Question

What functional deficits might a child experience when the following reflexes are not integrated:

ATNR-

STNR-

Moro-

Spinal Galant-

Describe how you would test each of these reflexes for retention:

ATNR-

STNR-

Moro-

Spinal Galant-

Describe an exercise/activity you would recommend to promote integration of each of these reflexes:

ATNR-

STNR-

Moro-

Spinal Galant-

Answer 1

1. Primitive reflexes are the first part of the brain to develop and should only remain active for the first few months of life. In typical development, these reflexes naturally inhibit in sequential order during the first year, and replacement reflexes, called postural reflexes.

• Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) integration allows children to get up from the floor and begin crawling. If the STNR is not sufficiently integrated, the child will move around by sliding on their bottom or just sitting until they learn to walk. Children who never crawled on all fours usually have an active STNR.The STNR is crucial for developing vision skills, a sense of balance, and eye-hand coordination.
• The Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) affects reading and writing skills and the ability to cross the body's midline.
• The disintegration of STNR and ATNR leads to Poor body posture and problems keeping the back straight,Poor upper arm strength,Sitting in a W-position or wrapping legs around the legs of a chair, When reading or writing, the child ends up lying over the book, supporting the head with the hand, Lack/absence of crawling etc.
• Moro Reflex , sometimes called the infant-startle reflex, is an automatic reaction to a sudden change in sensory stimuli: sudden bright light, loud noise, touch, change in body position, temperature, etc. can trigger the Moro Reflex.
• The Spinal Galant reflex causes babies to curve their hip outward if the lower back is stroked next to the spine. Its purpose is to encourage movement and develop range of motion in the hip in preparation for walking and crawling. In the absence of integration of this reflex, the child may have problems such as bed-wetting, fidgeting and the inability to sit still, short-term memory loss or an inability to concentrate.

Failure of integration of all these reflex indicate that the child is having serious brain development issues.

2. MORO REFLEX

This can be elicited by slapping the pillow on both sides of the infant's head. Other methods have been used since then, including rapidly lowering the infant (while supported) to a sudden stop and pinching the skin of the abdomen. The most common method is the head drop, where the infant is supported in both hands and tilted suddenly so the head is a few centimeters lower than the level of the body.

ATNR REFLEX

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 flex.

STNR REFLEX

The symmetrical tonic neck reflex can be tested by placing the child in quadruped position on the floor and passively flexing the head forward and then extend it backwards. The expected response would be forward head flexion producing flexion of the upper extremities and extension of the lower extremities while extension of the head will produce extension of the upper extremities and flexion of the lower extremities.

SPINAL GALANT REFLEX

It is elicited by holding the newborn in ventral suspension (face down) and stroking along the one side of the spine. The normal reaction is for the newborn to laterally flex toward the stimulated side.

Describe an exercise/activity you would recommend to promote integration of each of these reflexes

ATNR and STNR Reflex  can be achieved through activities over a roller or leaning over the edge of the bed, requiring the child to support their body weight with their arms while working. Playing on all fours or crawling on the floor while looking at surrounding stimuli is also a good way to integrate the ATNR and STNR.

Spinal Galant Reflex: (Snow Angels) Ask the  child lie face-up on a flat surface with legs extended and arms at the sides. Have him/her breathe in and simultaneously spread legs outward and raise arms out along the floor and overhead, with the hands touching.