Pediatrics (Infant Reflexes)

Rooting Reflex

• Response: Head, tongue or mouth moves towards stimulation

  • IMPORTANCE: SEARCHES FOR & FINDS FOOD

Suck-Swallow Reflex

• Onset: 28 weeks of gestation

• Integration: 2-5 months

• Response: strong, rhythmic sucking

Traction Reflex

• Response:

  • head lag

  • flexion of UE

  • reflexive grasp

• Importance: enhances reflexive grasp

Moro Reflex

• Onset: 28 weeks gestation

• Integration: 4-6 months

• “startle reflex”

• Response:

  • Phase 1: arm extension & abduction

  • Phase 2 arm flexion & adduction

Plantar Grasp

• Onset: 28 weeks gestation

• Integration: 9 months

• Response: toes curling

• Importance: Increase tactile input to sole of the foot

Galant Reflex

• Onset: 32 weeks of gestation

• Integration: 2 months

• Response: lateral trunk flexion on stimulated side

Palmar grasp

• Onset: 37 weeks of gestation

• Integration: 6 months

• Response: reflexive grasp

• increases tactile input in the palm

ATNR 

• Onset: 37 weeks of gestation

• Integration: 6 months

• Response: arm extension & arm flexion

• “fencer’s position”

• Importance: hand-eye coordination

  • READING COMPREHENSION

  • Interferes with the ability to cross midline

  • POOR HANDWRITING

Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex

• Onset: 37 weeks of gestation

• Integration: 6 months

• TLR prone:

  • Body in flexor tone

  • difficulty to lift the head

• TLR supine:

  • Body in extensor tone

  • difficulty sitting up independently

  • poor posture

Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR)

• Onset: 4-6 months

• Integration: 8-12 months

• Placed in crawling position and flex the head

  • Response: arms flexed, legs extended

• Placed in crawling position and extend the head

  • Response: arms extended, legs bent/flexed

• Problems with STNR:

  • Difficulty sitting up from supine

  • Requires neck flexion

  • Poor muscle tone and posture

Landau Reflex

• Onset: 3-4 months

• Integration: 12-24 months

• Response: extension of head, trunk, extremities

• Importance: break up flexor tone, facilitate prone extension

• “superman position”

Neck Righting

• Onset: 3 months

• Integration: 6 months

• Response: Log rolling of the body to maintain alignment

• Importance: facilitates rolling

Body Righting

• Facilitates rolling

• Response: segmental rolling of the upper trunk and spine

Optical Head Righting

• Onset: 2 months

• Persists throughout life

• Mediated by the visual system

• Response:

  • upright positioning of head

  • orients head in space

Labyrinthine Righting

• Onset: at birth

• Persists throughout life

• Mediated by the vestibular system

• Orients the head in space and position

Downward Parachute

• Onset: 4 months

• Integration: Persists

• Response: extension of lower extremities

• Importance: protective defense against a fall, accurate placement of feet

Forward Parachute

• Onset: 6-9 months

• Integration: Persists

• Response: extension of upper extremities, hands open

• Importance: protective defense against a fall

Sideward Parachute

• Response: arm extension and abduction to the side

• Importance: protective defense against a fall

Backward Parachute

• Onset: 9-10 months

• Integration: persists

• Response:

  • Arm extension backward

  • Arm extension to 1 side of spinal rotation

• Importance: protective defense against a fall

Prone Tilting

• Onset: 5 months

• Response:

  • the spine will curve on the raised side

  • both arms and legs will extend and abduct

• Importance:

  • maintain equilibrium without arm support

  • ability to make postural adjustments

Supine tilting

• Onset: 7-8 months

• Response:

  • the spine will curve on the raised side

  • both arms and legs will extend and abduct

• Importance:

  • maintain equilibrium without arm support

  • ability to make postural adjustments

Quadruped Tilting

• Onset: 9-12 months

• Response:

  • the spine will curve on the raised side

  • both arms and legs will extend and abduct

• Importance:

  • maintain equilibrium without arm support

  • ability to make postural adjustments

Standing Tilting

• Onset: 12-21 months

• Response:

  • the spine will curve on the raised side

  • both arms and legs will extend and abduct

• Importance:

  • maintain equilibrium without arm support

  • ability to make postural adjustments