Did He Crawl?

I don't remember the exact conversation that took place between Pam Formosa (owner/director of Brain Fit Academy) and my husband and I. However, I'm sure that it happened during our initial screening appointment with her and I know it went something like this:

Pam: "Did he ever crawl? As a baby, did he crawl?"

Me: "No- he didn't. He started walking at nine months."

Pam: "Hmm...let me explain something...."

At this point, she would have explained the STNR reflex to us. 

STNR stands for Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex. Also, sometimes referred to as the crawling reflex. This is the reflex that when the baby raises its head against gravity, the baby's arms extend, lifting the chest off the floor. The knees and hips bend and the baby sits on their heels. If the baby looks down while on all 4's, their arms bend and their legs straighten. 

The primary purpose of the STNR is to get the baby into the crawling position, and it is expected to emerge (show up) at around 6-9 months after birth, and integrate (finish) by around 9-11 months. But you see, the STNR plays a bigger role in the grand scheme of things because this reflex (once integrated) gives way to the emergence and development of life-long postural reflexes.

Now as a young mother, I can remember thinking (and perhaps even bragging!) about how my children must have been so ahead of development that they didn't have to crawl. 

Neither of my children crawled. They both went from pulling themselves up on the furniture, to cruising the furniture, to walking. Literally no crawling. Not even a funky, different type of crawl, or a creep. Nope- right to walking. Both right around 9-10 months of age. And, my children are 18 months apart, so let me tell you- that made for some busy times!!

You may be wondering at this point- why is it so important that babies crawl? Well, remember how I've explained in other posts that primitive reflexes are early motor patterns that babies go through? And how that early movement sets up the brain for later development? The STNR reflex (and the integration of it) also plays an important role for later development.

If the STNR reflex is unintegrated (hasn't finished it's job) some of the things you might see are:

• The inability to crawl on hands and knees
• No isolation in upper/lower body
• The tendency to slump when sitting- particularly at a desk or table
• Difficulty doing activities where one side of the body must do a movement that is opposite of the other. For example, holding a paper steady or tying shoes.

Just like the other primitive reflexes, the body needs to work through the motor patterns of the STNR in order for life-long reflexes to take over. 

The STNR is kind of like a culmination of earlier reflexes- it helps to pull them together. Without integration of earlier reflexes, the STNR has a hard job emerging and doing its job. 

So when I think about how my children didn't crawl, and with what I know now about primitive reflexes, I see the connections. Especially for my youngest son- who is the one that went through the Brain Fit program. 

When he started at Brain Fit, he couldn't sit in a chair properly. He would sit on his foot, or he would stand. Although he had learned to tie shoes, it had taken us a really long time to teach him how to do it. He had such a hard time using both hands to do different things. Same for holding a paper while writing. 

In fact, I remember when he was in maybe 2nd or 3rd grade? One of his teachers helped him to "name" his left hand. The purpose was so that he (we) could say- "Don't forget about ----. He wants to hold the paper while you write!" Kind of silly when I think about it now, but it was a compensation, and it helped at the time. However, that compensation wasn't getting to the root of the problem- that pesky unintegrated STNR!

So no, my children didn't crawl. And, their STNR reflex didn't integrate. For my youngest, that was a problem. For my oldest, not as much. His body had managed to work around it somehow and it didn't interfere with his daily life. Not all kids need Primitive Reflex Integration just because they have a few unintegrated reflexes. In fact, many of us have unintegrated reflexes- at least a few.  

The thing to remember here is that there is a link between crawling and brain development. So if you're reading this and have a baby (or maybe a grand baby) in your life, encourage them to crawl before they walk. It can't hurt, and it will help set up the brain stem for later development.

You can be sure that when I have babies in my life again I'll be encouraging them to crawl first. 

I might even end up on the floor crawling right along with them. After all, why not? My STNR probably could do with a little work too... 

Thankful

In this crazy year of 2020, amidst a pandemic that threw the world into chaos, I am thinking about tomorrow's Thanksgiving Day and all that I am thankful for in regards to Brain Fit Academy.

I am thankful for smiles. The smiles on the faces of my clients and their parents. Smiles when they are able to do something they couldn't before. Or smiles when they no longer do something that they used to.

I am thankful for tears. Healing tears that move kids/teens/adults forward in their lives and in their goals.

I am thankful for the vestibular system. That amazing balance system based in our inner ear that provides the brain with information about our relationship with gravity. 

I am thankful for the "baby brain". The most primitive part of our brain that is the first to develop and allows us to do automatic tasks such as breathing and reflexive movements.

