A great example of a common primitive reflex that is often still active is the ATNR:

A diagram showing the movements of an infant performing the asymmetric tonic neck reflex, with three pictures of a young boy in a blue shirt and pants demonstrating different stages of the movement on a light green mat.

The Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) connects head turns to limb movement in infants. It normally integrates by 6 months to allow independent head, body, and eye movement.

When ATNR is retained, eye tracking remains locked to head position, severely impacting vision:

  • Midline Barriers: The eyes cannot track smoothly across the center of the visual field, causing jumps or blinks when looking side-to-side.

  • Reading Difficulties: Faulty tracking causes individuals to lose their place, skip lines, and experience fast visual fatigue.

  • Binocular Misalignment: It disrupts "eye teaming," leading to poor depth perception, strain, and focus tracking issues.

  • Hand-Eye Coordination: Turning the head triggers involuntary arm extension, disrupting tasks like writing and catching.

If you think that you or someone you know may have infant reflexes that are still active (retained), simply click below to fill out a symptom screener.

symptom screener