Primitive reflexes are automatic baby movements that usually disappear as the brain matures. When they don’t integrate properly, they can affect motor and cognitive skills. Many kids with Down syndrome show these retained reflexes, which can make balance, coordination, and attention harder. Therapies using gentle movements and sensory experiences to “turn off” these old reflexes and may be able to help kids move and learn better.

Down syndrome affects not just chromosome 21 but impacts gene expression across the entire genome, alters how genes are epigenetically regulated and spatially organized, causes long-lasting brain inflammation, and disrupts cellular metabolism. These interconnected changes influence brain development and function, but new therapies targeting these areas offer hope for improved cognition and health.