A Reflex Review
Defensive Reflexes:
Fear Paralysis (FP): Fear paralysis, known as the withdrawal reflex, involves an automatic shutdown, or freeze, when stressors in both the internal or external environment are detected. Immaturities may lead to challenges with latching while breastfeeding, reflux, separation anxiety, school refusal, social anxiety, shyness, panic attacks, sensitivity to food textures, eating disorders and perfectionism.
Moro: The Moro reflex, which is divided into the ‘fling’ and the ‘cling’ movements, leads us to develop self-regulation and a feeling of safety while navigating our environment. Immaturities may lead someone to have challenges with sensory processing, be easily distracted or overstimulated, have uncontrollable emotional outbursts, be easily distracted or overstimulated by environmental input, experience difficulty falling or staying asleep, and have physical issues related to digestion and motion sickness.
Grasping Reflexes:
Root and Suck: These complimentary reflexes play an important role in seeking of both nourishment and a safe, calm attachment. Immaturities may cause oral fixations like overeating, vaping, chewing objects like pens and thumb sucking. Speech and articulation issues like stuttering may also occur. Challenges with same age peer relationships due to lacking understanding of negotiation.
Infant Plantar: This reflex teaches the toes to flex and curl, allowing the development of more complex gross motor movement. If immature, the reflex may result in toe-walking, stiff shins or legs, as well as challenges with crawling that ultimately impact balance in walking and running.
Palmar Grasp: In terms of evolution, this reflex helps mammals learn to cling to their mother early in life, and for humans, we see this grasping reflex closely aligned to a sense of safety. Immaturities may cause pain or difficulty executing fine motor tasks like writing, as well as feelings of insecurity or awkward behavior in social interactions. Often, unpredictable events and changes in routine are harder to navigate.
Releasing Reflexes:
Babkin: As an important step in bonding, Babkin lays the groundwork for feelings of trust and healthy attachment in future relationships. An immature reflex may show up in tongue thrusting when writing or in moments of concentration, excessive drooling, oral fixations, as well as attachment issues that manifest in clinginess or hoarding behavior.
Babinski: While this reflex is often associated with postural stability from the feet, the fascial chain that connects our musculature from the toes to the tongue underscores how both gross motor abilities and speech are influenced at once. Delayed development of the reflex results in poor balance and motor planning, as well as a tendency to trip or fall. Speech and articulation issues may also emerge with an immature reflex.
Whole Body Reflexes:
TLR: This reflex helps to develop appropriate muscle tone with the flexor and extensor muscles throughout the body. It helps to establish the vestibular system necessary for balance and coordination. Immaturities may show in low muscle tone, a stiff or weakened neck, hunched posture and difficulty executing prolonged physical activity. It may also show as dominant extensor muscles, toe-walking or navigation in stiff, jerky movements. Related to the visual and vestibular system input, struggles with depth perception, fear of heights and motion sickness may result.
Spinal Galant: This reflex supports our ability to laterally flex our spine, and since the spine is a primitive sound conductor, auditory development is impacted with the emergence of this reflex. Immaturities may result in low muscle tone, scoliosis, back problems and postural issues, restlessness and trouble focusing. Related to the location of this reflex along the lumbar spine, auditory processing may be impacted, as well as challenges with bladder control like bedwetting and incontinence.
ATNR: The emergence of this reflex supports a sense of balance through the midline and an understanding of the distinct right and left hemispheres of the body. An immature reflex impacts balance, posture and coordination, particularly with difficulty in cross-lateral tasks like tying shoes. Visual tracking may be difficult and impact reading and writing, and the vestibular system may be impacted, especially with motion sickness with spinning movements.
Landau: This transitional reflex supports coordination between upper and lower body, strengthens muscle tone and reinforces the symbolic ability to take initiative, retain memory and focus. Immaturities result in difficulty with movements that require full body coordination like swimming, poor posture, as well as hesitancy in social interactions and challenges with self-initiative. Prefrontal cortex-fueled executive functions may suffer, including challenges with focus and memory.
STNR: STNR is the reflex that allows the body to get into a four-point position in preparation for crawling. An immature reflex may result in an infant skipping over the crawling stage. Poor postural stability, slumping and weak muscle tone may result. Near and far point visual processing challenges, that impact reading and writing, as well as challenges with hand-eye coordination may emerge.
Amphibian: This lifelong postural reflex emerges once several earlier reflexes are established and we gain an understanding of the independence of our upper and lower body movement with efficiency and coordination. Immaturities may manifest as clumsiness, muscle pain, stiff labored gait patterns and challenges in gross motor movement like running, jumping and coordinated athletic activities.
