Rewiring the Brain

There are many different reflexes. Many of them are present only before we are born, in the womb, others exert their effect at birth, still others help the baby in nutrition, in experiencing the stimuli of the environment, in adaptation, and there are some that are present for the rest of our lives. Every reflex has its role in our life.

 

The so-called primitive – or infantile – reflexes should be present only temporarily, from birth to two and a half years of age. These play a very important role in the experience and processing of sensory stimuli, but after a while they should merge into another reflex, or simply come under the inhibition of the cerebral cortex and become "incapacitated". If these primitive reflexes are not present with the appropriate intensity, quantity, and quality during the respective stage of life, then they will not naturally become inhibited, i.e. they will not "go away" when they should. On one hand this will cause perception anomalies, and on the other, cause the reflexes to be triggered by a stimulus even when there is no need for them.

 

Because of the above, the nervous system cannot mature at the right pace, so approximately until the age of 10, we can say that these children are characterized by delayed nervous system development.

 

The symptoms of delayed neurodevelopment are very, very diverse. The symptoms depend on the amount and composition of the infantile reflexes, as well as the extent of the delay in sensory and motor processing and functioning, and the types of blockages that have occurred. The symptoms are often the same as problems that can have a physical cause. This can be, for example, bedwetting at night, dyslexia, or attention deficit disorder.

 

If a significant part of these problems disappear as a result of sensorimotor exercises, the problem was caused by undeveloped infantile reflexes or sensorimotor functioning.

 

In addition to the theoretical background, the book offers training programs for various problems. All this can be done at home using the exercises in the book.

 

The elimination of the problems does not happen overnight, but is the result of persistent, regular work. If you are lucky, four or five months, but it can also be a year or a year-and-a-half before the problem goes away. Unfortunately, in a small percentage of problems, the "healing" will never be 100%, but the improvement of the condition is possible in almost all cases.

 

For those who live a long life, infantile reflexes may return as a result of the decline in the functioning of the cerebral cortex. Research shows that the risk of dementia increases with the number of recurrent reflexes (or how early they return). It is also worthwhile for elderly people to perform certain exercises for prevention reasons.

 

There are many studies and research about the relationship between infant reflexes and various unwanted symptoms, and about the fact that by reducing reflexes and in parallel sensorimotor development, it is possible that the brain can function at full capacity, which can be seen in a person’s behavior, learning and health condition.

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However, unfortunately there are very few popular books related to the topic. Reflex integration exercises are sadly missing from kindergarden and school programs.

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It is important to state that in addition to the exercises in the book and videos, any sport and other therapy which the child enjoys can be continued in parallel.

 

This is not a book of magic, and "I don't have a magic wand to make everything go away". It is a solution for those parents, nurses, teachers, developers, psychologists, and doctors who find themselves faced with problems arising from sensorimotor immaturity and existing infantile reflexes. It is for coaches who want to help their athletes. It is for music teachers who want to develop their students. And it is for adults who want to help themselves.

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I have been involved in this field of development since 2000. My doctoral research explored this topic with the involvement of 776 children. In the last 10-12 years, I have tested approximately 5,000 children, prescribed exercises for them, and monitored their progress. I wrote this book based on the literature found in the bibliography, the results of my doctoral research, and my experiences with nearly 5,000 children.