Definitions of the Primitive and Postural Reflexes
The primitive reflexes are a pre-programmed set of involuntary responses which form the foundation for the development of the brain and body after birth. These reflexes if retained after 12 months of age, indicate immaturity and affect emotion, learning ability and memory as the child grows. Hemispheres categories these reflexes into the Grasping and the Emotional Reflexes.
Below is a brief description of each of the Grasping Reflexes:
Palmer Reflexes: Key reflexes in the development of manual dexterity and manipulatory skills of the hands. High association with handwriting difficulties, speech and articulation.
Plantar Reflexes: The plantar reflex separates the front and back parts of the feet, facilitating the development of balance and mobility. It facilitates muscle tone and provides vestibular stimulation which in turn stimulates the balance mechanisms. If retained it will impede the cross pattern crawling which is important for hand eye co-ordination and integration of vestibular information with the other senses. Affects balance, crossing the midline of the body, laterality, visual perception, handwriting and written expression.
Babinski Reflex: Has similar consequences to the Plantar, however, the babinski separate the outside and inside of the feet, and if retained prevents the child from fully weight bearing on the outside of the foot which will inhibits the development of the foot arches and ankle stability.
Sucking Reflex: Another survival reflex, present at birth so the baby can feed. If absent at birth then the child will not be able to thrive, and if retained it will affect the development of oral motor skills for chewing and speech.
Rooting Reflex Works together with the sucking reflex. Retention of this reflex affects eating, chewing, and speech production.
Below is a brief description of each of the Emotional Reflexes:
Fear Paralysis Reflex: The purpose of this reflex is protection and self preservation. It forms the basis to all other reflexes and is felt to be present in those children who experience emotional and behavioural immaturity as well as detachment from the external world.
Moro Reflex: Associated with the Fear Paralysis Reflex, as its main function is protection and security. When retained this has an overall effect on the emotional profile of the child who would present with anxiety, behavioural difficulties, acute sensitivity to noise, touch or vision, perceptive, immature and tend to over react.
As the survival reflexes begin to settle, the later primtive reflexes and the postural reflexs begin to emerge. Hemispheres categories the next set of reflexes as the Integrating Reflexes, as they are responsible for the integration of the central nervous system and the development of skilled motor movements, and sensory appreciation of the body which underpins academic learning.
Tonic Labyrinthine reflex (TLR): The TLR has two components, forward and back. If the forward part is retained then the child will experience spatial problems, motion sickness, poor posture and muscle tone, visual perceptual difficulties, poor sequencing and poor sense of time.If the backwards part is retained it inhibits the development on the postural reflexes, symmetrical tonic neck reflex and results in poor balance and co-ordination, organisation skills and stiff jerky movements.
Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR): Stimulates the balance mechanism and increases the connectivity between the left and right sides of the brain. If retained the child has difficulty crossing the midline and fails to establish a preferred hand, eye, leg and ear which will limit the child’s learning style, affecting academic performance. Functionally this affects handwriting, and can lead to poor execution of ideas and visual perceptual difficulties.
Symmetrical Tonic neck Reflex (STNR): The reflex that separate the shoulder area from the pelvic area, increasing spinal mobility and posture. When retained, this reflex affects posture, hand eye co-ordination and swimming skills. It results in ‘slumping’ when sitting at a desk, ape like walking, ‘clumsy child’ syndrome, difficulties with binocular vision, slowness when copying and messy eating habits.
Other important Reflexes:
Spinal Gallant Reflex : This reflex facilitates the birth of a baby and is important in the development of posture, walking style and mobility. If retained it can also affect toileting, concentration and working memory.
Head Righting Reflex: This reflex is critical for balance, control of eye movement and is seen with poor visual tracking.
Amphibian Reflex: Essential for crawling walking and running. If retained then it is suggestive of a delay in the inhibition of the ATNR reflex. This reflex works with the other postural reflexes to form bilateral co-ordination.
Vestibular Reflex: Works with the Head Righting Reflex to develop dynamic and static balance reactions.
