Our Vestibular System and Moro
Lily’s day was filled with moments of fear and uncertainty. The changing table was a physical battle with her parents from the moment she was placed on her back. Car rides were nightmares, with Lily’s mom trying desperately to reach around and calm her with snacks. From the moment she was buckled in, she wailed. Bathtime was filled with dread, as Lily refused to tilt her head back for an effective wash. She fought the entire time.
As daily activities were met with fear and dysregulation, Lily’s parents sought solutions and explored sensory support. Her teachers at daycare held her tight as she battled through severe meltdowns and her parents trudged through countless moments of chaos throughout the day. When the family found Thrive, they learned that those moments triggered by an immature vestibular system. For Lily, many of the positions that cause alarm called upon unintegrated TLR backward reflexes. Her defensive reflexes reacted with panic and alarm.
Elizabeth quickly identified her Moro reactions, stemming from the unintegrated TLR reflex, in Lily’s evaluation. The vestibular system, responsible for a feeling of balance and stability in moments of movement, is something that has been linked to fear of falling, fear of heights and motion sickness when not fully in sync. The movement, particular backward head movements, are processed by the vestibular system. When Lily would swing on the playground, much like riding in a car, her experience of the backward turn in motion sent her into fight or flight mode.
“All of these little things clicked for me when we started working with Elizabeth. I never really noticed or attributed them to reflexes before,” recalls her mother, who gained a greater understanding of her daughter’s behavior through Thrive.
As she moved through life, Lily’s Moro was in overdrive. Her limbs extended outward always, and she favored walking on her toes. Criss-crossed legs felt unnatural. Car seats, with the forward-backward movement of a vehicle in motion, felt threatening from her harnessed position and compounded her discomfort. Tilting her head backwards in the bath activated Moro and the backward tilt of her neck activated her TLR reflex.
Through Lily’s work at Thrive, she’s gained more mobility in her body and a greater sense of control that’s replaced her fear with a feeling safety. Joyful activities like swinging back and forth on the playground are no longer moments of discomfort. She’s able to lay back and allow her diaper to be changed without a struggle. When it’s time for her weekly sessions at Thrive, she’s walking in with flat feet and riding home in a quiet car.
