Tegan Piacentini

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Tegan Piacentini

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A movement based, non-invasive approach to improve learning, behaviours, attention, focus, motor skills & emotional regulation by integrating primitive reflexes.

07/02/2026

You've probably heard the saying "neurons that fire together, wire together." It's true! Every time your brain does something, it's creating or strengthening a pathway.
But here's the catch: if a retained reflex keeps triggering an involuntary response, your child's brain keeps reinforcing the WRONG pathway. No amount of practice will fix it because they're literally practicing the wrong pattern.

It's like trying to learn a new route to work while your GPS keeps redirecting you back to the old one. You're trying so hard, but something keeps pulling you off course.
This is why "just try harder" doesn't work. The brain needs the reflex integrated first, THEN practice builds the right pathways. 🧭

If you'd like to know how primitive reflex integration can get you back on course, reach out!
info@teganpiacentini.com.au
www.teganpiacentini.com.au

05/02/2026

🧠 Here's something amazing: your child's brain is literally under construction right now. It's constantly building, renovating, and rewiring itself. This is called neuroplasticity.
Think of it like building a house. You need a solid foundation before you can put up the walls and roof, right? Primitive reflexes are like the scaffolding - they're absolutely necessary when construction first starts (in infancy), but they need to come down for the building to be fully functional.
When reflexes don't integrate (when the scaffolding doesn't come down), it's like trying to live in a house where the construction isn't finished. You can manage, but everything is harder than it should be.
The good news? Because the brain is always building and adapting, we can help it finish the job - at any age. ✨
Get in touch and find out how we can help!
💌info@teganpiacentini.com.au
🌐www.teganpiacentini.com.au

03/02/2026

Dyslexia is often thought of as a reading difficulty, but reading is a whole-body task.

It relies on stable posture, coordinated eye movements, left–right awareness and the ability to integrate visual information smoothly.

In children with dyslexia, we often see reflex patterns such as ATNR or STNR still influencing movement. These reflexes don’t cause dyslexia, but they can interfere with reading fluency by disrupting eye tracking, midline crossing and sustained attention. When the body has to work hard just to stay organised, reading becomes more tiring and less automatic.

Understanding what’s happening underneath can shift the focus from “more practice” to better foundations. If this resonates, a neurodevelopmental screening may help clarify what’s supporting learning and what’s getting in the way.
🤸info@teganpiacentini.com.au
🌐www.teganpiacentini.com.au

01/02/2026

Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference that shapes how a person experiences the world, relationships, and their own body. It reflects a nervous system that processes information differently, often more deeply, intensely, or selectively.

In autistic children, we often see overlaps with reflex patterns related to safety, posture and sensory processing. These reflexes don’t cause autism, and integrating reflexes doesn’t change neurotype, but they can add additional stress to an already sensitive system.

When early reflexes remain active, the body may be working harder to manage balance, sensory input and movement. This can increase fatigue, sensory overwhelm, and difficulty with transitions or communication.

Supporting the nervous system at a foundational level can sometimes reduce this load making it easier for a child to engage, regulate and access their strengths.

This work is not about “fixing” a child. It’s about reducing unnecessary effort.

If you feel that a Neurodevelopmental screening may benefit your child, get in touch!
🌸info@teganpiacentini.com.au
🌐www.teganpiacentini.com.au

30/01/2026

ADHD and ADD are often described through the lens of attention, impulsivity and regulation.

What’s not always discussed is the physical effort some nervous systems are under throughout the day.

In many children with attention challenges, reflex patterns such as the Moro, ATNR or TLR are more active than expected. This doesn’t cause ADHD, but it can interfere with how easily a child can stay organised, settled and focused.

If the body is constantly scanning for safety, adjusting posture, or reacting to movement, attention becomes fragile. Not because a child isn’t trying, but because their system is working overtime.

This is one reason why strategies alone don’t always help. Sometimes the most helpful support starts by asking: How supported is the nervous system underneath the behaviour?

So if you have a child who is like a jack-in-the-box on red cordial, a screening may be very helpful 🤪
📨info@teganpiacentini.com.au
🌐www.teganpiacentini.com.au

27/01/2026

Global Developmental Delay describes when a child’s skills are developing more slowly across several areas such as movement, communication, self-care or learning.

What’s often less visible is how much work the nervous system may be doing underneath.

In children with GDD, we frequently see early reflex patterns that haven’t yet fully integrated. This doesn’t cause delay, but it can add extra load to a system that’s still organising its foundations.

When the body is working hard to manage posture, balance and movement, there’s less energy available for exploration, communication and learning.

This can show up as uneven development, some skills progressing, others lagging, and increased fatigue with everyday tasks.

Neurodevelopmental screening helps us understand where development is still unfolding, so support can follow the correct sequence gently, and without pressure.

Get in touch if you'd like to know more about a screening for your child!
💌info@teganpiacentini.com.au
🌐www.teganpiacentini.com.au

25/01/2026

Spinal Galant supports early movement and sensory awareness.

When it remains active, children may:
🔵fidget constantly
🔵struggle to sit still (ants in their pants)
🔵be sensitive to clothing or chair backs
🔵need frequent movement breaks
🔵appear distracted or restless

Often, the body is seeking input, not trying to be disruptive.

