27/09/2025
“Was your child a CRAWLER or a BUM SHUFFLER?”
This was a question I started asking parents long before I studied functional behavioural neuro-immunology. Maybe it was my engineering background, or years of working with the body and noticing how movement links to behaviour.
What I noticed:
➡️ Children lying on their backs who struggled to point their toes to the ceiling.
➡️ Lumbar spines flatter than expected.
➡️ Feet with arches that hadn’t fully developed.
Biomechanically, this matters.
Our spinal curves support the heaviest part of our body - out skull.
Our arches support the whole body (think of the arches(cloisters) in ancient cathedrals holding up their beautiful ceilings).
Without these curves and arches, children are more prone to:
* Back pain
* Shin splints
* Knee issues
* Gait-related injuries …… and it doesn’t stop there.
These same children often struggled with sitting still, concentrating, or managing anxiety.
Why?
Because crawling, tummy time, and the expected trajectory of body development are also how the brain develops - from the brainstem up!
Creating connections, developing - movement; awarenesss; proproceprion, interoception, balance; our immune system, our digestive system and our nervous system.
If those steps are skipped, their can be delays, changes in development and a nervous system stuck in “fight or flight.”
THE GOOD NEWS?
The brain and body are always open to change. With the right movement patterns, children can build the foundations they missed.
We help schools develop programmes for the gym hall or classrooms which not only help physical movement but integrate any retained primitive reflexes to help brain development too!
That’s one of the many reasons why I love starting a class in the position shown in my photo.
