Any experience with treatment for RRS (retained reflexes) - Indigo are you here?

[timetoask]

Hi,
Indigo, hoping that you are mumsnetting today....
I had my appointment for AIT and LWT in the SLC, a lot of what they said makes sense and explains some things. THey also mentioned a neurodevelopmental assessment for RRS.

Have you done that? Is it just another silver bullet or does the science behind it really make sense?

DS has been assessed as still having a strong Moro reflex. We are currently doing the exercises for it and I'm really hopeful. We actually had ours tested at an NHS sensory clinic so it is not just a silver bullet IMHO. They did say that with children with ASD or dypraxia it is more difficult to suppress the reflex even after therapy.

Thanks Ben. So good to know that in the nhs they also take these into account. I was worried because I cannot find any scientific paper or study about it on the net.
Would love to know if anyone has seen real benefit
Thanks

Hiya-I think Indigo must be away as havent seen her post for a bit but she is definately the person to ask re RR. I have also done with Hemispheres OTs. Has been fantastic-very strong grasping reflexes are finally at zero and massive improvements in chewing/handwriting being seen now. far more chilled out little boy. Muscle tone was classed as hypotonic-now considered the lower end of normal...improved running gait...improved listening (although going to do AIT too).
You wont find many peer reviewed articles and this treatment demands a leap of faith particularly if you need hard evidence to prove it works. All I can say is that it has totally transformed my very unhappy little boy into a happy settled one and thats all I give a stuff about!! Dont expect instant results though-it took 4 months of daily exercises to shift his extrememly persistent grasping reflexes and moro still present although much reduced.
HTH

There is not many scientific papers on the internet, but these may help.

Having seen two primary research papers into vision therapy they are pretty incomprehensible to lay people. A lot of the primary research is currently carried out in America and Australia

I think it all depends on who you talk to; ophthalmic surgeons/opticians or optometrists and their training as to whether Retained Reflexes or Vision Therapy is considered a silver bullet or not.

covd.org/Home/ResearchWhitePapers/WhitePapersonVisionTherapy/tabid/190/Default.aspx

www.suehyland.co.uk/ond_physical_exercises.html

Research retained reflexes/ADHD

www.akcsm.com/RPR.htm

www.sensoryflow.com/spd/visual-processing/

Walsingham hope you don't mind me asking but what condition does your DS have?
my DS has CP and quite prominant ATNR more on the right side, what exercises were you given, we have been told to make DS put weight through right arm to correct the reflex.
All really interesting but so blinking complicated!

Hi all,
Thank you for your responses, oddgirld and walshingham - after reading about your positive experience I feel more inclined to go for it. The investment (both financial and emotional in terms of hope and time) are not small, but I am hoping this will help DS with his frustration.

Can I ask one more question, I know all children are different but more or less, what type of excercises to you have to do? Do you need any special equipment and are they easy? DS has very poor attention span and is very hyper active.

Thanks again,

No-exercises are just so simple-rolling on floor/balancing bean bags/spinning in a chair but practitioner should only do what child can manage so we have built up over months-initially only did one exercise took 2 mins/day-now around 15mins. The most complex piece of equipment I have needed is a bean bag . It is expensive but ime the most worthwhile thing we have done by a long chalk...
HTH and good luck-look at Hemispheres website for some background and studies.

Wow oddgirl, that sounds so hopeful. I cannot understand why it's not more widespread knowledge.