Reflexes - Janet Glover Flashcards
Intrauterine reflexes
(spinal) Reflexes which emerge in utero, starting from 5 - 7 1/2 weeks after conception. Characteristic response is one of withdrawal. These are largely inhibited in utero as the CNS develops.
Primitive reflexes
(brain stem) Reflexes which emerge in utero, starting with the Moro reflex at 2- 12 weeks after conception. They should be fully present at birth in a full term baby and are inhibited by the developing brain in the first 6 months of postnatal life
Postural
(midbrain & cortex) Reflexes which emerge after birth, should be fully present by 3 1/2 years of age and remain for life
Purpose of primitive reflexes
survival- to keep us safe and secure
If primitive reflexes remain baove 6 months of age
They are said to aberrant and represent a structural weakness of the CNS, resulting directly from continued brain stem activity at the expense of cortical control
The visual system is as dependent as any other system on what for it’s functioning
The transition from primitive to postural reflex activity at the correct time
2 groups of postural reflexes
- Righting Reflexes (quadruped)
2. Equilibrium Reactions (Bipedal)
The Righting Reflexes (quadruped)
Oculo-headrighting reflex Labyrinthine headrighting reflex Amphibian reflex Landau reflex Segmental rolling reflex
Equilibrium Reactions (Bipedal)
Strauss (startle) reflex
Parachute reflex
Underdeveloped postural reflexes result in typical problems in
Adaptation
Applying known concepts (problem solving)
Linking
Multi-processing
Sequening
Coping with large volumes of information (information overload)
DCD, dyslexia, ASD
DCD
Developmental coordination disorder (formally dyspraxia)
Inability to integrate sensory-motor experience to organize motor output; difficulty w praxis (action)
Dyslexia
visual processing & motor-perceptual problems
Have difficulty understanding direction, sequencing and control of eye movement and may have phonological processing problems
ASD
Autism spectrum disorder, suffer from disintegration or fragmented sensory perception
During the process of normal development, functional direction and organized control of movement originates where and proceeds to where?
The lowest region of the brain- the brainstem to the highest level of the CNS which is the cortex
As a young child starts to develop, we should see
primitive reflexes start to integrate and postural reflexes start to develop and then strengthen over time
