Miriam Bender Achievement Center FAQ's

Absolutely, if they are done properly.

The rule of thumb for information reaching the public from initial research is at least twenty-five years. Although we have been doing this work for years, the medical profession, in general, has not yet embraced this remedial approach.

This research came through education, rather than through medicine, and the medical community tends to be reluctant to accept therapies outside their own discipline. Because of this tunnel vision, most physicians have not even heard of the immature STNR in connection with ADD/ADHD and LD. (Remember that William Harvey was laughed at by the medical profession when he said that blood ran in vessels; also, physicians did not believe Pasteur when he presented his theory about germs.) Fortunately, alternative/complementary approaches are beginning to be more readily accepted by the medical community, primarily because of a groundswell of public demand.

Lovingly (gently) smack your family’s collective hands and tell them to let go and let that baby crawl! Tell them how important it is for a baby to crawl extensively for at least six months, and have them read our book.

No. You need to wait until your child is five years old. Important development (neurological, physical, physiological, etc.) occurs between the ages of four and five that will enable the child to be better able to do the STNR exercises. Until then, do not make the child sit for long periods of time. Follow our book’s recommendations for circumventions.

Do not, under any circumstances, try to force a baby to crawl. Encourage him to crawl by giving ample opportunity and space in which to crawl and by getting down on the floor and encouraging him to follow your example of crawling. You can gently put him in the Cat Sit Position (see page 20) and rock him gently back and forth. Do not use any physical pressure on him. If the baby fights all these attempts to encourage crawling, wait until he is five years old to do the STNR exercises.

Return it to the store if you can, or use it as a flowerpot. Do not put your baby in a walker, Johnny jump up, doorway swing, or anything else that prohibits crawling. Use playpens sparingly or only when absolutely necessary.

These lightweight, stand-up-behind-and-push playthings are merely the twenty-first century’s version of baby walkers. Do not use them until your baby has crawled properly for at least six months and is walking independently well.

No age is too old to benefit from the STNR exercises. So far, the oldest person we have worked with was seventy-seven. She said she was tired of being uncomfortable all her life. After doing the STNR exercises, she really appreciated being able to sit more comfortably at church and when playing games with her great-grandchildren.

It has been our observation that an immature STNR often runs in families. You inherit your hair color, eye color, bone structure, etc.; reflexes are also inherited.

Yes. If a baby’s crawling is prohibited or significantly restricted, the STNR will remain immature (at an interfering level). Overuse of playpens, limited crawling space, leg casts, or any environmental situation that interferes with enough (at least six months) and proper crawling will lead to an immature STNR.

No. If a baby does not crawl enough and properly, the STNR will remain immature unless the individual has special help to mature it.

Many years of large muscle (gross motor) activity can help, but vestiges of the STNR will always remain unless directly treated. See chapter 2.

Yes, he could have an immature STNR, even though it is unlikely that any individual will have all of the symptoms. Frequently a child will display only one or two of the symptoms. However, any individual who did not crawl for at least six months and/or properly will be bothered in some way by an immature STNR.

An individual who did not crawl for at least six months and/or properly will be bothered in some way by an immature STNR. However, with great effort and energy, some STNR children can become competent at a number of tasks. Remember, too, that some activities seem to “bypass” the immature reflex, and a child can seem to be excelling in a sport, for example, but be good at only one aspect, e.g., seemingly good swimmer, but capable of only a specific stroke. See the section in the book on sports.

Yes. The frustration and fatigue caused by an immature STNR can lead to a “short fuse”, and heightened aggression in many cases. Children can frequently get along at home or school, but don’t have the energy to get along both places. They cannot maintain working ten times harder constantly. Siblings (and others) become annoyed right back because they don’t realize the STNR child is having to work so hard.

If a child is old enough to realize the difficulties s/he is having, explain the significant benefits that will occur from doing these exercises, e.g., writing will be easier, sitting still will be more comfortable, etc. We are great believers in positive reinforcement. Everybody loves rewards, and you are rewarding the child for cooperating in a very difficult task. Daily exercise can earn daily stickers or tokens to be exchanged for a designated reward down the line. See chapter 9, "The STNR Exercises: General Directions."

Yes. Many children with an immature STNR often have nervous tics, make excessive and/or inappropriate noises, or display other negative mannerisms. Frequently these significantly diminish or totally disappear upon the individual’s successful completion of the STNR exercises.

No. Once the STNR reflex is matured, it stays matured, just as when a baby naturally crawls long enough and properly. (However, we theorize the possibility that a specific neurological trauma such as a stroke or brain injury from an accident might reestablish the STNR’s interfering effects.)