Tegan Piacentini

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A movement based, non-invasive approach to improve learning, behaviours, attention, focus, motor skills & emotional regulation by integrating primitive reflexes.

Ever noticed a child turning their whole body instead of reaching across, swapping hands halfway through brushing their ...
10/08/2026

Ever noticed a child turning their whole body instead of reaching across, swapping hands halfway through brushing their teeth, or approaching handwriting with the concentration of a bomb technician?

ATNR may be part of the picture.
With a retained ATNR, turning the head can still trigger subtle changes through the arms and body. So, when a child looks towards their writing hand, that arm may want to straighten or become less settled. Fine motor control then takes extra effort, and handwriting can end up cramped, uneven or looking a little like chicken scratch.

You may also notice that they avoid reaching across the middle of their body, shift the page around, turn their whole torso, or lose their place when tracking across a line of text.

Of course, messy writing does not automatically mean a retained reflex. But when the same patterns keep popping up, ATNR can be a useful piece of the puzzle.
My work looks at the foundations beneath classroom skills, not just the finished product on the page.

Reach out if this is a pattern you are noticing in your child.

[email protected]

Some kids (and adults!) seem to live with their internal alarm system set just a little too high.They may startle easily...
09/08/2026

Some kids (and adults!) seem to live with their internal alarm system set just a little too high.

They may startle easily, react strongly to noise or sudden change, and take longer than expected to settle once something has tipped them over. Busy classrooms, unexpected instructions, siblings being siblings, even someone dropping a drink bottle can feel like a lot.

It can look like overreacting, but sometimes the nervous system is simply working overtime to decide what is safe and what is not.
A retained Moro reflex is only one possible piece of the puzzle, but it can help explain why a child seems constantly on edge, easily overwhelmed or completely spent by the end of the day.

As a neurodevelopmental practitioner, I look at these patterns beneath the behaviour and consider what the child’s body may be working hard to manage.

www.teganpiacentini.com.au
[email protected]

Sometimes families are not looking for more pressure, more strategies or another fast answer. Sometimes what is needed i...
07/08/2026

Sometimes families are not looking for more pressure, more strategies or another fast answer. Sometimes what is needed is a slower, gentler path. A chance to pause, look beneath the surface and better understand what a child may be finding difficult.

My work as a neurodevelopmental practitioner offers a different way forward. Together, we look at the foundations that support movement, regulation, learning and everyday life. We take the time to notice patterns, make sense of what you are seeing and consider what your child may need most.

I'm not into blame, and it is not about rushing to “fix” your child.

It is about understanding them more deeply, supporting their nervous system and creating space for growth at a pace that feels manageable for your family.

If you are looking for a calmer, more thoughtful approach, I would love to help.

Complimentary 30-minute consultations are available.

www.teganpiacentini.com.au
[email protected]

It has been a big week, and I always feel deeply privileged to sit with families in some of their most vulnerable moment...
07/08/2026

It has been a big week, and I always feel deeply privileged to sit with families in some of their most vulnerable moments.

Something I notice, again and again, in the families I work with. There is often a period, sometimes a long one, where parents are waiting.

Waiting for the right diagnosis, the right therapist, the right programme. Waiting for the moment where someone finally says: we have found it, this is the thing, your child is going to be okay now.

And I understand that wait. I really do. Because the love behind it is enormous.

But somewhere along the way, most parents arrive at a truth that nobody really prepares you for.

No one is coming to rescue them.

Not in a harsh way. Not in a "you are on your own" way. But in a quiet, clarifying way. The kind of realisation that, once it settles, actually gives you something solid to stand on.

Because when you stop waiting for the fix, you start asking a different question.

If this is our normal for now, what can I do today, in this moment, to support my child a little better than I did yesterday?

Not perfectly. Not with all the answers. Just present, willing, and honest about what is within your reach right now.

There is no wrap-it-up moment. No "all fixed." There is just the slow, unglamorous, deeply important work of showing up. And I feel pretty chuffed to be a small part of that journey. 💚

We ask children to sit still, focus, and regulate themselves dozens of times a day, and some of them can. But for many, ...
06/08/2026

We ask children to sit still, focus, and regulate themselves dozens of times a day, and some of them can. But for many, that ask is bigger than it looks.

Voluntary control over movement, attention, and impulse isn't something every child arrives at school already equipped with. For a portion of them, it's still being built, quietly, in the background, often mistaken for choice when it isn't one yet.

Regulation, attention, coordination, learning: all of it is built on the foundational work Body to Brain Learning @ School offers.

