01 Nov Vision, Learning and Primitive Reflexes

Movement is critical to integrating primitive reflexes. Vision and movement go hand-in-hand. The integration of primitive reflexes allows us to move through our spatial world as we develop through early childhood stages of life. Holding our head up for the first time, rolling over, crawling and creeping, walking, skipping – all of these require the basic building blocks that began with primitive reflexes.
From gross motor to fine motor (handwriting, tying shoes) to ocular motor (eye movements), each stage of development is affected by the timely integration of primitive reflexes.

#Retained reflexes affect vision and learning
When primitive reflexes haven’t integrated within the appropriate time frame, it is important to revisit the missing developmental stages. These movement activities will help rebuild the foundation and create new neural pathways. A primitive reflex integration program involving specific movement patterns makes it possible to retrain the brain, our control center for these reflexes.
As we enter a school setting, a new set of learning skills requires strong functional vision skills. More than 80% of classroom learning comes via visual pathways; having 20/20 eyesight (visual acuity) is only one part of our visual system. How our brain interprets the information coming through our eyes (visual processing) is the result of a very complex visual system. Eye tracking, eye teaming and focusing are all part of this complex system.

#How the brain and eyes work together – vision – has a significant impact on the learning process for both children and adults.
Imagine sitting in a classroom taking notes and fighting a focusing problem that won’t allow you to change your focus from near to far and back again quickly enough to keep up with the instructor.
As the day progresses the visual system is stressed, and words can start to look like this:
Imagine trying to read with everything appearing double. Double vision often appears or gets worse as the day goes on. Many people cover an eye or turn their head to avoid double vision.
Imagine trying to read a paragraph and having the letters or words appear to move or jump as you are trying to read.

These are just some of the symptoms.
Many children and adults do not realize that their struggles in the classroom and/or workplace are linked to functional vision.
Are they smart but something is holding them back? Are they working tremendously hard but not getting anything out of it?
Poor functional vision skills can have a detrimental effect on classroom performance, self-esteem, and behavior. One out of four children has a functional vision problem that is interfering with their ability to achieve.
With proper integration of primitive reflexes activities, reading levels improve significantly, comprehension increases and even sports performance can improve.