Unit 7 Early Motor Behaviours

Doll eye reflex

Diagnosing CNS disorders question 1 - Reflex seen in some newborns in the first few days of life (usually seen in the first two weeks of life, and more typically seen in babies born prematurely). In this reflex, when you tilt the baby's head back, the eyes look down toward the chin- when you tilt the baby's head forward, the eyes look up toward the forehead. Helps newborns maintain an image; is eventually replaced by voluntary eye movements. o The continuation of this reflex after those first two weeks of life is seen as an indication of a delay in brain development.

(1) Apgar Score (2) Brazelton Scale

Diagnosing CNS disorders question 2 - Reflexes are generally tested almost immediately after a baby is born. - The two most common assessments used are the _____ _____ and the _________ _____

(a) Stepping Reflex (birth-5months) (b) Crawling Reflex (birth-4months) (c) Swimming Reflex (11 days-5months)

3 important *Locomotor reflexes* in notes

(a1) Head righting reflex (1-6months) (a2) Body righting reflex (5months-1year) (b) Parachuting Reflex (4months-1year) (c) Labyrinthine Reflex (2months-1year)

4 important *Postural reflexes* in notes

(a1) Moro reflex (prenatal-3months) (a2) Startle reflex (7-12months) (b1) Rooting Reflex (birth-3months) (b2) Sucking Reflexes (brith-1year) (c) Palmar grasp reflex (birth-4months) (d1) Babinski (birth-4months) (d2) Plantar Grasp Reflex (birth-1year) (e1) Asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (prenatal-4months) (e2) Symmetrical tonic neck reflex (6-7months)

9 important *Survival (primitive) reflexes* in notes

Maturation Perspective

Views on the role of reflexes question 1 - see behaviour as a direct result of the developing nervous system - *A reflexes' appearance and disappearance is seen as evidence of the growth of the CNS* - As the brain develops, gradually the cortex plays a greater role in movement and takes over from movements initiated from the lower brain centers. - It is around the 3 to 4 month benchmark that we see the disappearance of most primitive reflexes. - These reflexes are then replaced by reflexes that are more specific to a particular part of the nervous system. o E.g. The head righting reflex giving way to the body righting reflex. - The question that this disappearance of reflexes evokes is: *Do reflexes really disappear or are they suppressed only to be integrated into controlled behaviour later in development?* Zelazo's view (*Continuity View*) - reflexes don't just disappear but are actually suppressed and then used later in controlled movement. - *This is the view that stimulation of the reflex will have a positive effect on later voluntary control.* o Zelazo's walking reflex study (stimulated walking reflex daily, reflex actually increased & babies as a group tended to walk sooner than control groups who received no practice) Zelazo believed that the walking reflex went away because of disuse, and that proper stimulation of these reflexes would result in earlier and better acquisition of voluntary movement. Questioned: nobody knows when in fact these infants would have begun to walk without practice

Continuity View

Views on the role of reflexes question 2 - Maturation Perspective idea that reflexes don't just disappear but are actually suppressed and then used later in controlled movement. - *This is the view that stimulation of the reflex will have a positive effect on later voluntary control.* o Zelazo's walking reflex study (stimulated walking reflex daily, reflex actually increased & babies as a group tended to walk sooner than control groups who received no practice) Zelazo believed that the walking reflex went away because of disuse, and that proper stimulation of these reflexes would result in earlier and better acquisition of voluntary movement. Questioned: nobody knows when in fact these infants would have begun to walk without practice

stereotypies (spontaneous) movements.

- Infant reflexes are the most studied form of human movement during the first few months of life. - A lot less attention has been paid to another group of infant movements. - These movements are referred to as ____________ (___________) _________. o *These are rhythmical, spontaneous, stereotypic movements that don't appear to serve any purpose* (so these movements are not voluntary or goal orientated). o These movements are ones that represent the most simple, patterned actions for the muscle group involved. o These movements are flexions, extensions and rotations that are repeated again and again. These are those actions you often see babies doing like leg kicking, arm waving, arm banging against a surface, finger flexion, rocking on all fours, even head wagging and tongue waggling. o It is noted that these actions peak around 6-8 months, and decline by the end of the first year - *These types of repetitive actions seen much beyond the first year, are seen to be an indication of some form of neurological disorder.* - they are how infants, spend up to 40% of their time - there are 47 distinct ____________ (___________) _________. - These repetitive, patterned movements are common among insects, birds and fish.