I am thankful for the proprioceptive system. Another sensory system that gathers information from our muscles, joints and tendons and helps us to know "where we are in space".

I am thankful for the "emotional brain". The part of the brain that allows us to "swirl" with emotion and feel all that we need to feel.

I am thankful for the "Learning Loop". This visual is such a beautiful and easy way to help kids understand what is happening when emotions get the better of them.

I am thankful for Brain Gym®. The 26 movements in this program that can help kids (through adults!) in a myriad of ways.

I am thankful for the "Thinking Brain" that allows us to use our brain to "respond" instead of "react". 

I am thankful for Primitive Reflex Integration. The form of work that can help children feel more comfortable, confident, coordinated, and happy.

I am thankful for my "Big Green Ball". My trusty helper that rides in my car and assists me whenever I call on it to work with kids.

I am thankful for my clients, their parents, and families. Being able to work with them brings tremendous joy to my life.

And finally, I am thankful for Pam Formosa. Owner/Director of Brain Fit Academy and the person who brought this amazing work to me and has taught me so much.

 

Yes, it sure is a time to be thankful. 

What are you thankful for?

We Use Movement

Survival. We all need to survive. Physically, emotionally, cognitively- survive. We go through our days, sometimes only seemingly "just surviving". It happens- to all of us, right?

We have stressors in our life that can push us into that "just surviving" mode. And, when in the middle of a pandemic, those stressors seem to keep coming, don't they? At least I feel like that for me. 

It could be the stress of remote learning and how it affects everyone- not just the kids. The stress of uncertainty- in the world as a whole as well in our own little world. Or the stress of trying to play multiple roles at once. The roles of parent, spouse, secretary, employee, friend, teacher or --add your own role here--. All of those stressors can put us into survival mode. 

But that's just us- the adults. What about the kids? 

Now in "normal" times, we might talk about kids being in survival mode due to learning challenges, anxiety provoking tests, social difficulties, other challenges such as ADHD/ADD, Autism, Dyslexia, or multiple unintegrated Primitive Reflexes. But add in COVID-19? Well- take all those stressors I mentioned above and throw in even more!

Now before I go further, let's back-up a minute. I mentioned at the beginning that we all need to survive- physically, emotionally, and cognitively. What do I mean by that? Well, if we're in survival mode, here is how a child might be affected:

• Physically: Having difficulty sitting still, manipulating pencil, coordinating your eyes to focus, sleep and eating patterns are disrupted.

• Emotionally: Reactive vs responsive. Difficulty controlling frustration- there’s no joy. A pervasive sense of fear and stress and anxiety over issues that are not a real threat takes over and experienced on daily basis. 

• Cognitively: Having difficulty thinking straight, can’t remember things. There is no long term or medium term plan, it’s all about getting through the next 24 hours. No goals. Planning and organizing is challenging.

Read those again. Read how kids can be affected. 

In that state, that state of survival, do you think much learning is going to happen? Go ahead, raise your hand if you think learning can happen when someone is physically, emotionally and cognitively in survival mode. And now, please tell me that you don't have your hand up!

How on earth could we expect someone to learn when all of that is going on? 

We can't!! They are just trying to make it through the next 24 hours!

Just.trying.to.survive.

Ok, so by this time, you may be wondering- what's the point here Amy? 

I'll tell you. The point is this- there is something that can help people come out of survival mode. Can help kids come out of survival mode. And what's strange to me? Is that this "mysterious" thing kind of seems like a secret, but it really isn't at all.

Want to know what it is?

It's movement.

Yup, you heard that right- movement. Intentional movement to be more specific. 

Not some miracle drug, or new-fangled therapy- just movement. Moving our bodies in intentional ways, with purposeful movements. 

We can move from "survival mode" to "learning mode" with movement. Isn't that amazing, and awe-inspiring and oh-so-easy?!?

At Brain Fit Academy, we can teach people how to do just that. We teach kids, teens, adults, parents, teachers, professionals (anyone who wants to learn!) how to move out of survival mode and be ready and able to learn, grow and enjoy life!

And those intentional movements? What are they? Well, we have a host of them. The 26 Brain Gym® movements are a staple, but we also incorporate other movements such as those from the Rhythmic Movement Training program, additional movements that mimic Primitive Reflex motor patterns as well as from a host of other tried and true programs. 

As I said- movement, intentional, purposeful movement is what can help us get out of that survival mode and back into learning mode. Doesn't that sound good?

