When parents think about sensory challenges, they usually think about what they can see.
A child covers their ears when the vacuum turns on.
They refuse to wear certain clothes because the fabric feels “wrong.”
Haircuts become stressful.
Food textures lead to gagging.
A crowded classroom or birthday party ends in tears.
These behaviors are easy to observe.
What is much harder to see is why they happen.
From a functional neurology perspective, sensory processing involves far more than the senses themselves. The brain must constantly receive, organize, interpret, and respond to information coming from the body and the environment.
One factor that may contribute to this process is the persistence of primitive reflexes beyond infancy.
For families searching for answers about pediatric sensory processing disorder in Denver, understanding the role of retained primitive reflexes can provide a different way of looking at sensory challenges.
What Are Primitive Reflexes?
Primitive reflexes are automatic movement patterns that appear during fetal development and infancy.
They are essential for early survival and development. These reflexes help babies feed, respond to touch, develop muscle tone, and begin interacting with their environment.
As the nervous system matures, these early reflexes are expected to integrate. Integration allows more advanced movement patterns and voluntary motor control to develop.
In other words, primitive reflexes are meant to serve as temporary building blocks.
Once higher brain systems mature, those early reflexes gradually fade into the background.
What Does It Mean When a Reflex Is Retained?
Sometimes a primitive reflex does not fully integrate.
Instead of disappearing, it continues to influence how the nervous system responds to movement, posture, or sensory input.
This is called a retained primitive reflex.
A retained reflex is not a diagnosis.
It does not automatically explain every developmental concern.
However, research suggests that retained primitive reflexes may be associated with differences in motor development and neurological maturation, making them an important part of a comprehensive developmental assessment.
Within the developmental framework described by Dr. Robert Melillo, retained primitive reflexes may also reflect differences in how brain networks mature and communicate with one another.
How Primitive Reflexes Can Influence Sensory Processing
Sensory processing is not simply about receiving information.
The brain must decide which information is important, organize it, and determine how to respond.
Primitive reflexes influence many of the same systems involved in this process.
When a reflex remains active, it may interfere with the brain’s ability to efficiently organize sensory information.
For example, a child who is constantly responding to unnecessary neurological “background noise” may find it more difficult to filter ordinary sensations.
As a result, everyday experiences can feel much more intense than they do for other children.
This does not mean that primitive reflexes are the only cause of sensory challenges.
Instead, they may represent one contributing piece of a larger neurological picture.
Why Sensory Challenges Often Occur Alongside Other Difficulties
Parents frequently notice that sensory sensitivities rarely occur by themselves.
A child who dislikes loud sounds may also have poor balance.
Another child who refuses certain clothing may struggle with handwriting.
A child who constantly seeks movement may also have difficulty sitting still in school.
These overlapping challenges make more sense when we remember that the nervous system functions as an integrated network.
The same neurological systems involved in movement also contribute to attention, posture, balance, body awareness, and emotional regulation.
When development is uneven, multiple areas may be affected simultaneously.
This is one reason functional neurology emphasizes understanding patterns rather than viewing each symptom in isolation.
Which Primitive Reflexes Are Most Commonly Evaluated?
Several primitive reflexes are commonly assessed during developmental evaluations because of their influence on movement and neurological organization.
These may include:
- The Moro reflex, which is involved in the infant startle response.
- The Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR), which supports early movement patterns and hand-eye coordination.
- The Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR), which contributes to posture and crawling development.
- The Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR), which influences balance, muscle tone, and body position.
Each reflex serves an important purpose during infancy.
The goal is not to eliminate them early but to allow them to integrate naturally as the nervous system matures.
When integration is delayed, clinicians may observe patterns that help explain ongoing developmental challenges.
Why Movement Plays Such an Important Role
Parents often ask why a functional neurology evaluation spends so much time looking at movement.
The answer is simple.
Movement is one of the brain’s primary sources of information.
Every movement provides sensory input from muscles, joints, and the balance system.
