Why Can't This Kid Sit Still? by Kathy Orth

Why can't he hold his pencil without breaking the lead?
Why does he keep moving his paper when I tell him to leave it in the middle?
Why does he constantly slouch?
Why can't he pay attention to me?
How many times over the years have you asked these questions about one or more of your students?

More than a decade ago the American Academy of Pediatrics, concerned with SIDS, began recommending that babies be put on their backs to sleep. Since that time the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome has dropped by more than 50 percent. The downside of this is that having a baby always lying belly up can delay his motor development because he gets less of a chance to integrate the primitive reflexes.
When a child is born he is equipped with a set of primitive reflexes. These reflexes are automatic and essential for a baby's survival. They also provide the foundation for many later voluntary skills. These primitive reflexes should not remain active beyond 6-12 months of life....yes, I said 6-12 months!!! If they do, and they are not integrated, they can interfere with voluntary control of specific movements and result in immature patterns of behavior. These patterns of behavior lead to the questions listed above.

The S.M.A.R.T. Program includes specific reflex activities designed by Athena Oden, pediatric Physical Therapist, to help develop and strengthen these immature systems. These activities can be done at any time of the day, the more the better. The repetition of a proper pattern will help integrate the reflex, thereby eliminating the involuntary movement/s. The following five activities address the reflexes that most commonly persist.

The Rocking Horse and Wall Lean activities will help integrate the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR). If the ATNR is still mildly present, it will prevent a child from using his head and arms separately and from developing precise motor control. With the ATNR still in place, if he is writing and turns his head to see the board or respond to the teacher, his writing arm will extend and he will lose his place. This is the student who grips a pencil tightly and pushes hard on the paper so that he doesn't loose his place...perhaps the pencil lead even breaks.

The Giraffe Stretch activity will help integrate the Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR). If the STNR is still mildly present the child's sitting posture will suffer because the upper and lower parts of his body are not synchronized and working together. He will appear clumsy, often falling on his face when he falls because he is unable to extend his arms to protect himself as his head moves forward in a flexed position. This student will also anchor to maintain his place while writing, hindering the development of proper handwriting.

The Superman and the Popcorn activities will help integrate the Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR) in prone and supine. If the TLR in prone and the TLR in supine is still mildly present the child will have difficulty sitting erect or holding himself erect. He may appear weak and tired.

"If these reflexes persist as a controlling force past the normal stage of integration, the foundation necessary for the development of subsequent motor skills is altered. The child will then develop faulty and adaptive patterns to build new skills upon." Athena Oden

If you have a student like this in your school, your classroom, or your life you might want to consider the thought that maybe he just can't help it. Retained primitive reflexes may be the culprit.   Recognizing this and taking 5 short minutes a day to properly lead a few reflex activities may help you and your students build a strong foundation for academic success.

"My desire in writing this book is to help you understand our children's reasons for success and failure, how to support them, how to help their bodies grow and how to offer them solutions to the frustrations in their lives." Athena Oden

Athena's books, "Ready Bodies, Learning Minds" 1 and 2 are available for purchase at    www.readybodies.com .