The grasping reflex in newborns is a phylogenetically ancient mechanism. As soon as a child learns to hold objects in his hands, he will immediately find himself in an amazing universe of childhood.
When the grasping reflex in newborns becomes conscious, this will indicate that very soon the child will be able to eat food on his own.
general information
The grasp reflex in newborns is an innate mechanism. At the twelfth month, it transforms into a conscious action, and the baby's movements become more meaningful and coordinated.
Starting from about the third month of life, the grasping reflex becomes more and more intense. With each month of life, the success of the baby becomes more significant.
Stages of development
There are four main stages of development grasping reflex in newborns:
- Zero-two months.
- Three months.
- Four to eight months.
- Nine to twelve months.
First stage
The grasping reflex in newborns at the first stage is expressed very simply. As soon as the parent or doctor presses the baby's palm, he immediately closes it around the adult's finger. At this stage, this movement is still unconscious.
For a long time, the child's hands will be clenched into fists, but a little later, the baby, eager to explore new world, will decompress and compress them.
In some cases, already at this stage, the child is trying to grab what is in his field of vision.
Second phase
At the second stage, when the child reaches three months, he is not yet fully aware of what exactly he needs. Nevertheless, he shows animation when the first toys fall into his field of vision. In an effort to take possession of the object that attracted his attention, the baby develops not only the coordination of the upper limbs, but also the organs of vision. At this stage, parents are encouraged to hang some interesting toy over the baby's crib. Also, with a three-month-old baby, you can already play simple games with covering your face.
Third stage
At this stage, the baby learns to independently and well enough to hold toys and objects that have attracted his attention. Considering that, seeking to know this world, he will show attention to the most unexpected details, it is advisable to take care of its safety.
It is not bad to hold objects the child learns in the eighth month of life. But at this stage, he still lacks some dexterity.
Fourth stage
As soon as the baby approaches its first anniversary, the issue of the grasping reflex will be practically solved. The nine-month-old baby no longer experiences any problems with grasping objects with both his right and left hands.
At this age, the child does not see any fundamental difference between the right and left hands. It will be possible to determine the baby as right-handed or left-handed only when he crosses the two-year milestone.
At this stage, the baby's hands have gained strength and tenacity. Therefore, parents have to take away the “dangerous” object with some effort.
How to act?
The main task of parents is to stimulate the grasping reflex in the baby. To do this, you should play simple games with your child. For example, it is recommended to arrange the baby's favorite toy so that he can see it, but can only get it with a significant effort. 
As soon as the baby “knocks” a year, fine motor skills should be developed. To develop fingers, you can offer him a piece of plasticine, a bread crust, a piece of an apple or carrot. Thus, moms and dads kill two birds with one stone: it develops not only fine motor skills but also the baby's speech.
Information for thought
In children with developmental delay, a slow, weakened reaction is observed. In hyperactive and excitable babies, the reaction, on the contrary, is very pronounced.
If the reflex is present after the child is four months old, an NS lesion may be suspected.
A similar grasping reflex in newborns can also be evoked from the legs. This can happen with pressure. thumb hands on the pad of the lower limb. The response is considered to be the flexion of the fingers on the sole.
In the case of applying a dashed irritation to the sole with a finger, the foot is bent with back side, and the fingers fan-shaped diverge.
Weak reaction
It is important to remember that a weak grasping reflex in a newborn can appear almost from the very first day of his birth. But as soon as the child reaches two or three months of age, he confidently grabs for any object that adults offer them. If the grasping reflex in newborns is weak for a long time, then you should not rush to sound the alarm. It may be that the child just needs the help of an adult.
When there is no response
Some parents are faced with a lack of grasping reflex in newborns, which in most cases becomes a serious cause for panic. Instead of sounding the alarm and terrorizing doctors, you should try to develop the necessary reaction.
- show the baby a beautiful bright toy;
- hang it over his head;
- support the desire of the crumbs to get to the desired object.
Another reason for the lack of a grasp reflex in newborns is muscle tone. This problem can be solved with the help of special massage procedures. They can be performed independently or entrusted to the experienced hands of a qualified specialist.
