Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties
What Parents Most Often Come to Us With
“My child reads slowly and with great effort.”
“They mix up letters, syllables and lines.”
“They can read the text, but they do not understand it.”
“They try hard at school, but cry at home.”
Sometimes the child already has a diagnosis of dyslexia.
In other cases, there are simply clear reading difficulties that do not match the child’s intelligence or effort.
The common denominator is fatigue, resistance to reading and a gradual loss of self-confidence.
How Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties May Be Related to Persistent Primary Reflexes
Reading is not just about letters. It requires complex cooperation between visual processing, auditory processing, attention, speech and the body.
For reading to work well, the nervous system needs:
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stable visual processing and orientation
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good cooperation between both cerebral hemispheres
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appropriate timing and processing speed
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sufficient regulation of attention
In some children, persistent primary reflexes may also play a role. If they remain active, they may interfere with exactly the areas that reading depends on: postural stability when sitting, coordination between the eyes, crossing the midline, processing speed and the ability to filter out distracting sensory input.
Typical Examples We See in Connection With Dyslexia
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ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex) may interfere with coordination between both sides of the body and with eye movements when tracking text. The child may lose their place more often, confuse similar letters, struggle to maintain the rhythm of reading and tire more quickly.
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STNR (Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex) may make stable sitting and desk work more difficult. When the body is constantly searching for a comfortable position, the brain has less capacity available for reading itself and for comprehension.
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The Moro reflex may keep the nervous system in a heightened state of alert. The child may then be easily distracted, become stressed more quickly and experience reading as a “struggle”, even when they are trying hard.
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TLR (Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex) may affect posture, muscle tone and spatial orientation. When the body does not have a stable foundation, fine control of eye movements and overall endurance during reading may also be affected.
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It is important to remember that there is no “single cause for everyone”. This is one developmental layer that may place a significant load on reading – and when we support it, reading often becomes less exhausting for the child.
How We Address This Area in NDS
For dyslexia, we do not focus only on “drilling reading”. First, we look for what is slowing down fluent text processing – and what needs to mature so that reading can rest on a stable foundation.
We focus, for example, on:
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the presence of persistent primary reflexes and their impact on reading
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visual functions important for reading (tracking, fixation, orientation within a line of text)
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auditory processing and the way language information is organised and combined
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the connection between perception and movement (bilateral coordination, crossing the midline)
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pace, rhythm and regulation of attention (endurance, switching, overload)
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short home activities lasting a few minutes a day, which we gradually adjust according to the child’s responses
💡 Important to Know
You do not book an appointment for “dyslexia therapy” or for a specific method. This area is always addressed as part of Neuro-Developmental Stimulation (NDS), and the specific approach is based on the initial assessment.
Without this assessment, it is easy to focus only on what is visible on the surface – and the result may then be uncertain and exhausting for the child.
Book an Initial NDS Assessment
Your initial assessment is with Marja. We will recommend a therapist for follow-up appointments based on the assessment results and your child’s needs.
We will look at key developmental functions, including persistent primary reflexes and sensory processing.
We will then create a plan together: what to support first and how to work on it at home for just a few minutes a day.
Research shows that persistent primary reflexes may affect visual processing and text tracking.
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Bilbilaj, S., Gjipali, A., & Shkurti, F. (2017). Measuring primitive reflexes in children with learning disorders. European Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 2(5), 285–298.
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Feldhacker, D. R. et al. (2022). The Correlation between Retained Primitive Reflexes and Scholastic Performance among Early Elementary Students. J. of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 15(3), 288–301.
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McPhillips, M. & Jordan-Black, J.-A. (2007). Primary reflex persistence in children with reading difficulties (dyslexia): A cross-sectional study. Neuropsychologia, 45(4), 748–754.
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McPhillips, M., & Sheehy, N. (2004). Prevalence of persistent primary reflexes and motor problems in children with reading difficulties. Dyslexia, 10(4), 316–338. https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.282
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McPhillips, M. et al. (2000). Effects of replicating primary-reflex movements on specific reading difficulties: A randomised, double-blind, controlled trial. The Lancet, 355, 537–541.
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Shalaby A, Hazzaa N, Hassanein S, Khattab A, Metwally N, Naeem F. Assessment of primitive reflexes in children with learning disability. Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology. 2026;42:56. doi:10.1186/s43163-026-01026-2.
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Volemanová, M. & Květoňová, L. (2017). Links between SLI, Motor Development and Literacy Acquisition in Children. Gramotnost, pregramotnost a vzdělávání, 1(3).
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Volemanová, M. (2023). Dyslexie! Nebo ne? Aneb jak primární reflexy ovlivní vývoj vidění. Statenice, INVTS. ISBN 978-80-907369-5-5
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Volemanová, M. (2025). Přetrvávající primární reflexy, opomíjený faktor problémů učení a chování. 3rd expanded edition. Statenice, INVTS. ISBN 978-80-907369-2-4
The complete list of scientific references can be found on the Scientific Evidence page.
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