The Parent Reflex

Rachel Harrington, COTA/L, CPRCS, is a certified occupational therapy assistant and certified primitive reflex clinical specialist. She is the owner of Sensational Brain, founder of The Sensory Project, and host of the All Things Sensory podcast from Harkla, which has accumulated millions of downloads since its 2018 debut. Harrington is also the creator of multiple sensory-focused children's books and digital resources, establishing her as a leading voice in sensory integration and nervous system regulation.

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1: One Sound Away from Snapping 1
November 2022 2
January 2023 3
Becoming a Therapist 5
Crawling Is as Innate as Blinking 6

Chapter 2: The Sensory System 9
Your Eight Senses 11
The Hidden Senses 14
The Familiar Senses 20

Chapter 3: Primitive Reflexes 29
Primitive Reflexes 29

Chapter 4: The Intersection of Stress and Integration 49
Finding Your ACE Score 50
Modern Motherhood 52
Primitive Reflexes in Parenthood 53
Sensory Processing in Parenthood 55
What Does True Nervous System Regulation Look Like? 60

Chapter 5: Building the Foundation 63
Executive Functioning Skills 63
Strategies for Strengthening Executive Functioning Skills 67
Self-Screening 77

Chapter 6: Daily Regulation Routine 93
Light 94
Grounding 96
Movement 98
Proprioception 99
Breathing 101
Crawling 102
Vibration 104
Deep Pressure Brushing/Dry Brushing 106
Positive Self-Talk 108
Music and Rhythm 109
Overview 111

Chapter 7: Additional Strategies to Support Nervous System Regulation 113
Habit Stacking 113
Floor Play Is the Best Play 114
Motion Sickness 115
Crossing Midline 118
Learn Something New 121
Sensory Strategies Based on Sensory Preferences 123

Chapter 8: The Toxic Burden and Its Impact on Nervous System Health 137
Removing the Yuck 139
Adding the Yum 154
A Little Less Toxic 175

Chapter 9: Testing and Integrating Your Primitive Reflexes 177
Rhythmic Movements for Primitive Reflex Integration 179
Instructions for Primitive Reflex Testing and Integration 179
Practice Makes Progress 235

Conclusion 241
Acknowledgments 245
About the Author 247
Index 249