Infant Reflexes Flashcards
Rooting
Onset: 28 wks gestation
Integration: 3 months
Stimulus: Stroke the corner of the mouth, upper lip, and lower lip
Response: Movement of the tongue, mouth, and/or head toward stimulus
Relevance: allows searching for and locating feeding source
Suck-Swallow
Onset: 28 weeks gestation
Integration: 2-5 months
Stimulus: index finger inside infant’s mouth (head in midline)
Response: strong, rhythmic sucking
Relevance: allows ingestion of nourishment
Traction
Onset: 28 weeks gestation
Integration: 2-5 months
Stimulus: grasp infant’s forearms and pull to sit
Response: complete flexion of UEs
Relevance: enhances momentary reflexive grasp
Moro
Onset: 28 weeks gestation
Integration: 4-6 months
Stimulus: rapidly drop infant’s head backwards
Response: (1) arm extension/abduction, hand opening
(2) arm flexion and adduction
Relevance: protective response (ability to depart from flexor posture)
Plantar grasp
Onset: 28 weeks gestation
Integration: 9 months
Stimulus: apply pressure on infant’s ball of the foot
Response: toe flexion
Relevance: increases tactile input to sole of foot
Galant
Onset: 32 weeks gestation
Integration: 2 months
Stimulus: hold infant in prone suspension, gently scratch or tap along spine with finger, from shoulders to butt
Response: lateral trunk flexion and wrinkling of the skin on the stimulated side
Relevance: facilitates lateral trunk movements necessary for trunk stabilization
Asymmetric Tonic Neck
Onset: 37 weeks gestation
Integration: 4-6 months
Stimulus: fully rotate infant’s head and hold for 5 seconds
Response: extension of extremities on the face side; flexion of extremities on the skull side
Relevance: promotes visual hand regard
Palmar Grasp
Onset: 37 weeks gestation
Integration: 4-6 months
Stimulus: Place finger in infant’s palm
Response: Finger flexion; reflexive grasp
Relevance: increases tactile input on palm of hand
Tonic: Labyrinthine-Supine
Onset: > 37 weeks gestation Integration: 6 months Stimulus: place infant in supine Response: increased extensor tone Relevance: facilitates total body extensor tone
Tonic: Labyrinthine-Prone
Onset: > 37 weeks gestation Integration: 6 months Stimulus: place infant in prone Response: increased flexor tone Relevance: facilitates total body flexor tone
Labyrinthine/Optical (head) Righting
Onset: birth - 2 months
Integration: persists
Stimulus: hold infant suspended vertically and tilt slowly (about 45 degrees) to the side, forward or backward
Response: upright head positioning
Relevance: orients head in space; maintains face vertical
Landau
Onset: 3-4 months
Integration: 12-24 months
Stimulus: hold infant in horizontal prone suspension
Response: complete extension of head, trunk, and extremities
Relevance: breaks up flexor dominance; facilitates prone extension
Symmetric tonic neck
Onset: 4-6 months
Integration: 8-12 months
Stimulus: place infant in the crawling position and extend head
Response: flexion of hips and knees
Relevance: breaks up total extensor posture; facilitates static quadruped position
Body Righting (on body) (BOB)
Onset: 4-6 months
Integration: 5 years
Stimulus: place infant in supine, flex one hip and toward chest and hold briefly
Response: Segmental rolling of the upper trunk to maintain alignment
Relevance: facilitates trunk/spinal rotation
Neck Righting (NOB)
Onset: 4-6 months
Integration: 5 years
Stimulus: place infant in supine and fully turn head to one side
Response: log rolling of entire body to maintain alignment with the head
Relevance: maintains head/body alignment; initiates rolling (first ambulation effort)
Downward Parachute (protective extension downward)
Onset: 4 months
Integration: Persists
Stimulus: rapidly lower infant toward supporting surface while suspended vertically
Response: extension of the lower extremities
Relevance: allows accurate placement of LE’s in anticipation of a surface
Forward Parachute (protective extension forward)
Onset: 6-9 months
Integration: Persists
Stimulus: suddenly tip the infant forward toward supporting surface while vertically suspended
Response: sudden extension of the UEs, hand opening and neck extension
Relevance: allows accurate placement of the UEs in anticipation of supporting surface to prevent a fall
Sideward Parachute (protective extension sideward)
Onset: 7 months
Integration: persists
Stimulus: quickly but firmly tip infant off-balance to the side while in the sitting position
Response: arm extension and abduction to the side
Relevance: protects body to prevent a fall; supports body for unilateral use of opposite arm
Backward Parachute (protective extension backward)
Onset: 9-10 months
Integration: persists
Stimulus: quickly but firmly tip infant off-balance backward
Response: backward arm extension or arm extension to one side spinal rotation
Relevance: protects body to prevent a fall; unilaterally facilitates
Prone Tilting
Onset: 5 months
Integration: Persists
Stimulus: after positioning infant in prone, slowly raise one side of the supporting surface
Response: curving of the spine toward the raised side (opposite of the pull of gravity); abduction/extension of arms and legs
Relevance: maintain equilibrium without arm support; facilitate postural adjustments in all positions
Supine Tilting and Sitting Tilting
Onset: 7-8 months
Integration: Persists
Stimulus: after positioning infant is sitting or supine, slowly raise one side of the supporting surface
Response: curving of the spine toward the raised side (opposite the pull of gravity); abduction/extension of arms and legs
Relevance: maintain equilibrium without arm support; facilitate postural adjustments in all positions
Quadruped Tilting
Onset: 9-12 months
Integration: Persists
Stimulus: after positioning infant on all fours, slowly raise one side of the supporting surface
Response: curving of the spine toward the raised side (opposite the pull of gravity); abduction/extension of arms and legs
Relevance: maintain equilibrium without arm support;facilitate postural adjustments in all positions
Standing Tilting
Onset: 12-21 months
Integration: Persists
Stimulus: after positioning infant in standing, slowly raise one side of the supporting surface
Response: curving of the spine toward the raised side (opposite the pull of gravity); abduction/extension of arms and legs
Relevance: maintain equilibrium without arm support;facilitate postural adjustments in all positions
