THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROFILE:
The Basis of Neurological Reorganization

By Emily Beard Johnson, BA, CD, Asst. Assoc. of ECE, Neurological Reorganization Practitioner

The developmental profile summarizes normal neurological function from birth to age six to eight.

Traumatic brain injury, ADHD, and reactive attachment disorder all seem quite divergent. However, each are manifestations of dysfunctional neurology. Neurological reorganization uses the developmental profile to identify areas of neurological dysfunction. Once the areas of dysfunction are known, neurodevelopmental activities are assigned to replicate normal development and resolve the dysfunctions, which manifest as emotional, behavioral, academic, or motor struggles. Unlike other approaches which teach compensations or manage symptoms, neurological reorganization examines the root of the issue and stimulates new brain growth. Once a program of neurological reorganization is completed, the individual is free from managing the symptoms of neurological dysfunction and can live the fullest possible life.

The developmental profile summarizes normal neurological function from birth through age six to eight. It is divided into two primary sections: sensory and motor. The sensory side represents how we take in information—how we see, how we hear, and how we feel -- while the motor side represents how we put out information – how we move, how we communicate, and our hand function. These categories -- visual,

auditory, tactile, mobility, language, and manual competence – are charted for seven stages of neurological development: medulla and spinal cord; pons; midbrain; and cortex one through four. Although the profile is plotted in neat boxes, no individual develops absolutely in these terms. The boxes on the profile represent developmental benchmarks every infant should attain.

When a baby is born, she comes with all parts included. Just as she has legs with which she can’t yet walk, there are parts of her brain she can’t yet access. The process by which she gains access to those parts of her brain is called myelinization. Myelin is a white, fatty substance that coats the nerve endings, similar to the coating of an electrical cord. Myelin facilitates neuron movement, so that effective communication occurs throughout the brain. Myelin develops at three major times in one’s life: from conception through birth, from birth through age six to eight, and at adolescence. Neurological reorganization primarily focuses on development that occurs from birth through age six to eight.

When a baby is born, the myelin is present to her medulla. Visually, pupils contract when a light is shone in them and then expand when the light is removed. Auditorially, the newborn has a whole body response to any loud or startling noise. Tactilely, if the newborn’s cheek is stroked, she will turn to suck. It doesn’t matter if it is a nipple or a finger, as the sucking is a reflex. In terms of mobility, the newborn is not paralyzed, but, if you lay her down in one spot and come back ten minutes later, she will be in approximately the same place. In terms of communication, the newborn has a birth cry that says, “I’m here; I’m alive.” The newborn will make a fist around a finger, holding on tight to the finger. A doctor might lift the newborn off of the surface and let her dangle. The ability to dangle is not because the newborn is strong, but because she can’t yet let go. The whole medulla level is reflexive movement.

The pons develops in approximately a one to five month old infant. The pons regulates all vital, life-preserving activity. It serves as the body’s auto-pilot, regulating essential functions such as respiration and heart rate. The pons controls extreme emotional perceptions. It controls our sense of safety and security, or lack of safety and security as well as our fear and anxiety. Visually, a pons-level infant loves to gaze at a face, any face will do, as the baby perceives the facial outline. Horizontal eye tracking, an essential skill for reading, develops in the pons as the baby tracks her caregivers coming and going from her environment. Sustained eye contact nurtures a sense of safety and security in a pons-level baby, especially with her mother while breastfeeding. This function is so critical that a baby’s initial vision only extends from breast to mother’s face. Auditorially, this baby no longer startles at every sound, but a loud or threatening sound, such as a dog barking, causes her to cry for help. A pons-level baby perceives extreme sensations – hunger, pain, cold, and heat—and, upon feeling any of these, cries for help. The pons-level baby crawls on her tummy, which develops her proximal joints (such as hips, knees, and ankles) as well as the arches of her feet. Individuals who did not complete crawling frequently have flat feet or are pigeon-toed. Crawling on the tummy is primarily a method of getting away from danger, rather than reaching a goal,

although babies who crawl for sustained periods of time might use it to reach a desired location. The pons’ regulation of life-preserving activity and perception of danger is why individuals in burning buildings have the ability to immediately get on their tummies and crawl rapidly away from the fire. The pons-level baby has a cry that communicates, “Help me! Help me! Come save me! I’m dying!” that no normal adult can resist. A pons-level infant perceives the world in terms of black and white: I’m not with mom, I’m going to die; I’m cold, I’m going to die; I’m hungry, I’m going to die. The pons-level infant uses this cry to exert some control over her environment. Expressing her needs and then having them met establishes the cycle of response and the baby’s sense of safety and security. If the pons-level infant uses her vital cry and her needs are not met, the cycle of response is not established and, consequently, her sense of safety, security, and trust is skewed. Mistrust of the world becomes hard-wired into her neurology and is not mitigated, even her needs are met. Because of the critical importance of this cycle of response, it is impossible to spoil a pons-level baby. In terms of hand function, the pons-level infant still grasps onto a finger, but, before her shoulders are lifted off a surface, she lets go. This letting go is a sign of her increased sense of safety and security.

