Think Thrive Ltd

15/10/2026

Pauline Shannon, INPP‘s National Principal talks about how primitive reflexes could be affecting your child.

09/10/2026

I am chuffed to bits to share that I've been named a winner at the Woman Who Solopreneur Awards 2026 today. It was a total surprise - the room was packed full of the most inspirational individuals, each with their own stories and experiences, and every single one of them a worthy winner.

Founded by Sandra Garlick MBE , these awards recognise women who have built and run their businesses alone. What makes it particularly special was the wonderfully robust process with extremely high expectations and an interview from people who really got what I’m doing at Think Thrive. Thank you to Nicola Noel and Julie Hughes, you were extremely lovely to be interviewed by.

The judges saw my commitment to children receiving the support they deserve, and to fighting for the best possible service on their behalf. After more than 20 years in the classroom, and lived experience with my own small people, that’s what it all boils down to. Ensuring the smalls of this world get the chance their nervous systems deserve - and it’s worth all the work, effort and sacrifices, a thousand times over.

Thank you to Sandra and the Woman Who team, to Kate Hemingway for joining me today, and especially thank you to the small people, their families, schools and INPP colleagues who make this work possible.

08/10/2026

Did you know your child’s reflex story can begin before they are even born?

In my chat on Kate Confidential, I talked about one of the reasons primitive reflexes sometimes hang around longer than they should: pregnancy and birth.

Illness or stress during pregnancy, a premature arrival, a breech position, a caesarean, or an assisted delivery with forceps or ventouse can all play a part. A very quick or very long labour can too. The journey through the birth canal is one of the first big workouts for a baby’s reflexes, so when that process is different, development can follow a slightly different path.

This is never about blame. Most of these things are completely out of anyone’s control and, more importantly, they save lives. It simply helps us to understand the bigger picture when a child is finding everyday things harder than expected.

04/10/2026

Three or four weeks into term is often when things start to noticeably wobble.

The excitement has worn off and the routine has settled, yet some children are dragging their feet at the gate, falling apart at teatime, or completely exhausted by Wednesday.

For some of them, sitting on a chair, keeping their place on the page and coping with a noisy dinner hall takes far more effort than it should. School often sees a settled child. Home is where the cost noticeably appears.

In my latest blog I explain how retained primitive reflexes and the nervous system can play a part, what you might notice at home, and six practical things that can help right now.

thinkthrive.co.uk/return-to-school-primitive-reflexes

Coping at school but falling apart at home? A Huddersfield neurodevelopmental practitioner explains how primitive reflexes and the nervous system play a part.

03/10/2026

“Secondary school was the step too far.”

So many parents tell me the same thing. Their child managed primary, just about. Then Year 7 arrived, with its noise, its pace and its constant demands on organisation, attention and self-regulation, and everything changed.

When the foundations of movement, balance and sensory processing aren’t fully in place, a child spends so much energy simply coping that there’s little left for learning or friendships.

Hear this dad’s story in full. 🤍

Does this sound like your child? Send me a message or tap the link in bio to book a free chat.

27/09/2026

What happens in an appointment at Think Thrive? 🌿

Assessment: I take time before the appointment with just you to understand your child’s developmental history. At the appointment, I observe posture, balance, coordination and motor control, and check for retained primitive reflexes. It’s calm, hands-on and child-led. From everything I see, I put together a home programme built around your child’s needs and profile, in the order their nervous system would naturally work through them.

Review: Every eight weeks, we meet again. I recheck the reflexes, talk with you about what you’ve noticed at home and school, and move the programme forward. The daily exercises take less than five minutes, and the gap between reviews gives your child’s nervous system time to settle and embed the changes.

If you’d like to talk it through first, book a free 30-minute phone chat. Link in bio.

19/09/2026

Primitive reflexes aren’t a cure for neurodivergence, and you wouldn’t want them to be.

Neurodivergence (autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other developmental differences) is part of who you are. It shapes how you think, how you experience the world, how you connect. Those things aren’t broken. They’re just different. And that difference can have huge value.

But this is what we do see in practice: when primitive reflexes persist alongside neurodivergence, they often create extra barriers. A child who’s neurodivergent might already find transitions challenging. Add in retained reflexes that affect their proprioceptive system, and suddenly transitions become overwhelming. It’s like carrying extra weight on an already different path.

Reflex integration isn’t about “fixing” anything. It’s about removing unnecessary obstacles, so your child’s neurodivergence can shine without the extra friction.

Comment ‘me’ below if you’d like further details.

11/09/2026

What does a programme look like?

But here’s what makes it actually doable: five minutes a day. That’s it.

Every morning or evening, your child does their tailored movements. I see you for a review every 8 weeks to track progress, assess which reflexes have shifted, and adjust the programme.

Over that time, most families notice real, sustained changes: better focus, steadier handwriting, calmer nervous systems, improved coordination.

Small, daily consistency creates lasting change.

Find out more at www.thinkthrive.co.uk

05/09/2026

This is what regulated nervous systems look like. When a child’s foundational reflexes are integrated and their auditory processing is functioning smoothly, their whole experience of the world shifts. They’re not fighting their own body anymore – they have access to attention, emotional flexibility, and genuine calm. That’s the work we do at Think Thrive

02/09/2026

I sat down with Kate Confidential recently to talk about neurodiversity, primitive reflexes and the labels children so often carry.

It is a subject close to my heart. So many of the families I work with have spent years searching for answers, and a label can be a huge relief when it finally arrives. But it is rarely the whole picture. Retained primitive reflexes can sit alongside behaviours that get labelled in one way, when the root cause is something the body has not quite finished developing yet.

We talk about what that looks like in real families, and why it is worth looking beneath the label rather than stopping at it.

Have a watch or a listen when you get a spare half hour, I would love to know what you think.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BMnE_0MNp4E

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4oiHffGDlhUUEZYw14PVIg?si=Yqf0zqvVTsajk3CvH1F42w

Kate Confidential · Episode