STNR: Long vs. Short View

BY JULIA GROVER-BARREY OTR/L
FOUNDER OF IN-TUNED®

Nobody…no academic, no scientist, no medical professional…knows why there is a proliferation of developmental and mental health diagnoses in children.

The proliferation is not solely the result of genetics, environment, nutrition, electronics use. I feel what lies beneath is our culture changing faster than the human species ability to make adaptive changes.

What we are now seeing in our children are biological barricades interfering with the body’s natural intelligence. If the body’s natural intelligence is messed with so too is the mind’s ability to be flexible and self-regulating.

One common biological barricade is the presence of the STNR or Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex, a retained transitional reflex common to many children with developmental and mental health disorders.

Organically the STNR plays an important role in our ability to shift our gaze from the short view (what’s directly in front of us) to the long view (what’s on the horizon). This transitional reflex, when it is permitted to work for the child, by giving the child freedom of movement (supine to tummy time to independent rolling to self-organizing of limbs, trunk head, to propelling forward into crawl) turns on the innate ability to isolate our body parts, allowing refinement of movement, full spectrum of visual awareness and perspective on what is close and what is further away.

This week we lost a sports legend, Kobe Bryant. He was master of his craft, because he took the long view of working harder than his peers by consistently showing up earlier to every practice, and not riding the short view of relying on his natural talent alone. Had Kobe had an STNR, undoubtedly, he would not have been able to shift a dribble to a perfectly executed shot from 3- point range.

A child with an STNR has difficulty shifting gaze from the board to copying onto paper, watching teacher demonstrate at the front of the classroom and shifting to producing in their own workspace.

When I talk to parents about these biological barricades, such as the STNR, after having identified them in their children they ask me: why has nobody else mentioned these barricades before?

I don’t know, except to say we don’t know what we don’t know, and in NOW knowing we can do better for the child.

Here’s to having the short and the long view.

Julia