The midbrain typically develops between six to fourteen months and is responsible for regulating, filtering, and balancing. For our purposes, the midbrain is a region of the brain which encompasses many parts, one of which is specifically called the midbrain. Essentially, we use this term to refer to everything above the pons and below the cortex. Visually, a midbrain-level baby develops vertical eye tracking, another very important skill for reading. A baby develops this vertical tracking as the midbrain-level of development is the first time she is on all fours and interacting with gravity. She lifts her head vertically through space for the first time. The beginnings of convergence, or both eyes working together at near point, are put in place at the midbrain-level. This is another critical skill for reading, as well as depth perception. Midbrain-level babies appreciate detail within detail. Around seven or eight months of age, a baby might develop stranger anxiety. Actually, she didn’t realize they were strangers before because she didn’t have the ability to recognize of all of the details. Appreciation of detail within detail also allows us to identify one, discrete item from a group and is critical for spatial planning. Auditorially, midbrain-level babies appreciate tone of voice. You can say anything you want to a midbrain-level baby, as long as it’s conveyed in a kind, sing-song voice. Conversely, if there is an argument and it becomes heated, even if the argument is not directed at the baby, she will pick up on it and become upset as this is the level of the brain that allows us to interpret the thousands of non-verbal cues we receive daily. About eighty percent of communication is non-verbal. Children who have poor social perceptions frequently have an issue with this level of development as they do not perceive the non-verbal social cues. The midbrain regulates proprioception, or knowing where one’s body is in space. Individuals with poor proprioception are often unaware of appropriate physical or emotional boundaries. Tactilely, midbrain-level babies appreciate subtle sensations, such as warm, soft, and fuzzy. She might become attached to a stuffed animal or blanket. This is also where the corpus callosum develops. The corpus callosum transmits information from either brain
hemisphere, acting like a freeway between the two sides of the brain. It is critical for impulse control and memory retention. Midbrain-level babies move by creeping on hands and knees. As this is the first experience with gravity, she develops balance at this time as well as the lumbar spinal curve. The baby’s feet, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands align, preparing the way for a smooth gait when walking. In terms of communication, the baby develops her own tone of voice and uses it to babble and coo. She creates sentences and paragraphs, but no actual words as this is the level of the brain that makes the sounds that eventually become words. She develops prehensile grasp, using her whole hand to lift an object, and begins feeding herself. The midbrain regulates neurotransmitter release, allowing for a myriad of function. Individuals with off-balance neurotransmitters may experience extreme emotional states, such as depression or bipolar disorder. The immune system is also part of the midbrain. A dysfunctional immune system can result in someone who is often ill or has allergies. The midbrain also controls the limbic system, which plays a role in regulating emotions. Limbic dysfunction can result in limbic rage, or uncontrollable rages with little to no provocation and difficulty calming down. Another part of the midbrain is the hypothalamus, which plays a role in the sleep/wake cycle, internal and external temperature regulation, digestion, bladder and bowel function, and chewing and swallowing food.

The medulla, pons, and midbrain develop in approximately the first year of life. This is the most important year of life as humans acquire fifty percent of their lifetime skills in this first year. As human function is cumulative, this development sets the foundation for all that comes later. The medulla, pons, and midbrain develop pre-verbally; one cannot communicate with these levels of the brain with language or logic. These levels perform their skills automatically. For this reason, an individual with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder cannot will herself to focus. She tries extremely hard, but, because she attempts to use her cortex to control the foundational-level deficits, her efforts only yield short-term benefits. Neurological reorganization uniquely focuses on repairing deficits in the medulla, pons, and midbrain to sustain healthy emotional, behavioral, academic, and motor function throughout one’s life.

The cortex, or the smart, thinking part of the brain from which human intelligence derives, develops from approximately age one to age six to eight. The cortex is the part of the brain most people think of when they say “the brain,” as it is responsible for intelligence, abstract thought, and higher emotional functions. Visually, a child develops convergence, or both eyes working together at near point. This is a critical skill for depth perception, reading comprehension, and concentration. Studies have linked poor convergence with the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A cortical-level child appreciates symbols. For instance, a picture of a cat represents a cat but is not actually a cat, and C-A-T is another symbol for a cat until she is reading. Auditorially, the child understands a few words of speech and gains more and more until she has a complete vocabulary. Tactilely, she develops stereognosis, or knowing what is in her hand without looking at it. This progresses until she can reach her hand

into her pocket and pull out a nickel instead of a quarter. This child begins to walk. First, she walks with her hands up in the air at shoulder level, then down and behind, possibly dragging a blanket, and then in a cross pattern. This child has a few words of speech and gains more and more until she has a complete vocabulary. She develops cortical opposition, or the first finger and thumb touching at the fingertips. This sets the stage for all fine motor skills, including writing.

