Reflexes

Question 1

Rooting Reflex

Answer 1

Onset age: 28 wks gestation
Integration age: 3 months
Stimulus: Stroke the corner of the mouth, upper lip, and lower lip.
Response: Movement of the tongue, mouth, and/or head towards stimulus.
Relevance: Allows searching for and locating feeding source.

Question 2

Traction Reflex

Answer 2

Onset age: 28 wks gestation
Integration age: 2-5 months
Stimulus: Grasp infant’s forearms and pull-to-sit.
Response: Complete flexion of UE.
Relevance: Enhances momentary reflexive grasp.

Question 3

Moro Reflex

Answer 3

Onset: 28 wks gestation
Integration age: 4-6 months
Stimulus: Rapidly drop infant’s head backwards.
Response: First, arm extension/abduction, hand opening, then arm flexion and adduction.
Relevance: Facilitates ability to depart from dominant flexor posture. Protective response.

Question 4

Plantar Grasp Reflex

Answer 4

Onset age: 28 wks gestation
Integration age: 9 months
Stimulus: Apply pressure with thumb on the infant’s ball of the foot.
Response: Toe flexion.
Relevance: Increases tactile input to sole of foot.

Question 5

Galant Reflex

Answer 5

Onset age: 32 wks gestation
Integration age: 2 months
Stimulus: Hold infant in prone suspension, gently scratch or tap alongside the spine with finger, from shoulder to buttocks.
Response: Lateral trunk flexion and wrinkling of the skin on the stimulated side.
Relevance: Facilitates lateral trunk movements necessary for trunk stabilization.

Question 6

Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex

Answer 6

Onset age: 37 wks gestation
Integration age: 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.

Question 7

Palmar Grasp Reflex

Answer 7

Onset age: 37 wks gestation
Integration age: 4-6 months
Stimulus: Place examiner’s finger in child’s palm.
Response: Finger flexion; reflexive grasp.
Relevance: Increases tactile input on the palm of hand.

Question 8

Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex- Supine

Answer 8

Onset age: >37 wks gestation
Integration age: 6 months
Stimulus: Place infant in supine.
Response: Increased extensor tone.
Relevance: Facilitates total-body extensor tone.

Question 9

Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex- Prone

Answer 9

Onset age: >37 wks gestation
Integration age: 6 months
Stimulus: Place infant in prone.
Response: Increased flexor tone.
Relevance: Facilitates total-body flexor tone.

Question 10

Labyrinthine/Optical (head) Righting Reflex

Answer 10

Onset age: birth-2 months
Integration: Persists
Stimulus: Hold infant suspended vertically and tilt slowly (about 45 degrees) to the side, forward, or backward.
Response: Upright positioning of the head.
Relevance: Orients head in space; maintains face vertical.

Question 11

Landau Reflex

Answer 11

Onset age: 3-4 months
Integration age: 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.

Question 12

Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex

Answer 12

Onset age: 4-6 months
Integration age: 8-12 months
Stimulus: Place infant in crawling position and extend head.
Response: Flexion of hips and knees.
Relevance: Breaks up total extensor posture; facilitates static quadruped position.

Question 13

Neck Righting (NOB) Reflex

Answer 13

Onset age: 4-6 months
Integration age: 5 years
Stimulus; Place infant in supine and fully turn head to one side.
Response: Log rolling of the entire body to maintain alignment with head.
Relevance: Maintains head/body alignment; initiates rolling (first ambulation effort).

Question 14

Body Righting (BOB) Reflex

Answer 14

Onset age: 4-6 months
Integration age: 5 years
Stimulus: Place infant in supine, flex one hip and knee towards the chest and hold briefly.
Response: Segmental log rolling of the upper trunk to maintain alignment.
Relevance: Facilitates trunk/spinal rotation

Question 15

Downward Parachute (protective extension downward)

Answer 15

Onset age: 4 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: Rapidly lower infant towards supporting surface while suspended vertically.
Response: Extension of the lower extremities.
Relevance: Allows accurate placement of lower extremities in anticipation of a surface.

Question 16

Forward Parachute (protective extension forward)

Answer 16

Onset age: 6-9 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: Suddenly tip infant forward toward supporting surface while vertically suspended
Response: Sudden ext of the BUE, hand opening, and neck ext.
Relevance: Allows accurate placement of upper extremities in anticipation of supporting surface to prevent a fall.

Question 17

Sideward parachute (protective ext sideward)

Answer 17

Onset age: 7 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: quickly but firmly tip infant off-balance to the side while in the sitting position.
Response: Arm ext and abd to the side.
Relevance: Protects body to prevent a fall; supports body for unilateral use of opposite arm.

Question 18

Backward parachute (protective extension backward)

Answer 18

Onset age: 9-10 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: quickly/firmly tip infant off balance backwards
Response: backward arm Extension or arm ext to one side.
Relevance: protects body to prevent fall; unilaterally facilitates spinal rotation.

Question 19

Prone tilting

Answer 19

Onset age: 5 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: alter positioning infant in prone, slowly raise one side of the supporting surface
Response: curving of the spine toward the raised side (opposite to the pull of gravity); abd/ext of arms and legs
Relevance: maintain equilibrium without arm support; facilitate postural adjustments in all positions.

Question 20

Supine tilting and sitting tilting

Answer 20

Onset age: 7-8 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: after positioning infant in supine or sitting, slowly raise one side of the supporting surface
Response: curving of the spine toward the raised side (opposite to the pull of gravity); abd/ext of arms and legs.
Relevance: maintain equilibrium without arm support; facilitate postural adjustments in all positions.

Question 21

quadruped tilting

Answer 21

Onset age: 9-12 months
Integration age: 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 to the pull of gravity); abd/ext of arms and legs.
Relevance: maintain equilibrium without arm support; facilitate postural adjustments in all positions.

Question 22

Standing tilting

Answer 22

Onset age: 12-21 months
Integration age: 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 to the pull of gravity); abd/ext of arms and legs.
Relevance: maintain equilibrium without arm support; facilitate postural adjustments in all positions.