The brain is the most complex structure in the entire human body. An embryologic structure called the notochord is how the brain begins to form. As we develop in utero, the brain forms from bottom to top, and from front to back. Years and years pass before this organ matures, and daily events increase the complexity and intricacy of the brain’s neurological abilities. But how do we get to this point?

Everything begins in the brain stem-the most primitive structure in the brain-and this is where the most subconscious, automatic responses that we are inherently born with are housed. These are called primitive reflexes. Primitive reflexes are essential to the growth, development, and health of the brain in all human beings. They develop in utero as a survival mechanism that newborns need to move, feed, adapt, and interact with the strange new world they have just been born into. Once labor is initiated, key primitive reflexes are needed to move the baby from the uterus into the birth canal and out mom’s cervix. Our bodies were designed by the Creator to be born in this fashion…and when this birth process is not completed, initiation of these primitive reflexes do not occur. So, what implication can this have?

Primitive reflexes indicate the health of the brain. They determine how milestones will develop and the time frame they will appear. The correct progression of these primitive reflexes dictates how developmental skills such as crawling, walking, and speech will progress into more complex functions later in life. These things matter-because the brain and nervous system ultimately predict health outcomes. And the health of our kids matters.

Research has indicated that an increase in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychoses diagnoses are due to an absence of primitive reflexes in the timeframe they should have been present or these primitive reflexes being retained longer than they should be present. 

In 2022, the CDC released new guidelines for milestones. Before this time, crawling was expected to occur between 6 months and 8 months of age. Now, the CDC does not even consider this a milestone that needs to be reached. Yet crawling is essential for the development of the cross-crawl pattern needed for the brain to learn the proper system of walking. It is now considered normal for babies to walk at 15 months, something that was considered a normal developmental milestone at 12 months. Prior to 2022, babies could speak 50 words by 2 years of age, and now it is considered normal if they do this by 2.5 years of age. Are our kids actually delayed? Or are we creating an environment in which it’s okay for the brain to be delayed? 

The health of our kids is determined by brain function. It is determined by the brain’s ability to create, perform, and integrate these primitive reflexes, incorporate them into the brain, and then use these reflexes to create more complex skills needed down the line. 

So, what can you do about this? Most importantly-get your little loved ones under chiropractic care. Chiropractic is essential for proper nervous system development and function. The nervous system is the best indication for true health. Watch to make sure milestones are being met and look for signs that the brain is developing at the pace that it should. Let’s continue to focus on giving our kids the best opportunity possible to live vibrant, purpose-filled lives!

With Love-

Dr. Kaytlynn