Let’s have a look at information about the ‘Primary Reflexes’ (also called Primitive or Early Reflexes) as accepted by current neurological research.
The Moro reflex:
-appears at 9 weeks in utero
-is usually inhibited between 2 and 4 months of life
-is the ‘fight or flight’ reaction to stress
-becomes the adult ‘startle response’
-when not inhibited, makes the the person present with mood swings, excessive reaction to stimuli, sleep disorders, anxiety, difficulty accepting criticism, difficulty making decisions, need to control/manipulate events …/…
The Palmar reflex of the hand:
-appears at 11 weeks in utero
-is usually inhibited around 2 to 3 months of life
-is the infant ‘grasp’ reflex
-transforms into the ‘pincer grip’ (around 9 months of age)
-if retained, will lead to difficulties with handwriting, speech and articulation …/…
The Plantar reflex of the foot:
-is similar in gesture to the Palmar hand reflex
-is another ‘grasp’ reflex
-assists the birth process and is reinforced by it
-when retained will affect creeping and crawling, balance, crossing the mid-line, laterality, visual-perceptual ability (eye-hand coordination), handwriting and written expression …/…
The Asymmetrical Tonic Neck reflex (ATNR)*:
-appears at 18 weeks in utero
-is usually inhibited around 6 to 9 months of life
-when retained, affects balance, eyes focusing, eye-hand coordination, manipulation of objects with both hands together; it provokes mixed laterality, difficulty crossing mid-line, visual-perceptual difficulty (representation of symmetrical figures), poor ocular pursuit, poor short term memory, poor creative writing …/…
The Spinal Galant reflex:
-appears at 20 weeks in utero
-is usually inhibited around 6 to 9 months of life
-when retained, brings in bed wetting (or constant need to go to the toilet), fidgeting, poor concentration, poor short term memory, hip rotation when walking (knees knocking together, feet turning inward) …/…
The Rooting reflex:
-appears at 24 to 28 weeks in utero
-is usually inhibited by 3 to 4 months of life
-when retained, may affect feeding (swallowing, chewing), articulation and manual dexterity, and more ...
The forwards Tonic Labyrinthine reflex (TLR)*:
-appears early in utero (as early as 4 weeks sometimes)
-is usually inhibited around 4 months of life
-is linked to the Moro as both are ‘vestibular’ in origin
-when retained, provokes spatial problems, motion sickness, poor posture at desk/table, visual perceptual difficulties (perception of depth…), poor sequencing skills and a poor sense of time.
The backwards Tonic Labyrinthine reflex (TLR)*:
-appears at birth
-is inhibited gradually from 6 weeks to 3 years of life
-when retained can result in poor balance and coordination, poor organisational skills, poor spatial awareness.
The following reflexes are called ‘bridging’ reflexes – as they appear after birth but like the Primary reflexes, also must be inhibited to allow the postural (adult) reflexes to take place.
The Landau reflex:
-appears from 3 to 10 weeks of life
-is inhibited by 3 ½ years of life
-when retained, confirms the presence of non-inhibited Primary reflexes (especially TLR), and generally provokes lack of mastery over body movements (flexing muscles), shows lack of stamina, easy fatigue, difficulty in eyes convergence.
The Symmetrical Tonic Neck reflex (STNR)* (extension and flexion):
-appears between 6 and 9 months of life
-is inhibited between 9 and 11 months of life
-when retained, affects posture, eye-hand coordination, provokes left-right confusion, reading and writing delays, eyes close-far adjustment.
* ATNR, TLR and STNR
•These 3 reflexes obey the movements of the head.
•They are interdependent as they can only be inhibited in their order of appearance.
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