The process of reflex integration typically takes six to twelve months for babies. By the time we celebrate a child’s first birthday, the primitive reflexes have made way for postural, lifelong reflexes.
At least, that’s what’s meant to happen. Many children today have primitive reflexes stuck in place well beyond this stage of life, leading to potential challenges with learning, concentration, behaviour, coordination and emotional resilience. Childhood becomes much harder work than it was ever intended to be.
The good news is that such difficulties are not set in stone. A variety of approaches can be used to complete the process of reflex integration that was missed during babyhood. I wrote about three different modalities in an earlier blog post, you can read it here.
Once we understand our amazing capacity for creating neurological change, the question that quickly follows is, how long will reflex integration actually take?
The true answer is a very individual one, dependent upon how many reflexes are still active, their strength as well as the frequency and intensity of intervention. But knowing that it takes six to twelve months for babies, we have a starting point for what to anticipate. Added onto this is another layer-the younger you are, the faster the shifts will come.
As you’ve just read, this process isn’t a quick fix. The journey won’t be complete after two weeks or two months. To create changes in the brain, a small amount of targeted movement is needed daily, or a minimum of four times per week (although educators who only see children twice a week can still start clearing the cobwebs).
Continued support will be needed for a sustained period of time. And for that reason it’s best to embrace your reflex integration modality of choice, as part of your routine, without a prescriptive end date in mind.
How soon will I see changes?
For some children it gets worse before it gets better. Change can be seen almost immediately but not in the right direction. This can feel incredibly scary and not what families signed up for. This is a phase of adjustment where the body and brain establish a new way of being, typically only lasting two to three weeks. It’s essential to have someone in your corner to check in with at this time, who can advise if a lower intensity of intervention is needed.
Off to a bumpy start or not, it’s usually after six to twelve weeks that noticeable changes can be seen. In a classroom, the children seem more settled and focussed at group times. At home, a child may have improvements with bedwetting, a decrease in meltdowns, begin asking ‘why?’ for the first time in their life, or display a wide range of positive shifts that reassure us we’re on the right track.
At this point in time some families decide to stop. They reach a point where life feels easier and the fierce motivation to create change lessens. I urge you not to. While neurological change has occurred, input needs to continue for a minimum of six months in order to maintain these changes. In other words, if you don’t want to unravel back to the world of meltdowns and madness, keep going just a little bit longer.
Do you have a question about the process of reflex integration? If so, ask it here.