Treatment will not last long. Combining massage with performing special exercises, you can quickly achieve a solution to a disturbing problem.
Need a doctor!
In some cases, there is an absolute absence of a grasping reflex in newborns. If, despite all the manipulations, the situation remains unchanged, you should consult a doctor.
In some cases, the doctor decides on drug therapy. Sometimes special procedures are assigned to the baby, with the help of which the baby can learn to control his own body and develop the skills necessary for a comfortable existence.
The recovery process will be quick and successful only if treatment is started in a timely manner.
After that, the child develops in accordance with age norms.
Finally
You should also consult a doctor if a nine-month-old baby has not learned to hold objects on his own.
Before going to the pediatrician, it is necessary to take into account the fact that premature babies do not develop in the same way as ordinary children. The stages of development of the necessary reaction in this case are somewhat displaced.
After giving birth, the newborn begins to undergo a process of adaptation to new conditions for him. To cope with a difficult task, the baby is helped by special skills that are divided into two types - conditional, unconditional. The first are given to the baby from birth, the second are acquired. The degree of development of reflexes in a newborn indicates the nature of its development and may indicate the presence of problems.
Babies have unconditioned reflexes from birth. They appear as a child's response to a specific stimulus. They are characterized by the appearance and disappearance in a certain period of development. Conditional or acquired reactions appear in a newborn as a result of experience in which changes occur in brain cells, observed physiological changes and psycho-emotional development takes place.
Types of reflexes in a baby
Up to 28 days, newborns have exclusively unconditioned types of reflexes that ensure the process of their adaptation to the world. In infants, about 15 varieties of unconditioned reactions are distinguished. According to some of them, at the time of birth, doctors assess the condition of the baby. The kid during this period does not know how to control his own body and movements, since the brain is not yet able to perform such functions.
The appearance of such reflexes and their gradual extinction has a certain regularity and a monthly schedule.
oral
Oral reflexes enable babies to provide themselves with food, they are responsible for the right process sucking. The group consists of several types, each of them has its own purpose.
Allocate:
- sucking;
- swallowing;
- proboscis;
- exploratory;
- Babkin.
Some of the abilities can already be observed in the fetus and visualized during ultrasound. For example, when examining a mother, one can see how the child puts his finger to his mouth and performs sucking movements. A similar ability is present in infants from birth, when, when a foreign object enters the oral cavity, he clasps it with his lips and tongue, and begins intensive sucking.
Some oral reactions disappear in babies by 3-4 months. Others are able to persist for 3 years, such as suckling.
spinal
Spinal reactions are involuntary movements of an infant made by the body, arms or legs in response to an external stimulus. This category includes:
- prehensile;
- protective;
- plantar;
- Babinsky and a number of others.
Such skills provide the baby with safety and protection.
Pozotonic
Postural types of reactions of infants are associated with the skills to hold the head, sitting posture and stand correctly. Thanks to these abilities, the baby has the ability to correctly distribute the various degrees of load on the muscle fibers, which occurs and depends on the nature of the body position.
How are they manifested and what are the characteristics
Most congenital reactions are observed in children under 1 year of age, after which they disappear. Most of them occur in the first months of life, disappearing by 4 months. The time of their extinction is different, which is due to the period that the baby needs to fully adapt to new conditions. Among them are those that contribute to the emergence of new skills or are observed throughout life.
proboscis
When you touch the baby's lips, they curl up and form a "proboscis" shape. Such a sucking reflex is associated with an automatic contraction of the circular muscle located in the oral cavity.
Search
The Kussmaul reflex is characteristic only of newborn children. When touching and lightly stroking the lips with a finger, the child actively tries to find maternal breast, which is expressed in the lowering of the lower sponge and the parallel movement of the tongue of the crumbs in the direction of finding the stimulus.
sucking
The most important of the reflexes of babies appears in the womb. It is expressed in the implementation by the infant of rhythmic sucking movements immediately after an object enters his mouth, which often acts as a nipple. By the severity of this ability, pediatricians assess the degree of maturity in premature babies.
