What are Primative Reflexes?

When a child starts Vision Therapy we test their primitive reflexes and we integrate reflex exercises into our vision therapy plan. A lot of my parents ask questions like,  "What are primitive reflexes?",  and "How does this relate to the visual system?". For the next couple blogs we will go over all those questions.

First, primitive reflexes are the basic reflexes we are born with.

Take for example an infant child. When the child’s head is turned to one side, both his leg and arm automatically turn in the same direction. This is known as the Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex. As another example, when an infant is stroked on the lower back, his side muscles automatically contract performing what is known as the Spinal Galant Reflex. Lastly, when an infant is startled, he opens his eyes, throws his head back, and spreads his hands wide for what is called the Moro Reflex.  

Through these basic concepts physicians can determine the development of the infant based on the progression of their primitive reflexes.   

Ideally, the child’s primitive reflexes develop accordingly as he or she ages and advances in development. The body naturally integrates itself with the reflex or inhibits the reflex depending on the developmental stage. 

It is crucial that the body moves through these developmental stages and primitive reflexes according to nature’s plan. When the body fails to initiate, integrate, or inhibit these reflexes, the system automatically locks down in the developmental stage it is in. 

This “lock down” can restrain maturation of the body’s neural systems and possibly lead to learning disabilities that range from mild to severe.  

Next week we will talk about how retained reflexes have the potential to cultivate learning disabilities. Stay tuned!

Let Your Children Explore and Play!

Vision development in children is a very important part of child development which influences fine motor development, gross motor development, and visual perceptual development.  Good visual development in children is necessary for proper brain maturation, and, many cognitive stages of child development may be delayed and learning problems could arise if proper vision development has not occurred.

So what can parents to encourage good visual development in their preschoolers?

Proper play activities are the most important ways that parents can help encourage good visual development in children.  When a child plays, he or she is strengthening not only his muscles, but also strengthening their perceptions.  They are learning new skills and letting off excess energy.  They are also trying out different solutions to problems and learning how to interact with others.

Good visual play activities allow the child to explore and experience their world with vision driving the action.  This kind of play will build upon and enhance gross motor development, fine motor development, balance, eye movements, body awareness, spatial relationships, visualization skills, and much more.

We know that play affects visual development and visual development affects play.  Motor development and visual perceptual development are interdependent.  If a child experiences delays in motor development, visual perception can be skewed which reduces the child’s ability to explore and learn from the environment.

Remember, when there is a delay in one area of development such as motor development, there is often a delay in other areas as well.  School-aged children with functional visual disorders arising from poor vision development often face a lifetime of learning difficulties and frustration in the classroom and in everyday life. Let you children play and explore the world around them. Below is a great list of toys and games that can improve visual development:

Building toys – Develop eye-hand coordination and visualization/imagination.
1. Building Blocks
2. Legos/Duplos
3. Lincoln Logs
4. Tinker Toys
5. Erector Set

Fine motor skill toys – Develop fine motor skills including visual skills and manual eye-hand coordination.
6. Light Bright
7. Pegboard and Pegs
8. Coloring Books and Crayons
9. Dot-to-Dot Activity Books
10. Finger Paints
11. Playdough/Silly Putty/Modeling Clay
12. Chalkboard (24” x 36”)/Easel
13. Bead Stringing
14. Sewing Cards (craft)
15. Paint or Color By Numbers
16. Sand Art
17. Stencils
18. Bead Craft Kits
19. Models (car, airplane, ships, etc.)

Space perception toys – Develop depth perception and eye-hand coordination.
Within arm’s length:
20. Jumpin’ Monkeys
21. Fishin’ Around
22. Operation
23. Pick-up Sticks
24. KerPlunk
25. Jenga

Beyond arm’s length:
26. Oball (good for kids who aren’t very good at catching)
27. Ball (any kind!)
28. Pitchback
29. Toss Across (tic-tac-toe)
30. Ring Toss
31. Nerf Basketball
32. Dart Games (velcro)
33. Ping Pong

Visual thinking toys and games - Develop visual thinking including visualization, visual memory, form perception, pattern recognition, sequencing and eye tracking skills. These skills are important basics for academics including mathematics, reading and spelling.

34. Color Blocks and 1” Cubes
35. Parquetry Blocks
36. Attribute Blocks
37. Make N Break Game
38. Jigsaw Puzzles
39. Rory’s Story Cubes
40. Card Games (Old Maid, Go Fish, etc.)
41. Dominoes
42. Checkers
43. Chinese Checkers
44. Perplexus
45. Qwirkle
46. Battleship
47. Labyrinth
48. Blokus
49. Connect Four
50. Rush Hour/Rush Hour Jr.
51. Perfection
52. Tactilo
53. Bingo
54. Memory Games
55. Chicken Cha-Cha-Cha
56. Simon Flash
57. Bop It
58. Hyperdash

Balance and Coordination toys and games – Develop large motor skills.
59. Hoppity Hop
60. Jump Ropes
61. Sit and Spin
62. Slip ’n Slide
63. Trampoline
64. Stilts
65. Twister