From the moment a child is conceived, they begin developing rapidly. During the development of the foetus a group of reflexes emerge called primitive reflexes.  Theses primitive reflexes, sometimes referred to as survival reflexes, should be present at birth and they provide an indication of the status of the Central Nervous System.

 

Primitive reflexes should be inhibited in the first twelve months of a child’s life. It is an accepted medical fact that if there is a cluster of primitive reflexes remaining active in the body this indicates that the Central Nervous System is dysfunctional in some way and will prevent the child from performing tasks to his/her true level of potential. The continued presence of primitive reflexes will also hamper the mature development of postural reflexes in the first three and a half years of a child’s life. 

While no two children develop at the exact same rate, research gives us rough timelines on which children should be progressing. During this development, there are physical, emotional, and linguistic milestones that are generally accepted as crucial markers of development. According the NIH:

The pattern and timing of neurodevelopmental skill attainment is similar for most children [1]. For example, during the first three years of life, early development is marked by enormous gains in gross motor abilities (e.g., rolling, standing, walking), fine-motor coordination (e.g., self-feeding, pincer grasp, drawing lines and circles), language abilities (e.g. orienting to familiar voices, babbling, following a simple command, first words, expanding vocabulary), and markedly improved ability to solve increasingly complex problems. The development of each skill influences the development of others.”

Research indicates that immature reflexes can cause motor control, eye functioning, eye-hand co-ordination, and perceptual skills to be impaired. This will result in under achievement, low self-esteem, frustration, and quite often hyperactivity and/or hypersensitivity. To all outward appearances the child is perfectly “normal” but there is something holding him/her back, something stopping him/her from achieving their full potential. This could be the child who is ten years old on the outside and six years old on the inside.

Below is an indicative list of how Neuro Developmental Delay can present itself:

•    Difficulty learning to read and/or write
•    Difficulty with sequencing and maths
•    Difficulty copying tasks
•    Difficulty telling the time on a traditional clock
•    Excessive anxiety
•    Poor concentration, easily distracted
•    Poor hand eye coordination​

•    Poor coping skills, lacks emotional regulation

•    Poor organisational skills

•    Poor coordination - difficulty in PE classes, learning to swim, ride a bike
•    Bedwetting beyond the age of 5years of age
•    He/She was late to walk and/or talk
•    Travel sickness