Babkin palmar-oral reflex
Moderate finger pressure on the baby's palms causes the baby to open its mouth and move the head forward. Such a reflex is due to the desire of the newborn to seek food for himself.
Prehensile
The grasping reaction is expressed in the baby's ability to hold the object firmly. When a finger of an adult or other object enters the palm of the hand, the baby unconsciously squeezes the fingers of the palm. The grip can be so strong that the baby can be lifted.
Moro reflex
The reaction of the baby to the impact of the stimulus proceeds in two stages. First, the baby makes a spread of his arms to the sides, after which he opens his palms, performing a movement that imitates a hug. You can cause a similar reaction in a newborn in various ways:
- simultaneously slap on the plane of the surface on which the baby is located, approximately 15 cm from the baby;
- suddenly straighten the legs of a lying child;
- lift the lower part of the body by the outstretched legs.
A similar reaction is manifested in infants in the first months of life and disappears as they grow older.
Landau
The Landau reaction can be upper or lower, it appears in infants by 4 months. The first appears in the child when he lies on the surface. He rests on his hands, trying to raise his head and body. The lower Landau effect can be observed when the child is in the "swimmer" position. When lifting it and facing the floor, one can observe the arching of the back, raising the head and extension of the limbs.
kerning
In a child lying on his back, bending of the leg in the hip joint or knee is carried out. With a normal Kerning reaction, it will not be possible to immediately straighten the baby's limb.
Babinsky
The reaction is manifested by slight movement and contact of the finger with the outer edge of the sole of the feet in the direction from the foot to the heel.
The kid will react with a fan opening of the toes, bending all the joints on the back of the foot.
Support reflex
When the infant is in a vertical position and the surface of the foot comes into contact with the support, the lower extremities are straightened and the standing posture is imitated with the support of an adult. The reaction is typical for infants of the first year, when they reach the age of 8-12 months, children begin to stand on a flat surface on their own.
Automatic walking reflex
The response is also known as the stepping response, which highlights the infant's main response. If you provide the baby with the contact of the feet with the surface and slightly tilt his body forward, then you can observe an imitation of walking. This stepping over of the legs is called the effect of stepping.
Some children at the same time make a kind of crossing at the level of the lower leg. This situation is normal and is associated with increased tone of the thigh muscles in babies aged 1.5 months.
Bauer
The crawling reflex appears in babies immediately after birth. The child in the position lying on his stomach, when he feels the touch of the palms on the soles of his feet, begins to push off, using the hands of an adult as a support. In some cases, the child is able to move forward a little, so even the smallest children should not be left unattended.
Galanta
With a dashed finger along the spine, the baby bends in the form of an arc, and the head turns in the direction of the irritating effect. It is also considered normal to abduct the legs to the side.
Perez
The reaction is manifested when pressed with a slight movement over the spinous process of the spine. At the same time, the child unbends the body, flexes the limbs and begins to cry. In connection with the negative coloring of the emotions of the baby, checking the functioning of the nervous system using this method is resorted to only as a last resort.
Robinson
This name can be found when it comes to the grasping reflex. When an object hits the area of the baby's palm, the baby immediately clings to it. Even in the first month of life, a child can grasp the diaper so strongly that it can be quite difficult to open the fists. As they grow older, this reaction becomes less pronounced, and as a result, conscious retentions come to replace it.
Emetic
Newborn babies do not have the ability to swallow properly. When the baby chokes, the gag reflex automatically occurs, while the baby unconsciously sticks out his tongue, which causes a defensive reaction.
Protective
The ability to protect oneself healthy child appears from the first hours of life. The baby laid on his stomach immediately makes a reflex turn of his head, which helps him avoid blocking the supply of oxygen.
Swallowing
When an object enters the baby's mouth, he makes a swallowing movement. This reflex helps the child learn to coordinate their movements. The baby every day acquires the skill of breathing and swallowing. While he is learning to adapt to new conditions, you can observe that he rhythmically inhales and exhales slowly, trying to swallow food between these when feeding.
Spontaneous
The spontaneous reflex is called the Moro or startle reaction. It is observed with an unexpected impact on the surface on both sides of the baby lying on the surface. In response to it, the limbs of the child open and immediately close, producing a “hug” movement.
