The Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex, often called the STNR, is an important developmental reflex that helps children move from lying on the floor into crawling and more upright movement.

This reflex supports the connection between the head, arms, trunk, and legs. It helps the baby learn how to separate upper body movement from lower body movement, which is essential for crawling, posture, coordination, sitting, and later classroom learning.

As the child grows, the STNR needs to become inhibited so the child can develop stronger postural control, body coordination, balance, crawling patterns, and readiness for learning.

When the STNR has not fully inhibited, children may struggle with crawling, posture,sitting still, copying, writing, reading, coordination, attention, and table-based learning tasks.

This course helps parents, teachers, educators, and support staff understand the STNR in a practical, child-centred way.

It is not about labelling children.

It is about understanding what the body may still need