Understanding this through a neurodevelopmental lens helps parents and teachers respond with support rather than pressure, and why neurodevelopmental screening is so important!

💌info@teganpiacentini.com.au
🌐www.teganpiacentini.com.au

24/01/2026

The Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex (TLR) helps the brain understand where the body is in space and how it relates to gravity.

When TLR remains active, children may show:
🔵 poor balance or coordination
🔵 difficulty sitting upright
🔵 challenges with attention and organisation
🔵 visual fatigue when reading
🔵 low confidence in movement

Sometimes this also shows up as poor awareness of personal space - standing too close, leaning on others, or getting right “up in your grill.” Our little humans are not doing this on purpose, but because their body doesn’t yet have a clear internal map of where it is in space.

This is why strategies like “space bubbles” or reminders about personal boundaries don’t always work. Those approaches rely on top-down thinking, but this is a bottom-up, physiological issue. When the body is busy managing posture, balance, and spatial awareness, attention and self-control often suffer too.

A neurodevelopmental screening helps us see whether reflexes like TLR are supporting learning, or quietly competing with it.

If you are ready to take the next step and get a neurodevelopmental screening for your child send me a message or flick me an email info@teganpiacentini.com.au

23/01/2026

The Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) plays a key role in helping children transition from floor play to seated learning.

When the STNR hasn’t fully integrated, children may:
🔵slump or fidget at their desk
🔵struggle to sit upright for long periods
🔵lose focus quickly during table work
🔵find writing and reading tiring

Maintaining posture takes so much effort that there’s little energy left for attention and learning. Screening for STNR gives valuable insight into why some children find school physically and mentally draining....and the good news is, I can do it for you using non-invasive gentle screening!
Please reach out if you'd like to know more.
📨info@teganpiacentini.com.au
🌐www.teganpiacentini.com.au

22/01/2026

Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) links head movement with arm and hand movement in infancy. It supports early coordination, and is meant to integrate as the nervous system matures.

When ATNR remains active, school-aged children may experience:
🔵 messy or slow handwriting
🔵 difficulty crossing the midline
🔵 challenges with reading fluency
🔵 trouble sitting still at a desk
🔵 reduced attention when copying from the board
This isn’t about effort or motivation. It’s about how organised the brain–body connection is.

Many classrooms are now full of excellent supportive tools: pencil grips, sloped boards, chair bands, movement breaks. These can be incredibly helpful in supporting children in the moment. But they don’t always address the underlying driver, which can be retained primitive reflexes like ATNR.

A neurodevelopmental screening helps us see whether reflexes are making learning harder than it needs to be, so supports can move beyond accommodation and toward building stronger foundations. Please reach out if you'd like to know more about how primitive reflexes may be impacting your child.
💌info@teganpiacentini.com.au
🌐www.teganpiacentini.com.au

21/01/2026

The Moro reflex is our early startle reflex.
It helps babies respond to sudden change and is meant to quietly integrate as the nervous system matures. When Moro remains active beyond early childhood, the body can stay in alert mode, often without the child being consciously aware of it.

In school-aged children, this can look like:
🔵 difficulty concentrating
🔵 emotional overreactions
🔵 anxiety or overwhelm
🔵 poor tolerance for mistakes or change
🔵 mental fatigue

Because this is a physiological response, not a thinking one, “top-down” approaches (reasoning, reminders, behaviour charts) often don’t help! The body is already in protection.

Imagine how exhausting it would feel for your system to be activated over and over again throughout the day. No wonder so many children melt down once they’re home and finally feel safe.

This is why screening primitive reflexes can be so helpful. It gives us a baseline of how the nervous system is coping so we can focus on using 'bottom up' strategies for success! Get on touch if you'd like to to book a screening for your child.
info@teganpiacentini.com.au
www.teganpiacentini.com.au

19/01/2026

We’re all born with a nervous system that needs connection.
It’s wired into us.

Our brains and bodies are constantly seeking the most nourishing attachments they can manage. The ones that feel safest, most regulating, most predictable.

But here’s something worth gently wondering about:

👉 What if a child has experienced trauma, stress, or early overwhelm?
👉 What if their nervous system learned early that closeness wasn’t safe, consistent, or calming?

For that child, “nourishing attachment” may not look like cuddles, eye contact, or closeness.
It might look like:
control
distance
🤸‍♀️constant movement
humour or distraction
withdrawal
pushing people away before they can leave

Not because they don’t want connection, but because their nervous system is choosing the safest version of connection it knows.

This is where a neurodevelopmental lens matters. In my work, we don’t ask “Why won’t this child connect?” We ask “What does their nervous system need to feel safe enough for connection to grow?”

When early reflexes remain active, when the body is stuck in protection, when regulation is fragile, attachment is shaped by survival, not choice.

By supporting the nervous system foundations (including primitive reflex integration), we can help children experience connection as less threatening and more nourishing.
Connection doesn’t start in behaviour.
It starts in the body.

And that’s where my work begins. I am not the end point, but I'm a pretty good place to start. Get in touch if you'd like to know more.
info@teganpiacentini.com.au

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South Bunbury, WA
6230

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http://www.teganpiacentini.com.au/

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