The Role of Primitive Reflexes in Neurological Organization
The Role of Primitive Reflexes in Neurological Organization
The Peak Potential Institute is excited to present Dr. Courtney Neill’s online program, “The Role of Primitive Reflexes in Neurological Organization.” This course goes beyond understanding primitive reflexes—it provides practical assessment and integration exercises that chiropractors can use to help address retained primitive reflex patterns.
Dr. Neill guides participants through the development of the different levels of the brain and explains how neurological input, motor output, developmental milestones, and primitive reflexes work together during normal neurological organization. You’ll learn how to recognize retained primitive reflexes and understand how they may influence sensory processing, coordination, posture, movement patterns, and higher-level neurological function.
A major focus of this program is practical application. Participants will learn how to assess for retained primitive reflexes and, importantly, will be taught specific exercises designed to facilitate their integration. These exercises provide doctors with tools that can be incorporated into patient care and reinforced at home, creating an active approach to supporting neurological organization rather than simply identifying that a retained reflex is present.
The course also explores how vertebral and cranial subluxations may alter afferent input and affect the neurological feedback loops involved in development and reflex integration. Dr. Neill brings these concepts together by showing participants how chiropractic and cranial care can be combined with targeted primitive reflex integration exercises as part of a more comprehensive clinical approach.
Whether working with infants, children, or adults, this course provides a practical framework for recognizing retained primitive reflexes, understanding their potential impact, and using specific exercises to help facilitate integration and support more organized neurological function.
What You’ll Learn
- Understand the role primitive reflexes play in brain development and neurological organization.
- Learn how developmental milestones correspond with specific primitive reflexes and their expected integration.
- Recognize retained primitive reflexes and how they may affect sensory processing, coordination, posture, movement, and neurological function.
- Learn practical methods for assessing and identifying retained primitive reflexes in infants, children, and adults.
- Explore how vertebral and cranial subluxations may influence neurological input and reflex integration.
- Learn specific exercises designed to help integrate retained primitive reflexes and improve neurological organization.
- Understand how to incorporate primitive reflex integration exercises into chiropractic and cranial care.
- Develop practical strategies and at-home exercises that patients and parents can use to reinforce reflex integration between visits.
Resources Provided
- Online video lectures
- Visual demonstrations
- Downloadable PDF workbook
- Certificate of completion (CEU credits available where applicable)
Course Contents
8 Modules | 8 CTAs
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Module 01 What are Primitive Reflexes
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Module 02 Neurological Pathways of the Brain
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Module 03 Milestones and Brain Development
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Module 04 Primitive Reflexes
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Module 05 Demonstration of Infant Primitive Reflexes
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Module 06 Primitive Reflexes in Older Children
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Module 07 Demonstration of Older Child Reflexes
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Module 08 Integration of the Reflexes
Meet the Instructors
Dr. Courtney Neill is the founder and driving force behind Foundations Family Chiropractic, a beacon of wellness nestled in Beverly, Massachusetts. With a profound dedication to pediatric and prenatal care, Dr. Neill specializes in nurturing the health of young ones and supporting mothers through their transformative postpartum journeys.
A graduate of Parker University in Dallas, Texas, Dr. Neill’s journey in chiropractic care began in 2008. Returning to her roots on the North Shore of Massachusetts, she embarked on a mission to make a difference. Immersed in a clinic focused on brain-injured children, Dr. Neill recognized a crucial need for chiropractors to deepen their understanding of pediatric development and neurology.
Driven by a passion for learning and a commitment to excellence, Dr. Neill embarked on an extensive postdoctorate journey. She attained certification as a Pediatric Specialist from both the Academy of Family Practice and the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association. Further enriching her expertise, she pursued certification in Pediatric Spinal and Cranial SOT® protocols through the Peak Potential Institute under the mentorship of Drs. Martin Rosen and Nancy Watson.
Foundations Family Chiropractic stands as a testament to Dr. Neill’s unwavering commitment to holistic care. It represents the culmination of her vision—a nurturing space where families can thrive physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Dr. Neill finds her greatest fulfillment in guiding infants, children, and expectant parents toward optimal health and vitality. Through her work, she not only transforms lives but also inspires and educates fellow chiropractors, empowering them to deepen their skills and serve this cherished population with excellence.
Feedback From Our Students
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Dr. Kylie Phillips
My three takeaways:
1. Correcting vertebral subluxations is the most important thing that we do as Chiropractors, ensuring good body-brain communication is essential for a developing nervous system.
2. We need to be aware of signs that a nervous system is not coping or developing as it should be and this is where primitive reflexes come in.
3. Developing a good exam flow is really helpful to identify issues but allows you to efficiently assess what is happening.It has added to my knowledge to help keep looking after the children in our community to develop into their best possible selves and it has given me ideas to make my flow in the office better.
I think a big learning was to focus on the subluxation first. Too often we want to jump into giving exercises/homework for retained reflexes when a child comes into the office for primitive reflex issues, but we need to make sure that the nervous system is clear and functioning at its best first. It is good to have little reminders to bring you back to core principles!!
Yes, I would recommend this course. I think it would be good for those who are new to primitive reflexes but also have something to offer to those who have been learning about them already – you can always learn something new.
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Dr. Brandi Benson
Three takeaways about the role of primitive reflexes in neurological development are: – Understanding neurological development and the order of development can help clue us in to where things may have gone off course. – Primitive reflexes are a window into how well the nervous system is integrated and organized. – Ultimately, as chiropractors, addressing subluxation first helps lay the foundation to how the nervous is balanced and when a subluxation remains, it is harder for the brain to integrate sensory information, properly integrate reflexes, and ultimately can impact how the brain is able to learn and achieve milestones in higher centers of the brain.
This course was a great review on not just what the reflexes are and how to test for them, but on the importance in understanding foundations of neurodevelopment to better assess our young patients in practice.
This course helped deepen my ability to better communicate levels of development with parents/patients and tie together neurological organization and how altered input can alter development.
I would recommend this course to other chiropractors because it provides a strong foundational understanding of the sequence of neurological development and helps deepen insight into how primitive reflexes influence that process. It goes beyond simply identifying a reflex and learning how to test for it – there is meaningful context and clinical application that helps connect reflex patterns to overall development and patient care.
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Yekaterina Konovalova
My takeaways: The importance of correcting subluxations prior to reflex integration work and Atlas is a hub for a lot of proprioceptive receptors which skills are associated with reflexes and brain structures.
The importance of correcting subluxations prior to reflex integration work atlas is a hub for a lot of proprioceptive receptors which skills are associated with reflexes and brain structures.
I am going to correlate skill development with brain structure development in a more in-depth way that I have done in the past.
I would recommend this class to others; it has a lot of good information that is important for clinical practice.
Thank you for all the information.
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