Table of onset and extinction of reflexes
Assessment of the child's health status, the work of his nervous system is carried out on the basis of the presence and severity of various conditional and unconditional reactions. The absence of some of them may indicate violations prenatal development or birth trauma. Most of them appear immediately after birth. Some are observed after a few days of life. For example, the Bauer reaction appears on the 3-4th day, Galant on the 5-6th day. Until what age the reflexes should disappear can be seen in the table.
| Reflex | Time of disappearance, month |
| sucking | 3-4 |
| Protective | Up to 1.5 |
| Prehensile | 3-6 |
| supports | 1-2 |
| stepper | 1-2 |
| Search | 3-4 |
| proboscis | 2-3 |
| Babkina | 2-3 |
| Bauer | 4 |
| Moreau | 4 |
| Babinsky | Up to 2 years |
| Galanta | 3-4 |
| Perez | 3-4 |
Features of the development of reflexes in premature babies
By the nature of congenital automatisms, the presence of reflexes and their vivacity after birth, the state of the nervous system of children is assessed. In premature babies, a significant part of the innate abilities are absent, since the process of brain maturation has not been completed to the end. The earliest manifested oral reactions are present in them, but not all receptors are affected. Toddlers have a unique potential, therefore they are able to recover and catch up with their peers in development in a short time.
How to independently check the presence of reflexes in a child
To independently check the presence of a reflex in a child, it is enough to repeat the actions that cause a similar reaction. Don't get upset if you don't desired result. Perhaps the baby is tired, or the time for the test was chosen poorly. For example, the lack of a sucking reflex may be due to the fact that the baby is simply not hungry.
It is necessary to check the baby's reactions to stimuli in a warm room, while he must be dry and not feel hungry. Touching the baby should be gentle, in otherwise reflexes can be extinguished in response to discomfort.
Causes and signs of weak development of reflexes
It is desirable to study information about what reflexes a newborn should have; in some cases, they may not appear sufficiently.
The reasons for this situation may be the following circumstances:
- received birth injuries;
- dysfunction of the nervous system;
- premature birth of a child;
- spinal pathology;
- previous asphyxia.
A sign of weakening is the lack of expression or one-sided manifestation of symmetrical reflexes. In some cases, the baby is not ready to respond to the stimulus, for example, if the child does not have a desire to eat, the sucking reflex will not be pronounced.
Symptoms
When anomalies in the development of a child are detected, several parameters of the manifestation of the reflex are analyzed. The following points are to be assessed:
- expressiveness;
- symmetry;
- uniformity of manifestation on each side for symmetrical reactions;
- the speed of receiving a response;
- manifestation duration.
In this case, the final verdict must be made by the doctor.
Complete absence
The complete absence of a reflex, especially spinal, is a bad sign. The absence of an "automatic step" is observed with paresis, a decrease in muscle tone and cerebral palsy.
Underdevelopment
When examining a baby, the doctor analyzes the symmetry of some reflexes. For example, if a grasping reaction is observed in a baby with only one hand, then this may signal a possible cerebral palsy, cerebral hemorrhages, or paresis. If, when checking the Moro reflex, the child holds the dilution of the hands with only one limb, then this may indicate problems with the clavicle or paresis.
Treatment
Classification and methodology for studying reflexes in newborns involves an analysis of the overall clinical picture.
In the complete absence
The complete absence of reflexes is often the result of birth trauma or intrauterine anomalies. In this case, the content of therapy is determined on an individual basis and depends on the reasons for the lack of reactions and the nature of the pathologies. In most cases, treatment requires inpatient observation and long-term therapy.
With partial malformation
With partial unformed reflexes, the observation of specialized specialists is assigned. Often this situation is observed in children with a syndrome of depression of the nervous system. They have low muscle tone and motor activity. In severe cases, there are problems in the area of sucking movements, so these babies are fed through a tube. Such newborns should not be left in a supine position on the stomach, which is associated with a lack of expression of the protective reflex. Treatment of infants with partial unformed reflexes involves drug therapy, massages and physiotherapy.