This information helps organize brain networks responsible for posture, coordination, attention, and sensory processing.
Primitive reflexes are deeply connected to these movement systems.
When movement develops efficiently, the nervous system receives increasingly organized information that supports higher-level neurological function.
This relationship between movement and brain development is one of the central principles of functional neurology.
Looking Beyond Sensory Symptoms
It is easy to focus on the behaviors parents see every day.
The clothing battles.
The food aversions.
The noise sensitivity.
The emotional meltdowns.
While these concerns are real and deserve attention, they are often the outward expression of what is happening inside the nervous system.
Functional neurology asks a different question.
Instead of asking only, “How can we reduce this behavior?” we ask, “What neurological systems might be contributing to it?”
That shift often changes the entire evaluation.
Rather than looking only at sensory symptoms, we also examine movement, balance, coordination, timing, eye movements, posture, and developmental history.
Together, these findings provide a more complete understanding of how the nervous system is functioning.
What Happens During a Functional Neurology Evaluation?
For families seeking help with pediatric sensory processing disorder in Denver, the evaluation is designed to understand the child as a whole rather than focusing on one symptom.
Depending on the child’s history and concerns, the evaluation may include:
- A detailed developmental history
- Primitive reflex assessment
- Balance testing
- Coordination evaluation
- Eye movement assessment
- Sensory processing observations
- Timing and rhythm activities
- Postural control testing
- Motor planning assessment
These assessments help identify patterns that may explain why sensory processing has become difficult for that individual child.
What Does the Research Say?
Research continues to explore the relationship between primitive reflex integration, motor development, and sensory processing.
Studies published in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health have reported associations between retained primitive reflexes and motor performance in otherwise healthy preschool children, supporting the importance of evaluating these reflexes as part of developmental assessments.
Modern neuroscience also recognizes neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize throughout life. Researchers continue investigating how targeted sensory-motor experiences influence neurological function. In a 2023 study, Teicher and colleagues observed measurable behavioral and neurological changes in children with ADHD following participation in a multimodal intervention program. Although additional high-quality research is needed and these findings should not be interpreted as proof of any single intervention model, they support continued investigation into how purposeful sensory-motor stimulation may influence brain function over time.
What This Approach Does and Does Not Claim
Retained primitive reflexes are one piece of a much larger developmental picture.
They are not the sole explanation for sensory processing disorder, autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, or other neurodevelopmental conditions.
Functional neurology does not claim to cure these conditions.
Instead, it seeks to understand how the nervous system is functioning, identify factors that may be contributing to a child’s challenges, and develop individualized recommendations that support healthier neurological organization and overall function.
Every child is unique, and every evaluation should reflect that.
Helping Families Understand the Bigger Picture
When a child struggles with sensory processing, it is natural to focus on the situations that create the most stress.
But those moments often begin much earlier than parents realize.
The way the brain organizes movement, posture, balance, and sensory information during development can influence how a child experiences the world every day.
If you’re searching for help with pediatric sensory processing disorder in Denver, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Lakewood, or nearby communities, a comprehensive functional neurology evaluation can provide valuable insight into the neurological patterns that may be contributing to your child’s sensory challenges.
At Omega Functional Health, we believe that understanding why a child experiences the world differently is the first step toward creating an individualized plan that supports healthier development and improved quality of life.
If you’d like to learn whether a pediatric functional neurology evaluation may be appropriate for your child, we invite you to schedule a complimentary virtual consultation with our clinical team.
References
Melillo R. Disconnected Kids. 3rd ed. TarcherPerigee; 2024.
Teicher MH, Bolger E, Hafezi P, et al. Open assessment of the therapeutic and rate-dependent effects of brain balance center and interactive metronome exercises on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychiatry Research. 2023;319:114973. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114973.
Goddard Blythe S. Persistent primitive reflexes and associated motor problems in healthy preschool children. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health. 2004;16(4):379-389.