3 Things You Didn’t Realize Your ADHD Child Struggles With!
1. Their Brain Stem Doesn’t Work Right
There’s a lot of science we could unpack here, but for now we’re going to try to keep it simple. The brain stem is where these amazing things called primitive reflexes are located. All humans are born with primitive reflexes and they’re a good/necessary part of development. But, by 1 year old, all primitive reflexes should be integrated. Kids (and adults) with ADHD, SPD, OCD, Anxiety, Autism, etc. have RETAINED primitive reflexes – meaning they didn’t go away at 1 year.
It’s easy to know if your child has retained primitive reflexes based on a few symptoms!
Symptoms of retained primitive reflexes include:
Chewing on things/putting things in mouth
Writer’s cramp/poor grip/bad handwriting
Sensitive to loud & sudden noises
Poor posture
Difficulty copying from board to paper
Toe-walking
Bedwetting
If your child has retained primitive reflexes, this causes brain stem dysfunction which leads to functional weaknesses in brain development. Keep reading for the GOOD NEWS!
2. Their Brain Can’t Feel Their Body Properly
Our brain does an amazing thing called proprioception. It’s constantly sending signals to all of our body parts to make sure that they’re still connected and working the correct way.
When proprioception is low, the brain doesn’t receive those signals correctly and it compensates through causing the body to seek out touch & movement.
If you’re finding your child gets too close, does well with weighted blankets, or hangs on you, it’s because their brain is trying to restore the weak proprioception connection by using touch. If your child does this, try tight squeezes on their feet/legs or whole body to help them calm down or fall asleep. You’d be amazed how many kids will fall right asleep after just a few minutes of squeezes!
The same thing is true for fidgeting. If your child is bouncing around all the time, struggles to sit still, or even prefers standing over sitting, the body is trying to restore proprioception using movement. Giving them lots of opportunities to move around will help them focus in the long-run!
3. They don’t have control over their eyes…
When the connection between the brain and eyes is weak, it is difficult for the brain to control the eyes as they should. This makes both focus and reading very difficult. Instead of listening and paying attention to the lesson at school, your child’s eyes are going from the aid walking around the room to:
To the girl’s sparkly headband
To the bright posters all over the walls
To the kid that just got up to ask to go get a drink
To the interesting pictures in his textbook
To the kid’s t-shirt that has a cool design on it
This visual distractibility can make reading very difficult. Often children with visual focus struggles are often mistaken for having learning or reading problems when in fact they don’t. Strengthening the brain’s control over the eyes can help a child control their eyes which in turn will help them with reading and learning!
The Good News!
The good news is that all of these weaknesses in the brain are strengthen-able! You can use simple and target movements to grow and strengthen the weak parts of your child’s brain. Schedule a free consultation with us to learn how!