It's not a secret. It's not a miracle. 

It's movement. We use movement.

Roots

What would happen to a tree if it didn't have strong roots? 

• Would it grow healthy, strong and tall? 
• Would it be able to stand erect in the ground and maintain its stability in the wind? 
• Would it be able to withstand the ebbs and flows of weather patterns? 
• Would it support the tree in the best way possible?

I'm no arborist, but I would say that the answer to all of these questions would be no. Would you agree?

Just like roots of a tree, our brain stem serves to support us- right from the earliest beginnings of our development. You see, when you look through the lens of the Triune Brain Theory (explained in more detail in this post) you will come to think of the brain in three parts. The earliest, the brain stem- or the "baby brain" as we say at Brain Fit, is like the roots of a tree.

The baby brain develops first. Establishing (or it is supposed to establish) a solid foundation for the rest of the brain to develop. It serves as the "roots" of the brain- upon which the other parts of the brain can grow. It governs survival mechanisms such as breathing and digestion and is where the primitive reflexes are housed.

But herein lies a potential problem. If the baby brain doesn't develop quite the way it should- if the primitive reflexes don't emerge, develop and integrate smoothly, those "roots" (the brain stem) can get- what we call- a little "disorganized".

Think about those tree roots again for a minute. Let's just say that the roots of the tree represent the primitive reflexes. The roots are those early motor patterns- the primitive reflexes. Now, picture those roots all tangled up. Growing every which way- left/right, crossing over each other and intermingling. Not really forming a flowing, organized pathway to the ground and the nutrients it holds. 

If the roots of the tree grew in that tangled, mixed up way, would the tree be at its best? Would it be able to weather the storms of life and do all of those things I mentioned at the beginning of this post?

So remember, those roots represent the primitive reflexes, right? What if the primitive reflexes "grew" or developed in the same way that those roots did? Picture that. 

The early motor patterns that help us to survive, facilitate the development of our sensory systems, facilitate the ability for us to be comfortable in our bodies, as well as facilitating motor development growing in that same tangled up way. 

The primitive reflexes developing in that same, mixed-up way- left/right, crossing over each other and intermingling. Never really forming a flowing organized pathway to the upper parts of the brain. Remember- the brain develops from the bottom up, so if the lower parts of the brain aren't organized and those roots are all tangled up and not flowing- the upper parts of the brain don't have the foundation they need in which to grow!

That's what has happened with many of the clients we see at Brain Fit. The brain stem didn't grow in an organized way. Or, maybe it started to grow and somehow got interrupted. Either way, there is disorganization in the lower parts of the brain. The roots are all mixed up. The foundation isn't strong enough to support the person.

• They may not grow healthy, strong and tall
• They may not be able to maintain (emotional) stability in the "winds" of life.
• They may not be able to withstand the ebbs and flows of the "weathers" of life.
• They may not have the "support" of the brain in the best way possible.

The brain stem, AKA "baby brain"and the roots of the tree- they both support. They both need an organized flow to do their best work. They don't always have it.

At Brain Fit, we support the brain stem by integrating the primitive reflexes. 

As for the tree? I have no idea. You might want to consult with an arborist...

The Show Must Go On!

I love the work I am doing in my life right now. It is the "eve" of my teaching the Primitive Reflex Integration course online for the first time. I am so excited that we have been able to pivot the course and that I can continue teaching this important information in a new way- on Zoom!

As I have mentioned many times before, Primitive Reflex Integration is something I wish people all around the world knew. So much so that I want to Shout it From the Rooftops!

When I was thinking about how this "show must go on", it also got me thinking about kids. My clients, other Brain Fit clients, and kids out there- in the world who's show doesn't "go on". 

I'm talking about the kids that are so stuck in the Fight/Flight/Freeze response that their parents can't even get them to school some days. 

I'm talking about the kids that hear others talking behind their back about them and feel so badly about it that they refuse to go to school or other places where they would need to be around their peers.

I'm talking about the kids that struggle with math, or reading or writing. Or struggle with sensory issues, or social interactions. Or those that have other learning challenges, or live with chronic- daily, anxiety.

For those kids- is the show "going on"? 

• Are they living a full and happy life? 
• Is the rest of the family calm and content? 
• Are they able to "pivot" and go with the flow of life? 
• Do they have the resiliency and self-regulation to get themselves through their day?

I would guess that in most of those cases, the answer is no to a lot (if not all) of those questions.

What I love about Brain Fit, is that we work with these struggling kids and families.