Role of reflexes

- It is unclear what ____ __ ________ is and what role they have in motor development. o Are they just an indicator of how our nervous system works? o Or are they the body's way of practicing future voluntary movements? - There are two schools of thought... (1) *Maturation Perspective* (2) *Dynamic systems Perspective*

Survival (primitive) reflexes

1/3 categories of reflexes - includes... (a1) Moro reflex (prenatal-3months) (a2) Startle reflex (7-12months) (b1) Rooting Reflex (birth-3months) (b2) Sucking Reflexes (brith-1year) (c) Palmar grasp reflex (birth-4months) (d1) Babinski (birth-4months) (d2) Plantar Grasp Reflex (birth-1year) (e1) Asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (prenatal-4months) (e2) Symmetrical tonic neck reflex (6-7months)

Postural reflexes

1/3 categories of reflexes - primary purpose of these reflexes are preparing the infant's growing body for future voluntary postural adjustments - includes... (a1) Head righting reflex (1-6months) (a2) Body righting reflex (5months-1year) (b) Parachuting Reflex (4months-1year) (c) Labyrinthine Reflex (2months-1year)

Locomotor reflexes

1/3 categories of reflexes - These are probably the most bizarre of all the reflexes in that infants as young as a few days old, even a few hours old (!), can reflexively appear to walk, crawl, and even swim! - All movements again are completely involuntary but are ultimately foreshadowing the eventual voluntary movement patterns. - includes... (a) Stepping Reflex (birth-5months) (b) Crawling Reflex (birth-4months) (c) Swimming Reflex (11 days-5months)

Swimming Reflex (11 days-5months)

1/3 important *Locomotor reflexes* in notes - *11 days-5 months* o one of the most unusual reflexes o Involuntary (1)________-like movements can be elicited days after birth - Hold a baby horizontal over a shiny surface (table top or over actual water), and the baby's arms and legs will start to move in a well-coordinated swimming fashion! o This reflex is believed to be partly responsible for a movement toward early infant swimming programs, babies would be dunked under water again triggering another involuntary breath holding action o These programs have become less popular lately as it was noted that many of the "early immersion" babies suffered from *hyponatremia* - also known as water intoxication, which may cause lethargy, irritability, disorientation and at the extreme end, seizures.

Crawling Reflex (birth-4months)

1/3 important *Locomotor reflexes* in notes - *birth-4 months* o Seen as a precursor to voluntary (1)________ - Place baby prone on the floor, when the soles of the feet are stroked alternately, the legs and arms Will move in an alternating fashion o Disappears around 3 mos. before voluntary crawling appears o Seen as essential for developing muscle tone.

Stepping Reflex (birth-5months)

1/3 important *Locomotor reflexes* in notes - *birth-5 months* o An essential forerunner to an eventual voluntary movement; walking - Elicited by holding infant upright with feet touching a supporting surface - the pressure causes feet to lift and then come down again. - Leg action occurs alternately, so the movement represents a crude form of walking with no hip stability or accompanying arm movements.

Head righting reflex (1-6months)

1/4 important *Postural reflexes* in notes - 1/2 reflexes that are similar and related to attainment of later voluntary rolling movements - *1-6 months* - also known as *"derotative righting reflex"* - position baby's head in either direction when infant is supine; head will "right" itself with the body and returns to front facing position.

Body righting reflex (5months-1year)

1/4 important *Postural reflexes* in notes - 1/2 reflexes that are similar and related to attainment of later voluntary rolling movements - *5 months - 1 year* - When in a supine position and baby's head is turned, body will roll to be in line with the head; the body moves as a single unit.

Labyrinthine Reflex (2months-1year)

1/4 important *Postural reflexes* in notes o May be critical to the attainment of upright posture - *2 months - 1 year* - Head will tilt in the opposite direction that the body is tilted - when infant is tilted, the head will move to stay upright o Most important function of this reflex is that it maintains breathing passages when the infants body is not aligned

Parachuting Reflex (4months-1year)

1/4 important *Postural reflexes* in notes o Seems to be related to the attainment of upright posture - *4 months - 1 year* - These reflexes kick in when the infant appears to be knocked off balance in any direction - This reflex simulates a protective movement in the direction of the fall o e.g. push forward, arms extend outward; lower the infant suddenly and legs will extend and spread - This reflex appears voluntary but is in fact a reflexive action.

Symmetrical tonic neck reflex (6-7months)

1/9 important *Survival (primitive) reflexes* in notes - *6 - 7 months* o elicited from a supported sitting position - tip infant back far enough, neck extends, arms extend while the legs flex - tip infant forward and the reverse will occur; neck will flex, arms will flex and the legs will fully extend o If this reflex persists, it will impede voluntary head raising when infant is prone or supine.

