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Why Do We Have Chins?
The Chin Isn’t a Mystery — It’s a Midline Machine
Why Movement Lesson Sees the Chin as One of the Most Underestimated Structures in Human Movement
For centuries, scientists have debated the function of the human chin. It’s been labeled a quirk of evolution, a leftover from early jaw development — or worse, written off as meaningless.
But in Turner AI’s movement-based lens, the chin isn’t just anatomical trivia.
It’s one of the most critical midline tools in the human body.
The Chin Is a Midline Machine
From a Turner diagnostic perspective, the chin:
- Projects the anterior midline
- Anchors head-righting reflexes
- Coordinates oral-motor sequencing (chewing, speech, swallowing)
- Balances rotational torque across the neck and upper spine
- Links core-to-cranium signaling for posture, breath, and vision
This is not optional. The chin is the mechanical front bumper of your spine, giving your brain real-time feedback about gravity, load, and position.
In Infants, It’s a Devel...
Event Geometry: From Fault lines to Footwork
Event Geometry: An Earthquake and an Athlete
One is a tectonic rupture. The other is athletic intention.
But to Sovara, both are expressions of the same phenomenon:
Energy is released through geometry in time.
The Earthquake: A Slip Pulse Through the Earth
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A rupture begins at the hypocenter — energy builds silently until release becomes inevitable.
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A slip pulse travels across a fault line — not smoothly, but in bursts
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The surface shakes only when the deep force breaches the surface
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The curved path of the fault isn't random — it reflects hidden tensions, resistances, and accumulated force
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The visual effect? Posts wobble. Fences distort. Ground flexes — but only because a deeper system let go
The Athlete: A Slip Pulse Through the Body
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Movement begins in the deep system — often invisible to the eye (intent...
How Midline Interruption Affects Reflex Integration
Key Points:
Movement Lesson® How Midline interruption directly affects reflexes, and what that means for development:
1. Reflexes Need a Midline to Integrate
But to integrate, the body must establish symmetry, sequencing, and a stable central axis.
2. ATNR Stays Active Without Horizontal Midline
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Reflex: When the head turns, the arm/leg extends on that side, and flexes on the other
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Problem: Without a stable horizontal midline, the infant can't cross over or rotate cleanly
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Result: ATNR becomes dominant → leads to:
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Hand preference too early
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Avoidance of rolling or reaching across the body
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Reading/visual tracking issues later
3. STNR Can't Emerge Without Vertical Midline
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Reflex: Neck f...
Microcephaly and Cerebral Palsy
Why My Baby May Not Be Seeing — A Look at Head Shape and Vision
Head Shape Affects How a Baby Sees
In typical development:
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A baby’s eyes and ears are level when lying on their back.
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This balance helps them see their own body — their hands, feet, and belly — and learn to move.
But in some babies with:
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Microcephaly (small head size)
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Plagiocephaly (flatness or asymmetry of the head)
Why This Matters:
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When the eyes are too high, the baby can’t see their own body.
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This makes it harder to:
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Bring hands to mouth
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See feet...
Extreme Prematurity Awareness: Parts 3 and 4
Part 3 of 4
I'm building a biomechanical framework for viability using my Infant Motion Sensor, and it's significantly more precise and predictive than gestational age or weight percentile alone.
Let me break this down into a functional model we can use in Turner AI and the Infant Motion Sensor (IMS) system:
Biomechanical Readiness Framework (Sovara Draft)
1. Foundational Premise:
A baby is only capable of initiating self-generated movement when the skeletal, fluid, and dermal ratios are sufficient to allow weight transfer with minimal gravitational resistance.
2. AI Scoring & Alert Zones:
Turner AI should be able to detect:
- Overweight load relative to tone: flag diaper/tube interference
- Lack of lateral movement from prone by 37 weeks adjusted age
- Visual "hammock skin" with no muscular tautness or bounce-back
- No rotational precursors at timepoints that predict CP or tone disorders
3. Case Study Development Proposal:
We can model this progression visually — like fetal...
Extreme Prematurity Awareness: Parts 1 and 2
Part 1 of 4
Here's what I can evaluate based on the screenshots of the 24-week preterm infant shown in a NICU setting:
General Observation
This infant appears to be in extreme prematurity (born at 24 weeks of gestation). At this stage of development, nearly every system in the body is underdeveloped. The following is an integrative analysis based on neonatal medicine, motor tone evaluation, reflexes, and likely fluid state — as inferred visually from static frames.
Neurological & Motor Evaluation
Posture & Tone:
- The baby appears hypotonic (low muscle tone), with loose flexion and extended limbs — common for <26-week gestation infants.
- Lack of spontaneous limb recoil or robust Moro/startle reflex from image series.
Head & Neck:
- Head disproportionately large relative to body mass (normal in preterms).
- Slight head turn and no observable head lift or neck tone.
Reflexes:
- No visible Moro reflex, palmar grasp, or rooting behavior, which may be blunted or absent at...
Understanding Low Tone: It's Not What You Think
Most people think low tone means “weak muscles.” But that’s not true. It’s not even close.
The Truth:
It’s created by the relationship between the bones and the skin—a dynamic tension system that requires correct skeletal alignment and buoyancy in gravity.
How Tone Actually Works:
The Skeletal System Sets the Frame
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If the bones can’t rise and suspend within gravity, the muscles can’t engage.
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Think of it like ice cubes in a glass: they always rise to a certain level and orient to the horizon. That’s what your bones are meant to do—create buoyancy and tension.
The Skin Provides Tonus
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Skin isn’t just passive—it has tension. It wraps the skeleton and contributes to the “bounce” or “readiness” of muscle action.
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When skin tonus is lost (as in aging or prematurity), the skeletal system can’t interact, and muscle activation breaks down.
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A...
Microcephaly and Plagiocephaly
What If Your Baby Can't See Their Own Body?
When a parent hears, "Your baby has cerebral palsy," or "They're delayed," the conversation often focuses on symptoms: stiffness, low tone, seizures, or lack of movement. But rarely — almost never — does anyone talk about why your baby can't see their body.
Yes, we're going there. Because head shape and visual alignment could be the silent reason your baby isn't rolling, playing with their hands, or sitting up.
The Hidden Problem: Eye-Ear Misalignment
Take a moment and really look at your child. Not their diagnosis. Not their behaviors. Their actual structure.
In a typically developing baby lying on their back:
- The eyes and ears are aligned horizontally.
- This alignment enables visual tracking of the body, allowing the baby to see their hands, feet, and belly.
But in babies with:
- Microcephaly (a smaller-than-average head)
- Plagiocephaly (flat spots or misshapen skulls)
… you'll often notice something subtle but huge:...
Incorrect Reflex Examination
T urner Analysis of This Hospital Reflex Test:
What They’re Doing:
What’s Missing:
Turner Interpretation:
What is Low Tone or Hypotonia?
One of the things I teach with my practitioners and in the Neuromuscular Movement Assessment Training is the absence of epidermal (skin) containment as a primary indicator of functional failure. That’s a completely different category of analysis than traditional neuromotor evaluation.
Words from a frusterated, worried parent, "My son was diagnosed with “low tone” at 9 months after many indications I kept bringing up at every appointment and being dismissed as normal. I then asked what low tone was and he said LOW TONE IS LOW TONE in a nasty tone! That’s when we were first sent to Boston Children’s to their neurology department then about 15 more specialists! He has a rare genetic disorder of unknown significance, waiting on 2nd round (WGS), connective tissue disorder, hypotonia, hypermobile, global delays, etc. He doesn’t walk or talk YET, he’s 4 1/2. Your posts and videos are always so helpful, thank you!"