Forecasts
The child's body has large reserves that help it recover even in the most difficult situations. With insufficient development of reflexes, a good result is shown by an integrated approach that involves the appointment of pharmacological preparations, massages and special physiotherapy. At the same time, regularity and constant monitoring of narrow specialist with the implementation of the recommendations.
When a child is born, his nervous system is not yet formed. Nevertheless, for adaptation in the “new world”, the baby already has some skills - the reflexes of a newborn (a response to an irritant from the external or internal environment of the body). Consider what a newborn already knows and how to correctly check the basic automatisms.
A reflex is a response of a living organism that takes place with the participation of the central nervous system (central nervous system) to any effect.
Depending on the type of formation or biological significance, the reflexes of newborns and infants are divided into groups.
By type of education
Given the type of education, all types of reflexes are divided into:
- unconditional (congenital) - with which a child is already born;
- conditional (acquired) - personal experience child.
By anatomical location
Different parts of the nervous system are responsible for the functioning of reflexes. Depending on which part of the NS provides the reaction, the reflexes are divided into 2 groups:
- Motor segmental (provided by the spinal cord and brain stem);
- Suprasegmental postural (provided by the centers of the medulla oblongata and midbrain).
According to biological significance
Depending on the purpose, congenital reflex reactions are divided into 4 classes:
- ensuring the work of the main body systems (respiration, digestion, excretory system);
- protective (squinting eyes, coughing);
- indicative (reaction to a new stimulus);
- atavistic (hereditary which disappear within 2-4 months).
Basic reflexes of a newborn: table by month
In total, 13 of the most important reflexes of the baby are distinguished. Let's bring them brief description in the table.
| Name of the reflex | How to cause / How it manifests itself | When it fades |
|---|---|---|
| Moreau | With a sharp rise or fall of the baby, the arms half-bent at the elbows spread out to the sides, and the fingers spread apart; after - the hands return to their original position, and the fingers are clenched into fists. | After 4 months |
| Asymmetric cervico-tonic (Magnus-Klein) | With a sharp turn of the head, lying on the back of a child, an arm and a leg are extended in the direction of the turned head; the opposite limbs are bent into a "swordsman's pose". | After 4 months |
| Walking | When holding the child vertically (resting the feet on a hard surface), moving the torso slightly forward, you can notice something similar to steps. | After 2-3 months |
| supports | When holding the child vertically, touching the edge of the table with the soles of the feet, the baby will try to stand on it. | After 2 months |
| Grasping (hands) | When touching the palm with a finger, the baby squeezes it tightly, and when trying to pick it up, it squeezes even more. | After 5 months |
| Babkina | With pressure on the palm and forearm of any of the hands, the child opens his mouth, closes his eyes and turns his head towards the stimulus. | After 4 months |
| Grasping (feet) | When you press the front of the sole, the child experiences tonic (providing muscle tone) flexion of the toes. | After 9 months |
| Babinsky's symptom | When stroking the foot from heel to toe, you can notice the dorsiflexion thumb foot and plantar flexion of all other fingers. | After 6 months |
| breast search | When a finger touches the baby's cheek, he will turn his head towards the irritant and open his mouth, as if looking for a nipple. | After 3-4 months |
| sucking | When you put your finger in the child's mouth, he will make sucking movements. | After 12 months |
| Swimming | When the baby is placed belly down in the water, he will try to make coordinated swimming movements. | After 6 months |
| Swallowing | When food enters the mouth, it provides the possibility of swallowing. | Doesn't work |
| Pupillary | In bright light or falling asleep, the child's pupils constrict, and when waking up or in the dark, they dilate. | Doesn't work |
Spinal motor automatisms
Provided by the spinal cord. They create a “library” of elementary posture and movement programs, which then develop into intentional movements. Consider the main ones:
Protective
Try to put the newborn on his stomach, he will immediately turn his head ( this reaction manifests itself from the first hours of life).
Important!
In children with deviations, the reflex may be absent, you need to immediately help the baby so that he does not suffocate.
Supports and automatic walking
If you take the baby under the armpits (do not forget to insure the head at the same time), he will put his legs next to him and will try to walk.