Plantar Grasp Reflex (birth-1year)

1/9 important *Survival (primitive) reflexes* in notes - *birth - 1 year* - when the sole of the foot is stimulated the *toes contract*

Babinski (birth-4months)

1/9 important *Survival (primitive) reflexes* in notes - *birth - 4 months* - strike sole of foot from heel to toe (pressure on sole of feet), causes the *toes to extend* o Often tested reflex to assess possible brain injury in trauma patients. o Persistence of the Babinski reflex when the ball of the foot is pressed indicates a neurological problem

Palmar grasp reflex (birth-4months)

1/9 important *Survival (primitive) reflexes* in notes - *birth -4 months* - During first 2 mos., infant usually has her hands closed tightly. o When palm is stimulated fingers will close tightly around an object without thumb opposition. o Grip is so strong infant can lifted up and held aloft based on their ability to hang on so tightly! *- Neurological problems are assumed when this reflex persists beyond 4 months.* - infant primates demonstrate this reflex by clinging reflexively to their mother's fur when she flees in fright Are the remnants of this primal reflex still seen in humans?

Sucking Reflexes (brith-1year)

1/9 important *Survival (primitive) reflexes* in notes - 1/2 reflexes that enable newborns to get nourishment from their mother - *birth - 1 year* - touch face below or above lips and the baby will start making sucking motions

Rooting Reflex (birth-3months)

1/9 important *Survival (primitive) reflexes* in notes - 1/2 reflexes that enable newborns to get nourishment from their mother - *birth - 3 months* - stroke near the infant's mouth, infant will turn his head toward the stimulation o strongest during the first 3 weeks of life, and best to elicit when infant is hungry or sleeping or in normal feeding position

Moro reflex (prenatal-3months)

1/9 important *Survival (primitive) reflexes* in notes - Elicited by placing the infant in a supine position and tapping on the abdomen, or by a loud noise or a sudden movement. - *prenatal - 3 months* - arms and legs extend and then flex *persistence of reflex beyond 6 months is seen as an indication of neurological dysfunction.* o Present at birth and during the first 6 months o Reaction is most pronounced in infants during the first 2 weeks of life and then the intensity of response gradually diminishes. This reflex also assists in that very important first inspiration. o Another evolutionary stance is that both the ____ ______ and then later the Startle reflex acted as a protective response in our primordial past to catch us in case we fell out of a tree!

Asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (prenatal-4months)

1/9 important *Survival (primitive) reflexes* in notes - possibly the most widely researched of all the reflexes - common in preemies - *prenatal - 4 months* - this reflex is elicited when the infant is placed in a supine position and the neck is turned so the head is facing to one side - Arms then go into an "on guard" position like in fencing (the arm extends on the side where the head is turned while the other arm flexes). o this reflex is thought to help with eye/hand coordination and awareness of both sides of the body

Startle reflex (7-12months)

1/9 important *Survival (primitive) reflexes* in notes - the *Moro reflex* is eventually replaced by the _______ ______ - *7 - 12months* - when infant it alarmed (_______) arms and legs flex

(1) Survival (primitive) reflexes (2) Postural reflexes (3) Locomotor reflexes

3 categories of reflexes

Apgar Score

Diagnosing CNS disorders question 4 1/2 most common assessments of reflexes used - a rating scale out of 10. This test checks out an infant's reflexes within 60 seconds after birth. It looks at 5 general areas of a newborn's wellbeing and rates the newborn's condition on a scale. A score of 7 or greater indicates that the baby is in good condition; 4 to 6 on the scale indicates that the baby requires resuscitation; under 4 indicates dramatic lifesaving techniques are needed. One of the tests is called "reflex irritability", to test this, a cotton swab is placed in the infant's nostril, if the infant lets out a lusty cry, coughs or sneezes, this is a very good sign and a high score is given on the scale.

Brazelton Scale

Diagnosing CNS disorders question 4 1/2 most common assessments of reflexes used - is typically given 2 to 3 days after birth, then another 9 to 10 days later when the baby has adjusted to their home environment. This scale examines 20 reflexes that the newborn should exhibit in its first days to first 3 months of life.

two months

Intro question 1 - Any of you who have spent any time with a newborn baby are probably already aware of certain infantile reflexes that are quite apparent. o Touch a newborn's cheek, and she'll turn toward the touch (evidence of the *searching or rooting reflex*). o Place your finger in a newborn's palm and he will grab on tighter than you could have believed possible (*palmer grasping reflex*) - Reflex movements can be seen in all fetuses (reflexes can be seen as early as ___ ______ after conception), newborns and infants in varying degrees.

