The tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR) helps babies learn about gravity after delivery and with control of the neck, back and shoulders. It is stimulated by head movement. It emerges in the uterus and is usually integrated by 3 months of age. When a baby is laying on its back and the head is tilted forwards, below the level of the spine, the arms and legs pull up close to the body. When the head is tilted backward, above the level of the spine, the arms and legs extend outwards. This stimulates proprioception and the reflex gives the baby an opportunity to practice balance and muscle tone.
A retained TLR Reflex can cause a number of struggles with learning including; following multi-step instructions, being forgetful and disorganised, poor posture, struggles when sitting at a desk, weak neck muscles make the head feel heavy so resting it on a desk or in the hands is quite common.
Signs of retention
Poor balance, especially when looking down
Poor posture, rounded back and tires easily when standing
Weak muscle tone resulting in stiff, jerky movements
Problems with vision and changing focus from near to far
Difficulty with spatial problems when writing
Difficulty with own body spatial awareness, bumps into things and or people
Dislike of upper body sports and difficulty catching a ball
Weak neck muscles
A fear of heights
Motion sickness
Toe walking
Speech and Auditory challenges
Problems with eye-tracking, distance to near, converging eyes
Poor sequencing skills for reading, writing and maths
Difficulty understanding the sense of time and sequencing events