development, and foundational value for lifelong learning, we can provide the best support. Early intervention in therapy is crucial for promoting long-term well-being and maximizing positive outcomes for individuals. Addressing concerns at the earliest possible stage can prevent the escalation of challenges, improve developmental and emotional growth, and enhance overall quality of life. You are your child’s voice and advocate. By identifying and treating early, therapists can help individuals build essential coping mechanisms, reduce the risk of future difficulties, and foster resilience. It’s okay to ask for additional resources to best support your child’s developmental, academic, and emotional needs. They aren’t only the future of our communities, but the future of the Church! Let’s help guide growth through faith & therapy!