Reflex movements

Intro question 2 - involuntary reactions of the body to various forms of external stimulation, such as sound, light, touch and body position. - Most ______ _________ are controlled by the lower brain centers (sub cortical brain); in charge of involuntary but life sustaining processes like breathing, heart rate and swallowing. o Some (1)______es like "blinking" or the "stretch reflex", continue throughout life, but for the purposes of this unit, we will be focusing on (1)______es of infancy

(a) Stimulating the central nervous system (CNS), stimulating the neural pathways and muscles. (b) Infant survival (c) As a way of diagnosing and assessing neurological maturity

Intro question 3 -A lot of the earlier reflexes are related to infant survival, while others act as precursors or "pave the way" for later voluntary movements. o You actually see reflexive walking, swimming, crawling and climbing actions in infants only days old. o This is all part of our body's way of preparing a blueprint for future voluntary movements. *- The importance of reflex behaviour is mostly associated with its role in:* (3)

Survival mechanisms

Intro question 4 1/3 important aspects of reflex behaviour (kind of) - From an evolutionary viewpoint, the assumption is that certain primitive protective reflexes evolved from primates to human infants. - These reflexes are ________ __________ o E.g. *Palmar grasp reflex* - infant primates demonstrate this reflex by clinging reflexively to their mother's fur when she flees in fright Are the remnants of this primal reflex still seen in the human palmer grasp reflex? o E.g. *Moro reflex* (birth-4months) - This is the reflex first seen when infants tumble into this world where they flail their arms, then reflexively tuck in. This reflex also assists in that very important first inspiration. o The Moro reflex gives way eventually from about 7 to 12 months to the *Startle reflex*. o Another evolutionary stance is that both the Moro and then later the Startle reflex acted as a protective response in our primordial past to catch us in case we fell out of a tree!

Diagnosing CNS disorders

Intro question 5 1/3 important aspects of reflex behaviour (kind of) - Some reflexes are important in __________ ___ _________ - Reflexes serve as an indicator of an infant's general neurological status. - The appearance and disappearance of common reflexes is well documented. - When a reflex should appear, how long it should be around and when it should disappear, are ways of indicating possible neurological trauma. o E.g. *"Doll Eye" reflex* seen in some newborns in the first few days of life (usually seen in the first two weeks of life, and more typically seen in babies born prematurely). o The continuation of this reflex after those first two weeks of life is seen as an indication of a delay in brain development. - Reflexes are generally tested almost immediately after a baby is born. - The two most common assessments used are the Apgar Score and the Brazelton Scale. (1) *Apgar Score* - a rating scale out of 10. This test checks out an infant's reflexes within 60 seconds after birth. It looks at 5 general areas of a newborn's wellbeing and rates the newborn's condition on a scale. A score of 7 or greater indicates that the baby is in good condition; 4 to 6 on the scale indicates that the baby requires resuscitation; under 4 indicates dramatic lifesaving techniques are needed. One of the tests is called "reflex irritability", to test this, a cotton swab is placed in the infant's nostril, if the infant lets out a lusty cry, coughs or sneezes, this is a very good sign and a high score is given on the scale. o The *Brazelton scale* is typically given 2 to 3 days after birth, then another 9 to 10 days later when the baby has adjusted to their home environment. This scale examines 20 reflexes that the newborn should exhibit in its first days to first 3 months of life.

hyponatremia

Locomotor reflex question 1 - also known as water intoxication - may cause lethargy, irritability, disorientation and at the extreme end, seizures. - The reason why many early immersion programs targeting the *Swimming reflex* became less popular is because babies suffered from this disorder

Dynamic Systems Perspective

Views on the role of reflexes question 3 - Thelen looked at Zelazo's work from the _______ _______ ___________ - She agreed with Zelazo that reflexes didn't necessarily have to stop just because the CNS was maturing. - She figured that the reasons a reflex stops was more *biomechanical* in nature. Her research focused on the walking reflex. o Thelen believed this reflex stopped around 5 months of age simply because by this point, the legs became too heavy for the baby to lift! She believes a baby's musculature was just not strong enough to lift these fat legs anymore! o She believed that the babies in Zelazo's research continued to exhibit the walking reflex simply because their legs were getting stronger. - To test her strength hypothesis, Thelen noted that when babies were placed in water their walking reflex would return... *even after it had disappeared on land.*