Crawls (Bauer)
If you put your hand on the feet of a newborn, he will reflexively start to push off, making crawling movements - spontaneous crawling (this reaction disappears up to 4 months).
Prehensile
When pressing on the palm, the newborn clasps his fingers (manifested from birth). From the third month of life, this mechanism becomes more and more intense and grows.
Stages of development:
- From birth to 2 months (when the baby squeezes the fingers of the parents. Most of the time the hands are clenched into fists);
- Three months (the child tries to grab the toys of interest to him);
- From four to eight months (the little one has already learned to hold objects tightly enough);
- Ninth - twelfth month (successful grasping of objects with both right and left hands).
Robinson
When pressing on the palm, the baby grabs his fingers so tightly that he can be safely lifted up (automatism is manifested when checking the newborn's grasping reflex).
Galanta
If you run your finger along the baby's spine, it begins to bend, forming an arc (the corresponding leg unbends at the joint).
Perez
We draw the index finger along the baby's spine. There is a delay in breathing, followed by a cry. All muscles come in tone, the pelvis, arms, legs rise.
Moreau
talking in simple words, is a response to fear. It manifests itself with cotton or a blow 15 cm from the head. At the same time, the arms and legs are scattered, and then they return back to their original position.
Important!
This automatism is checked by a doctor, parents should not do this too often, since it is highly undesirable to cause fear.
Kernig
In a child lying on his back, one leg is bent at the knee and hip joints, but they cannot be straightened (normal reaction). The reflex disappears after 3-4 months.
Oral segmental automatisms
Oral segmental automatisms carry several concepts.
sucking
Putting a pacifier or finger in your mouth, you can notice active sucking movements.
Search (Kussmaul)
If you stroke the face in the mouth area without touching the lips, then the lip drops, the tongue deviates and the head turns towards the stimulus (this automatism is present up to 3-4 months).
proboscis
Tapping a finger on the lips, they are pulled out with a proboscis (there is up to two months of life).
Palmar-oral (Babkina)
By pressing the pad of the thumb, the mouth opens and the head bends (manifests up to 3 months).
Suprasegmental postural tonic automatisms
Suprasegmental postural reflexes include:
Asymmetric cervical tonic Magnus-Klein reflex
If you turn the head of a newborn lying on his back so that the lower jaw is at shoulder level, the limbs to which the face is turned are unbent, the opposite ones are bent.
Symmetrical tonic neck
When the head is bent, muscle tone increases in the flexors of the limbs (often in the upper ones), while unbending - in the extensors (this reaction disappears at 2 months of life).
Labyrinth tonic (LTR)
Depending on whether the child lies on his back or on his stomach, muscle tone increases:
- on the back - extensors of the body (neck, back, arms, thighs, legs) and limbs;
The neck and spine of the child are tense, the head is thrown back, the legs are extended, the feet are in the position of plantar flexion. He throws his head back, straightens his torso, arms and legs. When you try to bend your head, there is significant resistance. The head does not bend. Together with it, the torso also rises, like a “board”.
- on the abdomen - flexors of the body and limbs.
Lying on the stomach, the child's pelvis is raised, legs and arms are bent, and the head is lowered. He cannot raise his head and lean on the handles, as well as press the lower part of the body to the surface on which he lies, bend. The hands are under chest in a bent position, the hands are clenched into fists; the hips and lower legs are more often adducted and bent, the pelvic section of the body is raised.
LTR in a healthy baby is practically not expressed (passes on the 2nd month of life).
Landau reflex (labyrinth adjusting)
When holding the child loosely in the air face down. First, he raises his head (face vertically, mouth horizontally), then tonic extension of the back and legs occurs. If you lower the head to the chest, the tone disappears and the body develops (appears at 5-6 months of life and fades away at 2 years).
What to do if a newborn has weak reflexes
Checking reflexes is a mandatory procedure that allows you to check the correct development of the baby.
Important!
If the reflexes are not fully expressed or are not expressed at all, an urgent need to consult a specialist.
