How your brain develops
Your brain develops from the bottom/back of your skull to the top, and then from the back-forward. It develops this way in layers, starting with your brain stem and developing up through sensorimotor, cognition, and executive function.
The concept of layers is important because if any developmental milestones are missed within any layer of development, it causes issues with development in all of the layers that follow.
https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/inbrief-science-of-ecd/
Let’s start with the brain stem.
One of the major developmental milestones that is often overlooked is primitive reflex suppression. Most people with neurobehavioral disorders have primitive reflexes that did not integrate correctly.
This is so important to brain function because primitive reflexes are located in the brain stem, which is the very first layer of development. Primitive reflexes should be suppressed around 1 year old, but if you or your child is struggling with any type of focus, social, emotional, behavioral, or learning disorder, you likely need to look at primitive reflexes!
Good news is, they’re an easy fix.
Check out the next section below to see the symptoms associated with each primitive reflex.
Disruption in brain stem development can also cause issues with the other functions of the brain stem, such as digestion and sleep!