Sally Goddard Blythe
Peter Blythe PhD
Psychologist
MSc. Psychologist
Theoretical Basis, Screening and
Assessment of Primitive Reflexes
A Two Day Course for Optometrists
and Clinicians
Winter 2013
The Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology
1, Stanley Street, Chester
United Kingdom CH1 2LU
Tel/Fax 0044 (0) 1244 311414
mail@inpp.org.uk; www.inpp.org.uk
Program
Programme Overview
Overview
This course has been specifically designed as an introductory course for
clinicians and practitioners of behavioural optometry and vision therapy
to the role of primitive and postural reactions in supporting neuro-motor
skills and visual functioning.
The course comprises one theoretical and one partly theoretical and
practical day:
As a starting point we will examine 11 primitive reflexes, their functions
in normal development and the potential effects if the primitive reflexes
remain active beyond the first 6 months of life.
Then we will move on to examine 4 postural reactions, their functions
and effects if they do not develop fully. Participants will receive
instruction and hands on experience in testing 4 primitive reflexes, which
if retained, have consistently been shown to play a part in oculo-motor
dysfunction, visual-perceptual difficulties and educational underachievement.
Instruction will also be provided in the administration and interpretation
of two tests for soft signs of neurological dysfunction. The tests used are
based on medical tests for the assessment of primitive reflexes and soft
signs of neurological dysfunction.
This course does not include training in remedial intervention using The
INPP Method, but it does provide the option of entry to the INPP training
course for practitioners starting at the second part of Module 1 of the
INPP course for practitioners. Details of this longer course may be found
at: www.inpp.org.uk/training or by contacting mail@ inpp.org.uk and
requesting a syllabus.
Our People
People
Our
Dr Peter Blythe
INPP
(Institute
for
Neuro-Physiological
Psychology) was set up in 1975 by PhD
Psychologist Peter Blythe. In his early career
Peter worked with adults manifesting all the
symptoms of neuroses, and also with children
who underachieve educationally.
He was a senior lecturer in psychology at the College of Education
(Lancs). In addition to having published and presented many papers,
the highly popular Stress Disease: The Growing Plague, and the original
book which documented the discovery of the links between abnormal
reflexes, educational under-achievement and emotional problems, An
Organic Basis for Neuroses and Educational Difficulties.
He and Sally Goddard cooperated in the video Learning Problems
and Neuro- developmental Delay which has been widely distributed
internationally.
Peter (now retired) still takes an active interest in INPP.
Sally Goddard Blythe MSc. (Psych)
Sally is the Director of INPP international. She is
the author of seven books on child development
(see publications section).
She has also authored a number of papers
published in peer reviewed journals based on The
INPP Method and numerous articles for
professional and popular journals and national
newspapers. Sally is responsible for overseeing
the provision of training in the INPP method to professionals from all
over the world and provides much of the training. She is still involved in
clinical practice.
Other Staff in the UK
Other practitioners working at INPP include:
•
Stephanie Perring BSc. (formerly a speech and language therapist)
• Monika Bugalska MSc. (Psych)
About INPP
INPP is a private self-funding organisation founded in 1975 to research
the effects of immaturity in the functioning of the central nervous system on
educational performance and emotion.
INPP has been at the forefront of research and clinical practice into the
effects of abnormal primitive and postural reflexes on learning and
emotional functioning and was the first to “map” the relationship between
individual reflex abnormalities and specific educational and behavioural
outcomes. INPP has pioneered the development of assessment protocols
and intervention programmes to identify and provide effective remediation
for aberrant primitive reflexes and postural reactions.
INPP offers two levels of intervention:
1. Clinical programme which involves detailed individual assessment of
neuro-motor skills by a qualified INPP practitioner followed by
implementation and supervision of an individual remedial program and
regular follow-up visits over a 12 month period.
2. INPP programme for schoolsi. Developed by Sally Goddard Blythe, this
programme, specifically designed to be used in schools as a class
based activity, has been in use since 1996. It has been the subject of
a number of published research studies and is now used in more than
12 countries worldwide.
INPP trainers are all qualified practitioners of The INPP Method who have
been licensed by INPP to provide training in specific courses.
Course Content
Course Content
Day 1 Theory
Definition of primitive reflexes, postural reactions and neuro-motor immaturity.
Functions of primitive reflexes in normal development and effects of aberrant
reflexes on functioning.
Primitive reflexes:
•
Moro reflex
•
Plantar reflex
•
Palmar reflex
•
Tonic Labyrinthine reflex
•
Rooting and Suck reflexes
•
Spinal Galant reflex
•
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck reflex
•
Landau reflex
•
Symmetrical Tonic Neck reflex
•
Day 2.
Postural reactions:
•
Oculo Head Righting reflex
•
Labyrinthine Head Righting reflex
•
Amphibian reflex
•
Segmental Rolling reflex
Instruction and practice in assessing and interpreting observations from use of
tests:
1. The Tandem Walk
2. The Fog Walk
3. The Moro reflex (standard test)
4. The Tonic Labyrinthine reflex (erect test)
5. The Asymmetrical Tonic Neck reflex (Ayres 1 and Hoff-Schilder tests)
6. The Symmetrical Tonic Neck reflex
The recently published “Screening Test for Physicians” will be used as the
course manual, providing instruction in the administration and
interpretation of tests.
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
Goddard Blythe SA, Reflexes learning and behaviour. Fern Ridge Press.
Eugene. OR.
Goddard Blythe SA, Attention, balance and coordination. The A,B,C of
learning success. Wiley-Blackwell. Chichester.
Blythe P, McGlown D, An organic basis for educational difficulties and
secondary neuroses. Insight Publications. Chester.
Goddard Blythe SA, What babies and children really need.
Hawthorn
Press. Stroud.
Goddard
Blythe
SA,
Screening
test
for
physicians.
Signs
of
neuromotor immaturity in children and adults. INPP Chester. (Under
review for future publication by Wiley- Blackwell)
i
Assessing neuromotor readiness for learning. The INPP developmental screening test and school intervention
programme. Goddard Blythe SA. Wiley-Blackwell. 2012