The problem may be caused by:
- intrauterine infection during pregnancy;
- violation of muscle tone;
- violation of the nervous system;
- trauma to the child during difficult childbirth;
- reaction to strong drugs.
Important!
Sometimes, before feeding, the mother may notice a mild sucking reflex. You shouldn't worry. Perhaps this only means that the baby is not hungry.
Pay attention not only to the presence, but also to the extinction of rudimentary (reflexes that disappear over time) automatisms. Don't neglect scheduled inspections. And remember, minor deviations can be a feature of the body that will not affect the further development of the baby.
Of particular importance in the neonatal period are the so-called basic unconditioned reflexes.
The main unconditioned reflexes of the newborn and baby are divided into two groups: segmental motor automatisms, provided by segments of the brain stem (oral automatisms) and the spinal cord (spinal automatisms).
Oral segmental automatisms:
Sucking reflex
With the introduction of the index finger into the mouth by 3-4 cm, the child makes rhythmic sucking movements. The reflex is absent in pareselic nerves, severe mental retardation, in severe somatic conditions.
Search reflex (Kussmaul reflex)
When stroking in the area of the corner of the mouth, the lips are lowered, the tongue is deflected and the head is turned towards the stimulus. Pressing on the middle of the upper lip causes the mouth to open and the head to extend. When pressing on the middle of the lower lip, the lower jaw drops and the head bends. This reflex is especially pronounced before feeding and is weakly expressed in the child immediately after feeding. Pay attention to the symmetry of the reflex on both sides. The search reflex is observed up to 3-4 months, then fades away. Asymmetry of the reflex - unilateral paris facial nerve. There is no reflex - bilateral paresis of the facial nerve, damage to the central nervous system.
proboscis reflex
A quick tap of the finger on the lips causes the lips to stretch forward. This reflex persists up to 2-3 months.
Palmar-mouth reflex (Babkin reflex)
When pressing with the thumb on the area of the palm of the newborn (both palms at the same time), closer to the tenar, the mouth opens and the head bends. The reflex is pronounced in newborns in the norm. Lethargy of the reflex, rapid exhaustion or absence indicate damage to the central nervous system. The reflex may be absent on the affected side with peripheral paresis. After 2 months it fades by 3 months. disappears
Spinal motor automatisms:
Protective reflex of the newborn
If the newborn is placed on the stomach, then a reflex turn of the head to the side occurs. This reflex is expressed from the first hours of life. In children with central nervous system damage, the protective reflex may be absent, and if the child's head is not passively turned to the side, he may suffocate.
Support reflex and automatic gait in newborns
The newborn does not have the readiness to stand, but he is capable of a support reaction. If you hold the child vertically in weight, then he bends his legs in all joints. The child placed on a support straightens the body and stands on half-bent legs on a full foot. The positive support reaction of the lower extremities is a preparation for stepping movements. If the newborn is slightly tilted forward, then he makes stepping movements (automatic gait of newborns). Sometimes, when walking, newborns cross their legs at the level of the lower third of the legs and feet. This is caused by a stronger contraction of the adductors, which is physiological for this age and outwardly resembles the gait in cerebral palsy.
The support reaction and automatic gait are physiological up to 1-1.5 months, then they are inhibited and physiological astasia-abasia develops. Only by the end of 1 year of life does the ability to stand and walk independently appear, which is considered as a conditioned reflex and requires the normal function of the cerebral cortex for its implementation. In newborns with intracranial injury, born in asphyxia, in the first weeks of life, the support reaction and automatic gait are often depressed or absent. In hereditary neuromuscular diseases, the support reaction and automatic gait are absent due to severe muscle hypotension. In children with lesions of the central nervous system, automatic gait is delayed for a long time.