If your school is ready to build that foundation properly, get in touch. We offer a free PL session to schools wanting to see what this looks like in practice.

[email protected]

Neurodevelopmental Practitioners start with the foundations that support movement, regulation, learning and everyday pa...
05/08/2026

Neurodevelopmental Practitioners start with the foundations that support movement, regulation, learning and everyday participation.
I look at how a child’s body and nervous system are working together, and where things may be requiring more effort than expected. This can help us better understand the patterns behind challenges with coordination, attention, emotional regulation, classroom tasks and daily routines.
The goal is not to “fix” a child.
It is to understand them more clearly, support the areas that are working hard, and create a stronger foundation for growth.
I offer complimentary 30-minute consultations for families who would like to talk through what they are noticing and whether this approach may be a good fit.
www.teganpiacentini.com.au
[email protected]

The West Australian's front page today stopped me in my tracks.WA's Year 3 numeracy results are at their lowest in four ...
05/08/2026

The West Australian's front page today stopped me in my tracks.

WA's Year 3 numeracy results are at their lowest in four years, and the conversation, rightly, is asking why.

I know NAPLAN divides opinion. It is one test, on one day, and it does not define a child. But data matters. Patterns matter. And when the pattern is pointing in a consistent direction, it is worth paying attention.

I don't think Body to Brain Learning @ School is the whole answer. I genuinely don't. Great teaching matters. Resources matter. Family support matters.

But here's what I keep coming back to: if a child's nervous system isn't ready, if the foundations aren't in place, even the best teaching has to work twice as hard to land.

Swipe through to see the foundational areas we look at, and why they show up so directly in maths.

If any of it resonates, I'd love to hear from you.

📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.bodytobrainlearning.com

Ever wonder why some kids seem to struggle with things that look simple on paper?Retained primitive reflexes can quietly...
04/08/2026

Ever wonder why some kids seem to struggle with things that look simple on paper?

Retained primitive reflexes can quietly affect a child's sensory system, coordination, and stress response. It often shows up as things like sound or light sensitivity, clumsiness, big reactions to small moments, or a real struggle with handwriting and focus, things that can be easy to misread day to day.

The good part: once we understand what's actually driving it, we can build a plan that helps, not just for the child, but for the adults supporting them too.

If this sounds like a child in your class or a pattern across your school, drop a comment or send us a message. We'd love to help you get to the bottom of it.

[email protected]

Sometimes the smallest movements tell us the biggest story.How a child balances, tracks with their eyes, walks across a ...
03/08/2026

Sometimes the smallest movements tell us the biggest story.

How a child balances, tracks with their eyes, walks across a room or positions their body at a desk can offer valuable clues about how efficiently their nervous system is supporting everyday tasks.

These observations are not tests, and one isolated difficulty does not provide an answer. What matters is the pattern. When several small signs appear together, they may help explain why sitting, writing, reading, coordinating movement or staying organised requires more effort than expected.

As a neurodevelopmental practitioner, this is the work I do. I scratch beneath the surface to understand what a child’s body may be communicating, then consider the developmental foundations supporting movement, regulation and learning.

To learn more or arrange a complimentary 30-minute consultation:

www.teganpiacentini.com.au
[email protected]

WA's full-time kindergarten pilot is expanding again in 2027, taking it to ten public schools across the state. There's ...
01/08/2026

WA's full-time kindergarten pilot is expanding again in 2027, taking it to ten public schools across the state. There's a lot to like here: it's optional, play-based, teacher-led, and backed by extra support staff in every classroom. For a lot of families, five days a week instead of five days a fortnight will be a genuine relief, both logistically and financially.
But more time in the room only helps if a child's body is actually ready to use that time.
For decades, one of the simplest checks a teacher in the former Czechoslovakia could do to gauge school readiness wasn't academic at all. It was whether a child could copy a circle. Not because the drawing itself mattered, but because a controlled, closed circle needs a stable shoulder, a settled grip, a nervous system that isn't still working overtime on primitive reflexes, and both sides of the brain coordinating smoothly across the middle of the body. It's the physical groundwork letter formation sits on top of.
A child who can't yet copy that circle isn't behind in intelligence. Their body just hasn't finished building the foundations yet, and no amount of extra classroom time changes that on its own.
More days at kindy is a wonderful opportunity. The children who get the most out of it are the ones whose nervous systems are actually ready to make use of it: settled reflexes, solid postural control, coordinated movement between both sides of the body. That's the work we do at Body to Brain Learning @ School, alongside the classroom, not instead of it.
Want to know where your child (or your students) sit developmentally?
Reach out: [email protected]

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South Bunbury, WA
6230

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