2. Retained Primitive Reflex: What Every Parent of A Uniquely Wired Kid Needs To Know
Connected and Capable · Alisha Grogan
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Show Notes
Retained primitive reflexes are often overlooked—or completely missing—from the conversation when it comes to kids with sensory needs, attention challenges, anxiety, coordination difficulties, and diagnoses like ADHD or autism.
In this episode, I’m breaking down what retained primitive reflexes actually are, why they matter far beyond infancy, and how they can impact your child’s sensory processing, emotional regulation, focus, learning, and movement:
We’ll talk about:
1. What retained primitive reflexes actually are in layman's terms
2. Common signs that reflexes may still be firing (or retained)
3. Why this piece is often missed—even by professionals
4. How working on reflex integration can support regulation, sensory needs, attention, and daily functioning.
5. Ways to work on integrating reflexes
This episode is about understanding the body first—because when the body can organize and respond the way it was designed to, everything else becomes more accessible.
Join me in The Connection Hive for the 30 Day Reflex Challenge, you can get started in just a couple minutes: https://yourkidstable.com/TCH
Grab your free printable copy of our 5 Big Calming Techniques for Big Emotions + Dysregulation-- https://yourkidstable.com/emotions-printable/
Key Timestamps
01:00 – What retained primitive reflexes actually are
02:25 – The grasp reflex and why it matters later in life
03:45 – The Moro reflex and its link to anxiety and hyper-vigilance
06:10 – How reflexes impact coordination, reading, and focus
09:18 – Why many professionals never talk about reflexes
15:43 – Simple ways families can start integrating reflexes at home
MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU
Ready for a simple plan to overcome the attention, sleep, sensory, and big emotion challenges? I'll show you how for uniquely wired kids 1-18 years old in just 2-5 minutes a day. Join me in The Connection Hive-- https://YourKidsTable.com/TCH
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