Langgamen, Paul Andrea P.
BSN 2A
Reflexes Description
The examiner holds the infant so that one
Moro Reflex hand supports the head and the other
supports the buttocks. The reflex is
elicited by the sudden dropping of the
head in her hand.
The response is a series of movements:
the infant’s hands open and there is
extension and abduction of upper
extremities.
While placing the finger on the palmar
Grasp Reflex surface of the infant’s hand, the infant
grasps the finger.
When an infant's head is turned from
Tonic Neck/ midline to one side. The infant responds
Fencing Reflex by extending the arm on the side to which
the head is turned and flexing the
opposite arm. The lower extremities
respond similarly.
When the sole of the foot is firmly stroked,
Plantar Reflex the big toe bends back toward the top of
the foot and the other toes fan out.
The parachute reflex is the last of the
Parachute postural reflexes to develop. It usually
Reflex appears at 8 to 9 months of age. When
the baby is turned face down towards the
mat, the arms will extend as if the baby is
trying to catch himself.
While stimulus is applied to the outer edge The Babinski reflex tests the integrity of the
Babinski Reflex of the sole of the foot, the infant responds corticospinal tract (CST). The CST is a
by extension of the toes.
When the tongue is touched, the infant
Extrusion Reflex responds by forcing it outwards.
Purpose Age of
Disappearance
The Moro reflex may be a survival instinct to Disappears 5-6
help the infant cling to its mother. If the infant months.
lost its balance, the reflex caused the infant to
embrace its mother and regain its hold on the
mother's body.
This reflex is an important sign of your baby's Disappears 5-6
nervous system development and function. months
Plus, it helps your newborn get some
much-needed skin-to-skin contact with you
and loved ones.
It is thought that, during birth, tonic neck Disappears 6-7
reflex helps your baby make their way down months.
the birth canal. And following birth, tonic neck
reflex may help your newborn to discover
their hands and develop hand-eye
coordination. The tonic neck reflex is often
called the fencing reflex.
The plantar reflex is a nociceptive segmental Disappears
spinal reflex that serves the purpose of usually 6
protecting the sole of the foot. The clinical months to 2
significance lies in the fact that the abnormal years old.
response reliably indicates metabolic or
structural abnormality in the corticospinal
system upstream from the segmental reflex.
Parachutes help make a fall safer. Reflexes Never
are an automatic muscle reaction in response disappears.
to stimulation, and the parachute reflex will
help keep the baby from getting seriously
hurt.
Disappears by
age of 24
descending fiber tract that originates from the months.
cerebral cortex through the brainstem and
spinal cord. Fibers from the CST synapse
with the alpha motor neuron in the spinal cord
and help direct motor function.
Since their body is still developing, the Disappears by
extrusion reflex protects them from choking age of 4
months.

When stroking the cheek or corner of the
Rooting Reflex infant’s head turns toward the stimulus
and opens its mouth.
While stroking the lips of the infant, the
Sucking Reflex infant’s mouth opens and the examiner
introduces their gloved finger and sucking
starts.
Stimulation of posterior pharynx by food,
Gagging Reflex suction or passage of tube causes infants
to gag.
Palmar grasp reflex is a primitive,
Palmar Reflex prehensile, involuntary response to a
mechanical stimulus present in a
newborn.
While the infant is held upright and foot is
Stepping/ touched to the edge of a table, the infant
Dancing Reflex makes movements that resemble
stepping.
Truncal Incurvation or Galant Reflex. This
Galant/ Trunk reflex occurs when the side of the infant's
Incurvation spine is stroked or tapped while the infant
Reflex lies on the stomach. The infant will twitch
their hips toward the touch in a dancing
movement.
The Bauer Crawling Reflex assists the
Baver’s Reflex development of coordination of whole
body movement. It supports the
relationship between the top and bottom
of the body, as well as between the limbs
and the core of the body.
Arm recoil tests tone and action of the
Arm Recoil’s biceps. The arms are held in flexion
Reflex against the chest for a few seconds, then
are quickly extended and released. The
arms should spring back to the flexed
position. The hypotonic infant will have
slow incomplete recoil.
The swallow is initiated when food, liquid,
Deglutition’s or saliva reaches your baby's throat. Your
Reflex baby comes under control of this reflex by
18 months and it continues as an
important reflex throughout our lives.
on or aspirating foreign objects in the first few
months of life.
The rooting reflex in babies is a basic survival Disappears 3-4
instinct. This reflex helps your baby find and months.
latch onto a bottle or your breast to begin
feeding.
Sucking helps a baby extract breastmilk for Disappears 4
nutrition. months.
Gagging is a reflex action that helps to Persists
prevent choking. throughout life.
The palmar reflex probably serves to create a Disappears 3-6
basic motor pattern that lays the foundation months ].
for obtaining this voluntary ability.
The stepping reflex is your baby's response Disappears 2
to a certain kind of stimulus, but it also shows months
that some part of your baby's brain already
understands the motions they'll eventually
need to walk.
Its purpose is to encourage movement and Disappears by 9
develop range of motion in the hip in months.
preparation for walking and crawling.
The Bauer crawling reflex assists in delivery Disappears
when the baby is moving through the birth around 6 weeks
canal. Later in life, it aids the child in old.
milestones such as crawling, and eventually,
walking.
Arm recoil is a neurological examination of
neonate for detecting muscle tone.
These reflexes are involuntary movements Disappears
that happen either spontaneously or as 12-18 months
responses to different actions. The sucking
reflex, for example, happens when the roof of
a baby's mouth is touched. The baby will
begin to suck when this area is stimulated,
which helps with nursing or bottle feeding.
 As the head is moved slowly to the right or This can serve as a neonatal milestone in Disappears as
Doll’s Eye left, eyes lag behind and do not neurologic development. fixation
Phenomenon immediately adjust to a new position of develops.
head.
This is a primitive reflex that is usually The crossed extensor reflex is a contralateral Only present
Cross Extension only present until one month of age. The reflex that allows the body to compensate on until one month
Reflex examiner holds one of the baby's legs one side for a stimulus on the other. of age.
extended and applies firm pressure to the
sole of the foot of the same leg. The
baby's free leg flexes, adducts and then
extends.