We work with our clients to integrate the primitive reflexes and get to the root cause of many of these challenges. We teach them tools that they can use in their daily life to calm the nervous system and bring them back to homeostasis. We give them knowledge about their brain, and what to do when they find themselves "out of the loop". We teach adult classes- such as the reflex integration course I'm teaching this weekend and Brain Gym® 101. We also (in "normal" times) offer professional development sessions for teachers and other professionals that work with children. 

The show must go on with people’s lives. These kids and families that are struggling need ways to cope, ways to help. 

Ways to help ease anxiety so that kids can get back to school and feel more self-confident about themselves. 

Ways to make learning challenges less challenging. Ways to help kids "pivot" and be resilient throughout their day and life. 

I am grateful and proud to be a part of this company- Brain Fit Academy, that helps kids and families on a daily basis with all of this.

My "show" is going on tomorrow in the form on an online Reflex Integration course. Meanwhile, Brain Fit will continue working with all of those who find us and need help keeping their own show running. 

We're here, let us help. The show must go on!!

Just Breathe

I'm sure at some point in your life you have had someone tell you- "Just breathe!" You may have been going through a rough patch, having some kind of meltdown, been in the midst of an argument, or perhaps even a panic attack.

I know I've had people tell me this before- several times. And- I've said it to people on different occasions too. But there's some very interesting things about breathing and how they relate to stress. I found out that it's not quite as simple as we might think- to "just breathe" I mean.

Have you ever heard of the psoas (so-az) muscle? Maybe you have- if you're a doctor, OT, PT or massage therapist. 

Me? I'd never heard of it until about a year ago. And, I learned about it in an interesting way because I learned about it in relation to the work we do at Brain Fit Academy. In relation to Primitive Reflex Integration.

The psoas is a basically a large hip flexor that directly links the spine to the legs. There's actually two psoas muscles- the major and the minor. I'm referring to the major one here. But what is interesting, so, so interesting is that the psoas plays an important role in the Fight/Flight/Freeze response. Yes, that's right- the response that keeps us safe in the face of danger- real or perceived.

According to Liz Koch, the author of The Psoas Book, "....the psoas plays an important role in the survival response of the organism: the fight-flight-freeze response." "When fetal curl is activated, the psoas (along with other flexor muscles) neurologically fires bringing the extremities together into a fetal-c curve." She goes on to say that that c-curve "creates a sense of safety while protecting the soft, vulnerable parts of the body." 

Ok- so let me put that into layman's terms. When we go into a "freeze" response, the body (literally) gets pulled into a c-curve, AKA the "fetal position". The psoas- that muscle that many don't really know much about, does that. It helps "pull in" the body to that c-curve- that fetal position.

Great Amy, I get that now. But what does that have to do with breathing?

Well you see, the psoas is also correlated with our diaphragm- one of the main muscles responsible for breathing. The diaphragm and the psoas connect along the same vertebrae in the lower spine. So- when the psoas is tight, we are unable to fully extend our diaphragm. Which means- we aren't able to take a full breath!

Fight/Flight/Freeze=tight psoas=less movement in diaphragm=shallow breathing. 

So asking someone to "just breathe" when they are in the middle of a F/F/F response is probably not going to be as fruitful as you might like.

And for those that are constantly in that F/F/F mode? Breathing- real, deep, belly breaths are most likely just not happening. They just aren't because they can't!

So what do we do? Well, one of the ways we address this at Brain Fit is that we work with our clients to release some of that tension in the psoas. We do movements that help relax and stretch the psoas. Thereby, allowing the diaphragm to more fully extend. 

We also teach a Brain Gym® movement called Belly Breathing. Belly Breathing teaches how to breathe more fully into the "belly"- expanding the rib cage in all directions and allowing for more oxygen to reach the brain.

You'd be surprised at how many kids I've worked with that have had trouble learning how to belly breathe- and I'm sure it has a lot to do with the psoas muscle!

When we work with clients to integrate the MORO and Fear Paralysis reflexes, these breathing and psoas exercises and activities correspond nicely. It's really interesting to see how much more relaxed a person feels after stretching the psoas and then breathing. I feel it myself when I do the exercises along with them. Loosening up the tension in that psoas muscle can have such an impact on the breath and gives a whole new meaning to "just breathe".

The psoas is an important muscle and deserves more attention than we typically give it. Work with your own (or your child's or whomever!) and see if it makes a difference.

Hey- maybe- I can start a new saying. What do you think? 

"Stretch the psoas before the breath, that will help you calm your stress..."