Biography
Biography: Margaret Glenney
Abstract
Normal hearing sensitivity and processing is essential for the development of speech and language in the young child. Presently, in the United States, there are approximately 1 in 6 children with a developmental delay or learning disability. Early intervention is key and crucial in the overall outcome of any child with any hearing problem, which is why hearing “screenings’ are usually done on all infants before they leave the hospital.
Our “hearing” and “vestibular” systems are anatomically and intimately tied together, and several of the primitive reflexes that progress to inhibition so that the postural reflexes can develop emanate from these systems. Primitive reflex retention or lack of inhibition has been long linked to developmental and educational issues. This lecture will focus on primitive reflexes, and some of the red flags in development that can be easily assessed that may indicate a delay or difficulty in neuro-development of the newborn. They include, but are not limited to: abnormal or absent crawling stage, inability to localize sound, lack of babbling, and absence of anticipatory motor response to being picked up by the caregiver. Early and easy identification of children with developmental delays is the first step toward limiting difficulties and closing the gap.