Think Thrive Ltd

10/06/2026

Before choosing a therapist, practitioner or developmental professional, ask about qualifications, training, supervision and ongoing professional development. Here's why it matters.

10/06/2026

10/06/2026

When a parent gets in touch with me, they have usually been searching for a long time. They are
exhausted. They want to make the right choice.
So before you book anyone, ask three things: where did they train, who regulates them, and do they
attend supervision.
I am a Licentiate of INPP, trained under Pauline Shannon, the INPP UK Principal. I am also a Tomatis
Level 2 Practitioner. I choose to be regulated. When you are working with a child’s nervous system, with
primitive reflexes, with the foundations of how a brain has developed, that matters.

03/06/2026

The reflex in the sole of your baby’s foot that could still be affecting how your child moves, reads, and learns.

When you stroke a newborn’s foot, the toes fan outward and the foot curls. That is the Babinski reflex. It is completely normal in babies. It should gradually integrate as the nervous system matures, usually by around 12 to 24 months.

When it stays active beyond that, it can affect balance and coordination, how a child walks and runs, and even how they process movement and sensory information through the feet.

It is one of the lesser-known retained reflexes, but it is one I assess in clinic regularly.

If your child seems unsteady on their feet, avoids certain textures underfoot, or struggles with coordination, it could be worth exploring.

Visit thinkthrive.co.uk to find out more or get in touch.

28/05/2026

Pencil grip so tight it hurts to watch. Writing that exhausts them after five minutes. Hands that seem to fight against tasks rather than work with them.

These are not strength problems. They are often signs of a retained Palmar reflex.

The Palmar reflex is one of the primitive reflexes we are born with. It should integrate in the first few months of life. When it does not, it stays active and makes anything involving the hands so much harder than it needs to be.

I see this pattern regularly at the Think Thrive Clinic. And the reassuring thing is that it can be addressed, at any age, through gentle structured movement.

If this sounds familiar, there is more information via the link in my bio.

21/05/2026

Is your child a fussy eater? Do they struggle with speech, reading out loud, or phonics? It might not be what you think.
The rooting and sucking reflexes are the very first reflexes your baby develops, before they’re even born. They exist to help with feeding. But when they don’t fully integrate in those early months, the effects can show up years later in ways that are really easy to miss.
Difficulty with certain textures. Unclear speech. Struggles with phonics and reading aloud. Poor oral muscle tone.
These are not random quirks. They can be signs of retained primitive reflexes.
At Think Thrive, I work with children to gently support reflex integration, helping the nervous system do what it was always meant to do.
Find out more at thinkthrive.co.uk

16/05/2026

We often think of the brain as one system, but in reality it develops in layers.

As Dr. Tony Ebel explains, development starts in the brainstem, then moves through the midbrain, before reaching the cortex – the part responsible for focus, behaviour and emotional control. Each stage depends on the one before it.

If early development is disrupted by things like birth stress or trauma, the higher brain may be left without the stable foundations it needs. That can show up later as difficulties with learning, attention, or self-regulation.

Understanding this bottom-up process helps us reframe challenges we see in children – not as wilful behaviour, but as signs that their foundations need extra support.

(Ref: Dr. Tony Ebel, pxdocs.com, July 2025)

14/05/2026

Imagine if every chair back you sat on made your body twitch involuntarily.

That is the reality for some children with a retained Spinal Galant reflex. They fidget, wriggle, and can’t stay still – not because they won’t, but because their nervous system is responding to touch without their permission.
These are the children who fail reward charts for sitting still. Through no fault of their own.
Link in bio to book a consultation.

07/05/2026

If your child’s teacher has mentioned that they fidget, slump, or struggle to keep up with copying from the board, this is worth reading.

There is a primitive reflex called the STNR, the Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex. It plays an important role in early movement development, helping babies prepare to crawl. It should switch off before a child starts school. When it does not, the consequences show up in the classroom every single day.

Every time your child looks up at the board, their legs respond. Every time they look down at their book, their arms respond. Sitting upright and still is not automatic for them. It is exhausting.

A retained STNR can look like slumping or W-sitting, difficulty copying from the board, fidgeting that the child genuinely cannot control, poor upper and lower body coordination, and significant tiredness by the end of the school day.

At Think Thrive, I use the INPP method to assess and support primitive reflex integration in children across West Yorkshire. If any of this sounds familiar, I would love to hear from you.

Book a consultation: www.thinkthrive.co.uk