Uncovering Hidden Barriers to Learning: How Retained Primitive Reflexes Impact Children in the Classroom

Every child learns and develops differently. Academic progress often gets linked to cognitive ability, but emotional and physical development matter just as much to a child’s ability to thrive in the classroom. One factor that often goes unnoticed: retained primitive reflexes.

Our Student Support Teacher recently shared Hidden Barriers to Learning: What Every Teacher Should Know, an episode of the All Things Sensory podcast by Harkla, hosted by Jessica Hill and Rachel Harrington, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants and Certified Primitive Reflex Clinical Specialists. The episode breaks down what primitive reflexes are and how they can show up in the classroom when they don’t fully integrate.

What are primitive reflexes?

Primitive reflexes are automatic movements infants develop before birth, part of how the body supports early survival and movement. As a child’s brain matures, these reflexes typically fade, replaced by more complex, voluntary motor skills.

When a reflex doesn’t fully integrate, it can interfere with focus, coordination, and emotional regulation well past infancy.

How retained reflexes can show up in the classroom

Several reflexes are commonly discussed in this context:

• Moro reflex (startle reflex) can keep a child in a heightened state of alertness, sometimes showing up as anxiety or trouble calming down.
• ATNR (asymmetrical tonic neck reflex) can interfere with tracking words across a page or coordinating hand movements.
• STNR (symmetrical tonic neck reflex) can make it hard to sit still and focus.
• TLR (tonic labyrinthine reflex) can affect balance and posture.
• Palmar reflex can affect pencil grip and handwriting.
• Spinal Galant reflex can cause fidgeting and restlessness, sometimes mistaken for ADHD.

What helps

Primitive reflexes can integrate at any age. Movement is the primary tool: crawling, animal walks, cross-crawl exercises, and similar activities appear frequently in occupational therapy practice to support integration.

If you have questions about your own child’s development, your Student Support Teacher and your child’s pediatrician or occupational therapist are the best next step.

For more on this topic: Hidden Barriers to Learning: What Every Teacher Should Know, All Things Sensory podcast by Harkla.