Category: Primitive Reflexs

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An infant placed face down in a pool of water will begin to paddle and kick in a swimming motion. The reflex disappears between 4–6 months. Its survival function is to help the child stay alive if it is drowning so a caregiver has more time to save it. Although the infant will begin to paddle and kick, placing them in water is very risky. They swallow a large amount of water at the same time. It is advisable to postpone swimming lessons in infants until they are at least three years old.

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A plantar reflex is a normal reflex that involves plantar flexion of the foot (toes move away from the shin, and curl down. An abnormal plantar reflex (aka Babinski Sign) occurs when upper motor neuron control over the flexion reflex circuit is interrupted. This results in a dorsiflexion of the foot (foot angles towards the shin, big toe curls up). This also occurs in babies under ~1 year, due to low myelination of the descending corticospinal tracts. As these tracts develop to adult form, the flexion-reflex circuit is inhibited by the descending corticospinal inputs, and the normal plantar reflex develops.^[9].

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The Moro reflex is present at birth, peaks in the first month of life and begins to disappear around 2 months of age. It is likely to occur if the infant’s head suddenly shifts position, the temperature changes abruptly, or they are startled by a sudden noise. The legs and head extend while the arms jerk up and out with the palms up and thumbs flexed. Shortly afterward the arms are brought together and the hands clench into fists, and the infant cries loudly.The reflex normally disappears by three to four months of age, though it may last up to six months. Bilateral absence of the reflex may mean damage to the infant’s central nervous system while a unilateral absence could mean an injury due to birth trauma such as a fractured clavicle or injury to the brachial plexus. Erb’s palsy or some other form of paralysis is also sometimes present in such cases.A way to experiment to see if the reflex is present is to hold the infant horizontally on their back and let the head drop slightly or produce a sudden loud sound against the surface. In human evolutionary past, the Moro reflex may have helped the infant cling to his mother while she carried him around all day. If the infant lost its balance, the reflex caused the infant to embrace its mother and regain its hold on the mother’s body.

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The rooting reflex is present at birth and assists in breastfeeding, disappearing at around four months of age as it gradually comes under voluntary control. A newborn infant will turn their head toward anything that strokes their cheek or mouth, searching for the object by moving their head in steadily decreasing arcs until the object is found. After becoming used to responding in this way (if breastfed, approximately three weeks after birth), the infant will move directly to the object without searching.

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The asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (ATNR) is a primitive reflex found in newborn humans, but normally vanishes by the child’s first birthday.

It is also known as the “fencing reflex” because of the characteristic position of the infant’s arms and head, which resembles that of a classically trained fencer. When the face is turned to one side, the arm and leg on the side to which the face is turned extend and the arm and leg on the opposite side bend.

The presence of the ATNR, as well as other primitive reflexes, such as the tonic labyrinthine reflex (TLR), beyond the first months of life may indicate that the child has developmental delays, at which point the reflex is atypical or abnormal. For example, in children with cerebral palsy, the reflexes may persist and even be more pronounced. As abnormal reflexes, both the ATNR and the TLR can cause problems for the growing child. The ATNR and TLR both hinder functional activities such as rolling, bringing the hands together, or even bringing the hands to the mouth. Over time, both the ATNR and TLR can cause serious damage to the growing child’s joints and bones. 

The asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (ATNR) is a primitive reflex found in newborn humans, but normally vanishes by the child’s first birthday.

It is also known as the “fencing reflex” because of the characteristic position of the infant’s arms and head, which resembles that of a classically trained fencer. When the face is turned to one side, the arm and leg on the side to which the face is turned extend and the arm and leg on the opposite side bend.

The presence of the ATNR, as well as other primitive reflexes, such as the tonic labyrinthine reflex (TLR), beyond the first months of life may indicate that the child has developmental delays, at which point the reflex is atypical or abnormal. For example, in children with cerebral palsy, the reflexes may persist and even be more pronounced. As abnormal reflexes, both the ATNR and the TLR can cause problems for the growing child. The ATNR and TLR both hinder functional activities such as rolling, bringing the hands together, or even bringing the hands to the mouth. Over time, both the ATNR and TLR can cause serious damage to the growing child’s joints and bones.

{youtubejw}1pHtX08I40s{/youtubejw}Galant reflex is a newborn reflex.  It is elicited by holding the  newborn in ventral suspension and stroking along on the side of the spine. The normal reaction is for the new born to laterally flex toward the stimulated side. This one of the reflexes tested in newborns to help rule our brain damage at birth.