🧠 ATNR Reflex: Why it Matters

Have you ever noticed your child seeming easily distracted or struggling to smoothly coordinate movements that involve both sides of their body? It might seem like they have difficulty focusing on tasks, or maybe they just feel a bit "clumsy" when reaching across their body. This could be due to what's called a retained ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex)—a natural reflex that usually fades away during infancy but sometimes sticks around longer than it should.

When this reflex doesn't fully integrate, children can find it challenging to cross their body's midline (like using their right hand to reach something on their left side), which is crucial for developing attention, coordination, and many daily skills.

The great news? Simple, playful activities can help your child integrate this reflex more fully, leading to better attention, smoother movements, and fewer daily struggles.

Since my son was a tiny newborn, I made it a point to gently guide his movements during playtime—I'd take his left hand and softly bring it to his right foot, and then his right hand to his left foot. My goal was to gently introduce his brain and body to the feeling of crossing midline, hoping it would help him naturally integrate the ATNR reflex early on. Can I promise that’s the exact reason why he can now confidently throw a ball or focus deeply when he's playing? Not with absolute certainty, but I genuinely believe that those early playful movements played an important role in his development—and definitely didn’t hurt!

🧠 Cross Crawls

How to do it:

• Have your child touch their right elbow to their left knee, then left elbow to their right knee.
  

• Encourage slow, controlled movements while standing or lying on their back.
  

Why it rocks:

• Enhances communication between both sides of the brain.
  

• Improves coordination and midline crossing skills.
  

• Supports overall attention and cognitive functions.
  

🎈 Quadruped Balloon Taps

How to do it:

• Position your child on hands and knees (quadruped).
  

• Toss a balloon gently in front, encouraging them to reach and tap it with the opposite hand (right hand taps balloon on left side, and vice versa).
  

Why it rocks:

• Strengthens core stability and bilateral coordination.
  

• Boosts crossing midline abilities.
  

• Promotes attention and hand-eye coordination.
  

⚾ Playing Catch

How to do it:

• Simply toss a ball back and forth with your child.
  

• Gradually increase the distance and encourage catching with alternating hands.
  

Why it rocks:

• Enhances bilateral coordination and motor planning.
  

• Improves attention, timing, and reaction speed.
  

• Encourages crossing midline through natural play.
  

Why These Activities Work:

Activities like cross crawls, quadruped balloon taps, and playing catch specifically target the neurological pathways involved in integrating the ATNR reflex. Crossing midline exercises activate both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously, improving attention, focus, and coordination, which are crucial for academic and daily life skills.