By age six for girls or age eight for boys, the child should be lateralized, or one-sided. For instance, she should use her left ear, left eye, left hand, and left foot in a consistently dominant manner. If she’s not lateralized, it’s like having two vice presidents in the brain: one side of the brain will do a task for a while, tire of it, and hand it off to the other side. That side will also perform the task for a while and then hand it back to the first side. When that is the case, the way the child takes in, stores, and retrieves information is random and inefficient. When the child is lateralized, the way she takes in, stores, and retrieves information is effective and well-organized. Laterality most significantly impacts higher abstract thought, sequential reasoning, and advanced academics.

Functional neurology results from the completion of the developmental sequence. If there is any interruption, injury, or disruption to the developmental sequence, a functional deficit will result. For some individuals, it may create a small impact on their lives. However, the majority of serious emotional, behavioral, and academic concerns have a neurological basis due to disrupted development. Neurological reorganization effectively addresses these issues through replication of the developmental sequence.

It is unusual to see anyone with an injury to the medulla as that generally results in death. A newborn might have diminished pupil contraction and expansion or an abnormal sucking reflex, resulting in difficulty nursing. As babies have their own job to perform during birth, cerebral palsy may result due to birth trauma. A baby may also be born cortically blind.

Dysfunction to the pons manifests in a myriad of ways. Visually, this individual may have trouble reading, as the pons is responsible for horizontal eye tracking. Tactilely, this individual may not feel extreme sensations – hot, cold, pain, and hunger – appropriately, resulting in an array of dysfunctional behaviors, including lack of empathy, overeating, self-abuse, and picking on others. Bed wetting may be an issue. Physically, she may be pigeon-toed or her ankles may roll inward. The pons initiates our fight or flight response to stressful situations and, if it is working overactively, triggers an array of disruptive behaviors. This can be the individual who takes foolhardy risks, is overly affectionate with strangers, does not perceive danger appropriately, or has violent rages. The individual may be constantly anxious, controlling, manipulative, or superficially charming. She may constantly create chaos in her environment. This individual may also have difficulty bonding with parents, siblings, and other caregivers. These issues result in a sense of profound displacement,

isolation, and mistrust. Additionally, as functional neurology is cumulative, individuals with pons-level dysfunction tend to have midbrain and, possibly, cortical issues as well.

Midbrain dysfunction presents in a variety of ways. Visually, an individual with a midbrain dysfunction may struggle with reading and comprehension. She could have issues with depth perception and see blurry or double. As her filtering system does not prioritize appropriately, she may be extremely distractible or hyperactive; have a short attention span; trouble remembering and following through on tasks; or, when engrossed in a task, have difficulty responding to prompts. The midbrain regulates our perception of nonverbal social cues, so this individual may have a hard time reading others and may be out of sync in social situations. An individual may be clumsy, struggle with athletics, have feet which point outward, have difficulty maintaining balance, or struggle with establishing and maintaining appropriate emotional and physical boundaries. Impulse control may be an issue as the midbrain includes the part of the brain that applies the brakes to inappropriate impulses. Additionally, the two hemispheres of this individual’s brain may not effectively communicate, resulting in immense frustration, apparent manipulation, and, possibly, rages. Midbrain dysfunction can also result in inarticulate, atonal, or slurred speech; difficulty accessing words; or auditory processing issues. Additionally, midbrain dysfunction can result in disrupted or inconsistent sleep patterns; heartburn or stomachaches; bladder and/or bowel issues; and sensitivity to textures of food or difficulty chewing. Individuals may also have difficulty with temperature regulation, either always wanting to bundle up or never wanting to wear a coat. Textures of clothing, such as tags or elastic waistbands, may cause discomfort. This individual may be characterized as a drama queen, blowing every thing out of proportion. Neurochemical regulation is controlled by the midbrain. Individuals may have a wide variety of issues, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorders, or allergies.

Cortex dysfunction also manifests in various ways. Visually, an individual with a dysfunctional cortex may have difficulty recognizing symbols, making reading very challenging. Her language skills may be immature, including the use of incomplete sentences, incorrect pronouns, or difficulty expressing needs. Walking and running may not be in a cross pattern with a smooth arm swing. This individual may have poor fine motor skills. Sequencing information, especially in abstract situations, may be incredibly challenging.

Neurological reorganization is uniquely based on the developmental sequence, as charted on the developmental profile. The developmental profile allows us to insure an individual met all benchmarks. If there are deficits, she replicates the developmental sequence to trigger new function. This new function allows her to have the best possible emotional, behavioral, academic, and motor capabilities throughout her life.