Crawling reflex (Bauer) and spontaneous crawling
The newborn is placed on the stomach (head in the midline). In this position, he makes crawling movements - spontaneous crawling. If you put your palm on the soles, then the child reflexively pushes away from it with his feet and crawling intensifies. In the position on the side and on the back, these movements do not occur. Coordination of movements of arms and legs is not observed. Crawling movements in newborns become pronounced on the 3rd - 4th day of life. The reflex is physiological up to 4 months of life, then it fades away. Independent crawling is a precursor to future locomotor acts. The reflex is depressed or absent in children born in asphyxia, as well as in intracranial hemorrhages, spinal cord injuries. Pay attention to the asymmetry of the reflex. In diseases of the central nervous system, crawling movements persist for up to 6-12 months, like other unconditioned reflexes.
grasp reflex
Appears in a newborn with pressure on his palms. Sometimes a newborn wraps his fingers so tightly that he can be lifted up ( Robinson reflex). This reflex is phylogenetically ancient. Newborn monkeys are held on the mother's hairline by gripping the brushes. With paresis of the hand, the reflex is weakened or absent, in inhibited children the reaction is weakened, in excitable children it is strengthened. The reflex is physiological up to 3-4 months, later, on the basis of the grasping reflex, an arbitrary grasp of the object is gradually formed. The presence of a reflex after 4-5 months indicates damage to the nervous system.
The same grasping reflex can also be evoked from the lower extremities. Pressing the ball of the foot with the thumb causes plantar flexion of the toes. If you apply a dashed irritation to the sole of the foot with your finger, then there is a dorsiflexion of the foot and a fan-shaped divergence of the fingers (physiological Babinski reflex).
Reflex Galant
When the skin of the back is irritated paravertebral along the spine, the newborn bends the back, an arc is formed that is open towards the stimulus. The leg on the respective side often extends at the hip and knee joints. This reflex is well evoked from the 5th - 6th day of life. In children with damage to the nervous system, it may be weakened or completely absent during the 1st month of life. When the spinal cord is damaged, the reflex is absent for a long time. The reflex is physiological until the 3rd - 4th month of life. With damage to the nervous system, this reaction can be observed in the second half of the year and later.
Perez reflex
If you run your fingers, slightly pressing, along the spinous processes of the spine from the coccyx to the neck, the child screams, raises his head, unbends the torso, bends the upper and lower limbs. This reflex causes a negative emotional reaction in the newborn. The reflex is physiological until the 3rd - 4th month of life. Inhibition of the reflex during the neonatal period and a delay in its reverse development is observed in children with damage to the central nervous system.
Moro reflex
It is caused by various and not different methods: a blow to the surface on which the child lies, at a distance of 15 cm from his head, raising the extended legs and pelvis above the bed, sudden passive extension of the lower extremities. The newborn moves his arms to the sides and opens his fists - the 1st phase of the Moro reflex. After a few seconds, the hands return to their original position - phase II of the Moro reflex. The reflex is expressed immediately after birth, it can be observed during the manipulations of the obstetrician. In children with intracranial trauma, the reflex may be absent in the first days of life. With hemiparesis, as well as with obstetric paresis of the hand, an asymmetry of the Moro reflex is observed.
With pronounced hypertension, there is an incomplete Moro reflex: the newborn only slightly abducts his hands. In each case, the threshold of the Moro reflex should be determined - low or high. In infants with lesions of the central nervous system, the Moro reflex is delayed for a long time, has a low threshold, often occurs spontaneously with anxiety, various manipulations. In healthy children, the reflex is well expressed until the 4th - 5th month, then it begins to fade; after the 5th month, only some of its components can be observed.
Reflexes in a newborn child are skills without which he simply cannot exist normally and live in the future. Of course, everyone thinks that immediately after birth, the child does not know how, but in fact it is not. Some of them are very important, others may not play too big a role, but thanks to them or their absence, one can understand how well developed child. In addition, thanks to the reflexes, you can understand whether the child has developmental disabilities or not. Some reflexes remain with a person for life. And others begin to gradually disappear some time after birth.
Due to the fact that the cerebral cortex is not yet as well developed as in an adult, the newborn has certain automatic reflexes. They are controlled by simpler parts of the spinal cord and brain. If the child is completely healthy, then after birth he should have a standard set of reflexes. Which then disappear by about 3-4 months of life. If the reflexes in the child are absent or disappear before the allotted time, then we are talking about a pathology that must be treated immediately.
The main reflexes of a newborn child include: search, proboscis, palmar-mouth and sucking.
