So how can educators identify retained primitive reflexes?

Importantly, it is not the aim to show how to assess if primitive reflexes remain active within the children you teach, but to help you identify those children who may well have these underlying motor problems, so that further assistance and assessment can be sought.

Case study

Jenna, a Year 6 pupil, always looked as if she was going to fall asleep at her desk. She would slump over her work with her elbow on the desk and her hand under her chin holding her head up. Jenna found it extremely difficult to copy correctly from the board to her piece of paper, always losing her place. She would get disheartened quickly and begin to chat and disturb others.

Primitive Reflex: Symmetrical Tonic.

How to help: Provide a sloping board to write on. Many older children will quite happily use an arch file for this purpose. In PE lessons practice creeping and crawling on hands and knees.

By giving Jenna a sloping board, she had to change her seating position and she also could not put her elbow so easily on the desk, preventing her holding her head up with her hand. This encouraged her to strengthen her neck muscles. Being able to keep her head up also helped her hand-eye coordination and thus her copying and writing skills.