For symptoms of specific disorders click on How MIP can help …

For a broad picture of the range of physical and emotional problems that may arise from RRS, see common issues and quick questionnaire below.

RRS does not confine itself to the traditional symptoms of learning difficulties. There are other associated symptoms that make life much harder than it needs to be for the adult and child. 

For example:

• Bedwetting or soiling over the age of five is likely to indicate that the bladder or sphincter is being controlled by muscle tension rather than the higher brain control centre, resulting in accidents. This is due to a persisten Spinal Galant Reflex.

• A poor appetite or picky eating habits often suggest difficulty with swallowing and chewing and an immature digestive system, due to a present Rooting Reflex and Suck Reflex .

• An exercise-mad, workaholic adult who can’t relax even on holiday is producing too much adrenaline, due to a still-active Moro Reflex.

• Hypersensitivity – severe physical discomfort in response to light touch, hair or nail cutting, having face washed, wearing certain fabrics, etc – is due to a persistent Upper Spinal Reflex .

Boys tend to manifest the warning signs in a more obvious physical manner, at an earlier age – 7 or 8 – than girls. They are less likely to control their hyperactivity and anti-social behaviour, because boys are expected to be more overtly physical and are less anxious to conform. Girls, on the other hand, tend to develop more successful coping mechanisms during their primary school years, reining in any hyperactivity and covering up their sensitivity, because they want to conform. Their problems are largely disguised, but can emerge again through the emotions with the onset of puberty. Typically, a girl with RRS may feel easily overwhelmed and suffer from low self-esteem.

Adults – common issues

• Nervousness or anxiety
• Lower back pains
• Poor memory
• Easily upset or hurt, quick to cry
• A need to go back over things to ensure that they have been done correctly
• Indecisive
• Feelings of hopelessness about the future
• Difficulty in concentrating, easily distracted
• Words or thoughts that you cannot put out of your mind
• Tendency to procrastinate and not to complete tasks
• Feeling undervalued, that others don’t care enough about you, or appreciate enough the things you do
• Concerned about what others think of you 
• Feeling restless and unable to sit still
• Feelings of inferiority, inadequacy
• Pains or tenderness in muscles
• Tendency to overeat
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Impulses to smash things
• Lacking in energy, feeling sluggish
• Thoughts of killing yourself
• Dislike of going out socially, especially in a group
• Tendency to find yourself in heated discussions or arguments
• Feeling worthless
• Feeling alone even in the company of others
• Insecurity, self-doubt

Quick Questionairre - Recognising the Signs 

 Children – common issues

• Bright yet underachieving
• Low-self esteem, frustration
• Problems reading, writing cursive script
• Emotionally and socially immature
• Problems socialising with peer group
• Poor short-term memory and concentration
• Easily distracted, fidgety; problems remaining seated when required to do, difficulty waiting in turn
• Talking excessively, finding it hard to play quietly
• Tendency to interrupt and not listen when spoken to by an adult, tendency to blurt out answers
• Short-tempered, argumentative, defiant, blaming others for mistakes
• Fussy eater
• Poor self-organisation, lacking in fine and gross motor skills
• Bedwetting over the age of 5
• Hypersensitivity – to light touch, fabrics, labels, etc
• Problems with maths, telling the time
• Hearing problems
• Eczema, rashes, migraine, asthma
• Tantrums after school
• Lacking in confidence, eg reluctant to take part in extra-curricular activities
• Difficulty putting thoughts on paper
• Dislike of change or surprise, poor adaptability

Quick Questionairre - Recognising the Signs