Part Two - How to Work Around the Real Problem


If, through your detective work, you have determined that someone you know (yourself, your child, or your spouse, for example) has an immature STNR, there are two ways of dealing with the problem: circumventions and interventions.

Circumventions: methods for working around a problem.

Interventions: methods for working through a problem, actually solving it.

In general, interventions are obviously more desirable than circumventions. We truly thank God that, because of Dr. Miriam Bender's work (see the discussions in the preface and introduction), interventions are available for maturing the STNR. However, interventions require several months to implement. Consequently, we will first discuss circumventions, which you can begin even as you read this chapter, and which you can continue as you provide interventions for an immature STNR.

Chapter 5: School Problems
How does an immature STNR interfere with school work? We find that many children are not doing well in school simply because they don't do their writing assignments well (or at all). It has been our experience that many children having difficulties in school do not have basic difficulties understanding the material. Their basic problems are with sitting still, maintaining attention, and writing - all hampered by the immature STNR.

Below are examples of a child's papers before and after implementation of the STNR exercises.



Chapter 6: Sports Problems
How does the immature STNR interfere with sports? An immature STNR can be directly responsible for poor motor coordination (resulting in clumsiness or awkwardness). Poor coordination usually contributes to poor performance in athletics. Poor performance usually limits participation. Limited participation, in turn, prolongs poor performance. It becomes a vicious cycle.

An immature STNR usually affects children's athletic performance in one of two ways. Generally, these children do very poorly in most sports. However, some STNR children may do fairly well in certain sports. Either they work ten times harder than other children to achieve some success, or the immature STNR does not interfere with the body position required for success in that particular sport.

Your child may seem well coordinated, but only in certain sports. The interference of the reflex can be very tricky. The immature reflex causes the top half of the body to want to do the opposite from the bottom half. It is very difficult for STNR children to have their bodies either all straight or all bent at the same time.

For example, it is very difficult for STNR children to run and catch at the same time. They have trouble looking up in the air and following the ball without stumbling or falling to the ground. Remember, as the neck and arms straighten, the immature STNR makes the knees want to bend. There really are no circumventions for STNR children in sports. The most helpful approach is to recognize the symptoms of the immature reflex and steer the child into specific sports and positions that will not be negatively affected by an immature STNR.

Chapter 7: Problems at Home
How does the immature STNR cause problems at home? What is it like living with STNR children? Is it fun? Is it fun to have dinner, watch television, or try to read the paper next to a child in constant motion? Is it fun to try to help STNR children with their homework? Usually, it is not much fun at all. The therapy described in Part Three of this book can change that situation, but in the meantime the circumventions in this chapter can make life much more pleasant for the parent and child.

Chapter 8: Problems in Public Settings
How does the imature STNR cause problems outside the school or home, in the wider community? The grief that STNR children experience and cause at home is intensified when they go out in public. Generally speaking, parents and society expect children to display better behavior in public than is required of them at home. STNR children can be disruptive because of the discomfort that the immature reflex causes them. Because of the effects of the STNR on their behavior in public, children are often accused of being poorly disciplined when, in fact, they are just extremely uncomfortable.

The circumventions described in this chapter can make the child more comfortable in public situations - which, in turn, will make the child more welcome in those situations.