2-Day Advanced Course: Primitive Reflex Integration

Credit

Handouts/Brochure

Speaker

Karen Pryor, PhD, PT, DPT, CH, CFPS Related seminars and products

Health Sphere Wellness Center

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Karen Pryor, PhD, PT, DPT, CH, CFPS, has a doctorate in physical therapy and has practiced for 40 years in the field. Dr. Pryor is the owner of Health Sphere Wellness Center, an integrative therapy clinic in Nashville, Tennessee. Involved with early intervention in the birth-three population for over 30 years, she has developed neuroplasticity techniques that are used in a wide variety of settings, including homes, childcare centers, and school systems, to advanced pediatric therapy programs.

Dr. Pryor serves on several boards, including the Leadership Interagency Council for Early Intervention (2014-2019), a position to which she was appointed by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. In 2010, she received the President's Volunteer Service Award for her contributions to the advanced treatment of children from President Barack Obama. In addition to her work with children, Dr. Pryor has served as an adjunct professor at the Tennessee State University Occupational Therapy Assistant program. She is a clinical instructor for several universities and colleges. With her years of experience and passion for complete wellness, Dr. Pryor advances a more expansive view of how to integrate therapy throughout the lifespan by using neuroplasticity techniques.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Karen Pryor is the owner of Health Sphere Wellness Center, LLC and is a field examiner for PDMS-3. She has employment relationships with Tennessee State University, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Physical Therapy School, the Daymar Physical Therapy Assistant School and the Volunteer State Community College. She is a paid consultant for Evergreen Certifications. Karen Pryor receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Karen Pryor is a reviewer with Tennessee Physical Therapy Association and American Physical Therapy Association. She is an Ambassador for National Down Syndrome Society. She serves on the editorial board for APTA Journal.

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Objectives

1. Describe the primitive reflexes’ influence on movement patterns.
2. Identify the multilayer approach using neuroanatomy and brain function.
3. Evaluate strategies to incorporate techniques into home programs for parents and caregivers.
4. Recognize the importance of positive treatment sessions and verbal cues.
5. Analyze the relationship between brain dysfunction and tone abnormalities.
6. Restate different approaches to changing low and high tone qualities.
7. Identify primitive reflexes and how they contribute to development.
8. Articulate testing and influences of the retention or primitive reflexes.
9. Demonstrate the integration exercise, including modifications, for each reflex.
10. Identify the behavioral and physical systems associated with each reflex.
11. Examine why the reflexes may still be present.
12. Discuss what reflex integration can accomplish.

Outline

• Brain stem and functions
• Occipital lobe
• Temporal lobe
• Frontal lobe
• Parietal lobe

• Neurodevelopmental screens
• Examples of damage
• What is working and what is not
• Where to rewire
• Therapy as infants – faster change
• Going deep into the brain, beyond the level of damage

• High tone
• Low tone
• Nystagmus
• Tremors

• Developmental milestone review
• Sensory motor development
• Vision
• Vision and hearing
• Speech
• Sensation
• Primitive reflex patterns and influence
• Opening the hands for exploration
• Developmental delay and when to go back a step in therapy treatments

• Lobes next door
• Videos of before and after sensory stimulation combinations
• Why vision is vitally important and how it can be stimulated
• How these concepts can be explained to parents and caregivers
• The brain is clay and how to make a model

• Changing the way the brain connects
• Primitive reflex integration and increased active movements
• The “Team” – patient, therapist, and parent/caregiver
• Sensory stimulation to promote appropriate motor response
• Smooth movements
• Strength is not the same as tone
• Simple activities to present to parents

• Sensation is 3-dimensional
• Climb through the cloth tube
• Vision exercises
• Sensory stimulation for high tone vs. low tone

• Brain stem
• Mid brain
• Cerebellum
• Cortex –
• Occipital lobe
• Temporal lobe
• Parietal lobe
• Frontal lobe

• Demonstration of primitive reflexes
• How retained reflexes act on developmental milestones
• Reasons for primitive reflex retention or re-emergence
• How primitive reflexes interfere with higher level skills – Reading, writing, sensory processing

• Palmar grasp
• Plantar grasp
• Symmetrical Tonic Neck
• Asymmetrical Tonic Neck
• Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex
• Moro Reflex
• Extension synergy
• Flexion synergy

Target Audience

• Physical Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Physical Therapist Assistants
• Occupational Therapy Assistants
• Educators
• Early Interventionists

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