What are the infant primitive reflexes?
- Reflex actions originating in the central nervous system that are exhibited by normal infants, but not neurologically intact adults, in response to particular stimuli.
- These reflexes are suppressed by the development of the frontal lobes as a child transitions normally through childhood development.
- When a reflex integrates, that means the reflex has blended into functioning into the human body and it is not present.
Infant Reflexes:
- Moro– startle reflex but the child comes back to midline, arms out in response to head dropping back (everything extends then everything comes back to midline into flexion)
- How to elicit: drop and catch head in supine, loud, unexpected noise, drop child back in lycra. Intensify sensory input.
- Emerges: roughly 10-20 weeks in utero
- Integrates: 3-6 months
- Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR)- controlled by position of the head, face side limbs extend and other side bends, BEGINNING OF BODY AWARENESS
- IF THIS DOES NOT INTEGRATE IT PREVENTS MIDLINE ORIENTATION
- How to elicit: gently turn head to one side
- Emerges: 18 weeks in utero
- Integrates: 4-6 months of age
- Grasping– pressure to palm and stroking the palm and baby will grasp hand closed
- How to elicit: pressure to palm or stroke palm
- Integrates: 5-6 months
- Babinski- Plantar Reflex – an external stimulus strokes the bottom of the foot
- How to elicit: feet pan out when you’re a baby, then curl when you’re an adult
- Integrates: 9-12 months
- Rooting and Sucking– stroke baby’s cheek and baby’s face turns, sucking movement with mouth (nutrition, feeding; important for breastfeeding)
- Emerges: 24-28 weeks in utero
- Integrates: 3-4 months
- Landou- Postural Reflex– around 4,5,6, month of age, as a baby is prone, baby comes up against gravity, head pushed down then legs are pushed down into a flexed position
- How to elicit: put head down and release (legs will be down, then bent)
- Emerges:5 months
- Integrates: 5 years
- Head Lag– as you pull baby to sit, no head control
- At 6 month can chin tuck- head control
- Newborn- complete head lag
- 12 weeks- slight head lag
- 20 weeks- no lag is present
- Lateral Propping- Postural Reflex– when weight shifts to side, hand drops
- How to elicit: shift baby’s weight to one side
- Emerges: 3-8 months of age
- Integrates: we don’t know
- Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR): Neck Flexion: upper extremities will flex and lower extremities will extend. Opposite for neck extension
- Emerges: 4-6 months
- Integration: 8-12 months
