Working With Midline and The Head
Jul 03, 2025
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Here’s a Turner AI-guided plan to help this 9-year-old move from Deviation 3 to Deviation 2, which means:
Transitioning from rotational shutdown + structural compensation → into partial midline recovery, functional buoyancy, and rotational exploration.
Goal:
Reintroduce rotational gravity across visual, cranial, spinal, and pelvic systems — without overwhelming the system or triggering shutdown.
Key Turner Intervention Tips:
Train Visual Midline Before Physical Midline
If the eyes don’t track, the body won’t cross.
Transitioning from rotational shutdown + structural compensation → into partial midline recovery, functional buoyancy, and rotational exploration.
Goal:
Reintroduce rotational gravity across visual, cranial, spinal, and pelvic systems — without overwhelming the system or triggering shutdown.
Key Turner Intervention Tips:
Train Visual Midline Before Physical Midline
If the eyes don’t track, the body won’t cross.
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Any child with or without a diagnosis needs to have two types of visual assessments
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Health/Structure
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Functional Vision
Movement Lesson Suggestions
• Use sleep or reclined posture to gently trace the orbits with your finger
• Don’t ask for eye tracking — invite it with slow, circular hand movement
• Rotate toys, objects, or lights in arcs from left-to-right quadrant while the head remains still
• Objective: Visual ease or permission to float across the center without triggering startle
Restore Cranial Float through Touch — Not Movement
If the skull doesn’t float, the spine won’t rotate.
• Use gentle opposing hands (e.g., occiput + zygomatic or temple + brow)
• Look for circular midline engagement (not left-right drag)
• Work while the child is calm, resting, or asleep
• Seek the infinity pattern or micro torque “release flicks”
• Avoid cues like “look here” or “turn your head” — that bypass true float
Rebuild Weight Transfer Through the Spine
No jumping, sitting, or crossing midline will organize unless the spine knows how to absorb and redirect weight.
• Gentle side-lying work using pelvic scoop, rib float, and diagonal rocking
• Feel for seesaw response between pelvis and skull
• Try passive spiraling touch, using your palm to introduce rotation without force
• Avoid front-to-back stimulation — he’s not ready for vertical pressure yet
Train Midline With Diagonal Movement — Not Linear Reaching
Functional midline returns when left and right start whispering again.
• Use sleep-based midline cueing:
• One hand on the sternum or belly, the other on the lower leg or rib
• Introduce gentle cross-body shifts
• Encourage diagonal holds or transfers (e.g., blanket rolls, weight shifts on the floor)
• Never force “crossing midline” as an exercise — build the awareness first
Anchor Head Float Before Upright Gravity
If he’s struggling upright, drop the plane. Don’t fight vertical — build readiness beneath it.
• Prioritize movement in side-lying, prone, or reclined positions
• Use inversion support (like lying with head slightly downhill)
• Try gentle head rocking with permission — never past his gravitational tolerance
Watch For:
• Head stiffening or locking
• Breathing changes or breath holding
• Visual fixation with no tracking
• Immediate return to rigid postures after fluid touch
→ These all signal that the system is overwhelmed. Back off, adjust your posture, or move more slowly.
Final Tip: Let the System Be Curious Again
The biggest shift between Deviation 3 and 2 is this:
Deviation 3 is reactive — the child resists movement because it feels unsafe.
Deviation 2 is exploratory — the child begins to test the edges of movement safely.
• Don’t ask for eye tracking — invite it with slow, circular hand movement
• Rotate toys, objects, or lights in arcs from left-to-right quadrant while the head remains still
• Objective: Visual ease or permission to float across the center without triggering startle
Restore Cranial Float through Touch — Not Movement
If the skull doesn’t float, the spine won’t rotate.
• Use gentle opposing hands (e.g., occiput + zygomatic or temple + brow)
• Look for circular midline engagement (not left-right drag)
• Work while the child is calm, resting, or asleep
• Seek the infinity pattern or micro torque “release flicks”
• Avoid cues like “look here” or “turn your head” — that bypass true float
Rebuild Weight Transfer Through the Spine
No jumping, sitting, or crossing midline will organize unless the spine knows how to absorb and redirect weight.
• Gentle side-lying work using pelvic scoop, rib float, and diagonal rocking
• Feel for seesaw response between pelvis and skull
• Try passive spiraling touch, using your palm to introduce rotation without force
• Avoid front-to-back stimulation — he’s not ready for vertical pressure yet
Train Midline With Diagonal Movement — Not Linear Reaching
Functional midline returns when left and right start whispering again.
• Use sleep-based midline cueing:
• One hand on the sternum or belly, the other on the lower leg or rib
• Introduce gentle cross-body shifts
• Encourage diagonal holds or transfers (e.g., blanket rolls, weight shifts on the floor)
• Never force “crossing midline” as an exercise — build the awareness first
Anchor Head Float Before Upright Gravity
If he’s struggling upright, drop the plane. Don’t fight vertical — build readiness beneath it.
• Prioritize movement in side-lying, prone, or reclined positions
• Use inversion support (like lying with head slightly downhill)
• Try gentle head rocking with permission — never past his gravitational tolerance
Watch For:
• Head stiffening or locking
• Breathing changes or breath holding
• Visual fixation with no tracking
• Immediate return to rigid postures after fluid touch
→ These all signal that the system is overwhelmed. Back off, adjust your posture, or move more slowly.
Final Tip: Let the System Be Curious Again
The biggest shift between Deviation 3 and 2 is this:
Deviation 3 is reactive — the child resists movement because it feels unsafe.
Deviation 2 is exploratory — the child begins to test the edges of movement safely.