Page 10 - BOAF Journal 1 2012:2707

Behavioral Optometry
BOAF
Volume1 Number1 2012
turn causes a pulling on the dura mater which results in a shift in the plotted physiological blind spot.
An appropriate referral is in order to a Chiropractor or Os- teopath who has received ad- vanced post-graduate work in the field of Craniopathy. “Nor- mal” anatomical post therapy position of the blind spot will indicate when the appropriate adjustments and proper cranial functions are again in balance.
Some common signs of dural torque or mis alignment of the skull, axis, and atlas include:
1) Unequal pupil size
2) Unequal palpebral size
3) One eye looks higher
than the other
4) Unequal shoulder height 5) Unequal hip height
6) Leg length unequal
7) High breathing centre Reduced functional fields
and dural torque are common findings in individuals with edu- cational difficulties, head trauma, and scoliosis of the spine.
9) Retained primitive re- flexes
The relationship between postural problems and vision may start even before birth!
We are born with a number
of protective reflexes12,13, which help our infantile survival and development. The Central Nervous System (CNS) is the primary control system for all that we do. It develops sequen- tially in all animals including humans and is not subject to racial or cultural influences.
Automatic movement patterns are identifiable in the womb (in utero) and in the very early years. Each movement pattern is a reflex action in response to specific stimuli and is initially directed by the Limbic System which is found in the brainstem, without any involvement of the higher or cortex level of the brain. As time passes the cortex ought to learn more sophisti- cated, voluntary responses to the stimuli.
There are some 40 main primitive and postural reflexes involved in the development of the CNS, One of the most commonly known is the grasp reflex where a baby will grip your finger with such strength, they can actually support their own weight.
It is well documented that children with specific learning difficulties often display com- munication and motor disabili- ties. It is less well recognised that such disparities are often the result of underlying and de- tectable physical cause. Re- tained primitive reflexes, in in- terfering with the development of active body movements can cause irregularities with the de- velopment of perception and motor skills to such a degree that learning is impeded.
The retention of primitive and postural reflexes, impeding as they do normal development can have marked effects on sensory reception and proprio- ceptive feedback leading to learning difficulties.The reten- tion of an aberrant asymmetric
tonic neck reflex will cause a stiffening of the side of the body to which the head is turned, and in doing so affect the child’s upright balance, causing com- pensations to be made which occupy processing capacity and cause fatigue. Visually there may be greater comfort direct- ing gaze to one side of the body more than the other, crossing the midline may prove difficult. Compensatory strategies are not only affecting eye and head movements, but also pencil hold and give rise to hand writ- ing difficulties.
The asymmetric tonic neck reflex is important only in early development. It does not allow for movements, which train sta- ble eye movement function, or the establishment of a stable reference eye, but dictates that head and eyes should move together to achieve direction of gaze. To achieve ocular control, the muscles of the eyes must be stimulated and trained through the course of develop- ment to make many and minute movements which allow the eyes to operate independent of head position, thus fine sac- cadic, fixative and regressive eye movements so essential in reading are inhibited by reten- tion of this reflex. These chil- dren will often experience diffi- culty with reversals, b,d,p,q and words such as saw & was.
In short, this reflex is often present when the following conditions are present :
- a head tilt,
- 10-