What if your child’s brain couldn’t engage without proper sensory input? Prefrontal cortex and higher centers cannot be used when the brain is in fight/flight. We know this from tons of neurology research that the military and police department use to train their soldiers and workers. When fight/flight occurs your child’s sensory system is overloaded. The theory behind fight or flight is based on the body’s response to stress. It can cause a physiological response for your child that can be very harmful. During this response the blood diverts from the brain to the muscles in order to respond to the stress. Your child’s brain is no longer in a cortical level which means they are unable to think and function. This is due to the fact that your child is in protective mode. Just like an animal in the wild, this is an instinct for your child to react and respond in order to survive. During this time you are unable to ask your child to sit, eat, or walk accordingly. Trying to rationalize with your child who is in flight or fight mode is impossible. This reaction is similar to when a child perceives sensory input as dangerous, traumatic, or a threat.
Your child can react in many ways to sensory input their brain sees in a negative way. They can bite, scratch, throw, spit, or scream. During this fight or flight response they may not want to make eye contact or be touched. You might find your child hiding under a table or hiding in their room. You may even find your child lashing out, covering their ears, closing their eyes, and perhaps running away from you. This is all due to your child constantly being in a fight or flight response. If your child’s spine has dysfunctional movement the brain cannot get out of the fight or flight causing all these extreme responses because 80% of sensory input is sent from proper movement of their spine. We want your child to be able to overcome these sensory issues as it causes your child so much stress. When your child’s brain is locked in fight/flight it can’t focus and stays stressed out creating poor social and executive functioning which the brain uses to run everyday activities. At Radiant life we can assess your child’s sensory input and help your child correct this dysfunction in order to get out of the flight or fight response.
