Connect My Brain Dr. Laura Hanson

Today we’re continuing our series on reflexes. Each time I talk about reflexes, I’m reminded of how fascinating and far-reaching they are. Reflexes precede sensory-motor abilities so if someone has a sensory-motor deficit, it is important to go back and look at their reflexes. Development is one layer upon another upon another and if something isn’t working correctly, we have to look at each layer to figure out where things went wrong and what we need to do to move forward.
In this episode, we’ll be taking a closer look at the rooting reflex, which is probably one you’ve heard of before. The rooting reflex is really important for swallowing, sucking, and feeding. This reflex begins in the womb between 24 and 28 weeks gestation, is completely present at birth, and usually inhibits at 3 - 4 months postnatal. Listen in as I explain what the rooting reflex is, its importance for survival and development, how earlier reflexes lay the groundwork for it, and the consequences of a retained rooting reflex.
As always, I hope this episode will help you understand your child and their development better, as well as give you the tools you need to help your child move forward. Remember that changing your brain is not a quick, one-size-fits-all answer, but that with the right plan, people, and resources, you can change your brain!
In this episode, we cover:
-An overview of the rooting reflex
-How the rooting reflex is connected to the primitive reflexes and withdrawal reflexes
-Reasons for a retained rooting reflex
-Consequences of a retained rooting reflex
SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode58
What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/
Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Today we’re continuing our current series and learning all about reflexes! Today I’ll be teaching you about two reflexes - the Palmar reflex and the Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR). These two reflexes are classified as primitive reflexes which means they are already present in a baby during pregnancy. These reflexes have very important neurological functions during gestation and the first weeks and months of a newborn baby’s life.
In this episode, I give a detailed overview of what each of these two reflexes does, why they’re so important, and how they set a baby up for success later in childhood and as an adult. If these reflexes don’t properly integrate, they can impede a child’s fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination, their ability to crawl, speak, and write. I want people to understand that development is like a scaffold. These reflexes lay down important patterns in our brains - before we learn sensory motor connection. If we want to get to the root problems of child developmental issues, we need to look at these reflexes. If kids are missing any of these essential pieces in their development, their brains and bodies will adapt, but these adaptations come at a cost. I hope this episode will be informative and helpful and give you the tools you need to help your child reach their full potential!
SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode57
What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/
Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Welcome back to another episode of Connect My Brain! Today we’re continuing our world of reflexes series. I started learning about reflexes in 2006 and it helped explain what I was seeing in children all the time. Reflexes are a vital piece of development but if they don’t integrate properly, they can cause major problems. Even if reflexes do integrate properly, they can reemerge at any time. Today I’ll be talking about what I call the “enchilada of all reflexes” - the Moro reflex. If you’ve listened to this podcast for a while, then you’ve heard me talk about the Moro reflex before, but it deserved a chance to finally have its own episode.
The Moro reflex (also known as the startle reflex) comes into play at only 9 weeks gestation, is fully present at birth and in newborns, but should be fully integrated by about four months postnatal. This reflex activates three things - arousal, CO2/O2, and the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the fight or flight response. The Moro reflex is tied to every one of our senses and happens anytime we have a fight or flight reaction. In this episode, I’ll give you a detailed overview of what the Moro reflex is and why it’s so important, but I’ll also take a close look at what happens if this reflex is retained, signs you or someone you know might be living with a retained Moro reflex, and how that might be impacting your life. I actually call myself a "recovered Moro" as I realized that I was living with a retained Moro reflex. Learning what was going on and reintegrating this reflex totally changed my world and I hope this episode will help you change yours too!
SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode56
What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/
Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Welcome to a new year and a new series on Connect My Brain! For the next few episodes, I’m going to be teaching you all about reflexes. If you’ve listened to any of my previous episodes, you’ve almost certainly heard me talk about some of these reflexes before. That’s because they are such an essential part of child development. However, if these reflexes don’t properly integrate, they can cause real problems for both children and adults. In this series, I’ll be covering three different types of reflexes.
In today’s episode, we’re going to be looking at withdrawal reflexes. I talk about what exactly a withdrawal reflex is, why it’s important, and what happens if it doesn’t properly integrate. If the withdrawal reflex has been retained, it will change the whole way an individual perceives their world. This reflex is actually the beginning of how you interpret safety. I hope you’ll take a listen and I hope you’ll learn something!
In this episode, we cover:
- The essential role of reflexes
- The consequences of retained reflexes 
- A closer look at withdrawal reflexes 
SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode55
What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/
Phone: 678-501-5172

Today’s episode is the last one in our case study series. My hope is that this series has helped you see places in your own child’s life where a behaviour might actually be caused by a brain that didn’t get wired up correctly because the good news is that you can retrain a brain! I want parents to know that there are people like me who really focus on development and help children (and adults!) navigate the path to get things back on track!
Today I will be focusing specifically on chronic stress and the stress-response evaluation. I started using this evaluation in 2008 as a way to quantify stress in an individual and see how the system is actually working. In this episode I go through the stress-response evaluation in detail, explaining how it works and what it can tell me and I talk about how chronic stress literally changes the brain.
SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode54
What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/
Phone the office: 678-501-5172

Today on Connect My Brain, I’m continuing our case study series, sharing stories of some of the patients I’ve worked with. My hope is that these case studies will bring awareness to some of the problems that can occur during a child's development and that you, in turn, will be able to recognize similar problems in yourself or a loved one. 
Today’s case study is a seven-year-old girl who first came to my office with ADHD, hypotonia, processing problems, behavioural problems, and a plethora of other issues. I’ll share how the circumstances of her birth may have caused some of the problems she’s facing today and what I discovered when I assessed her. I also talk about the dedication it takes to help your child long-term and how long it actually takes for a child to go through the program. 
SHOW NOTES: https://connectmybrain.com/episode53
What do you want to learn more about? Submit your questions here: https://www.connectmybrain.com/survey/
Phone the office: 678-501-5172