Automatic walking reflex. So, what should you pay attention to? Pathological reflexes of newborns

03.07.2019

Since the highest analytical center - the cerebral cortex - in a child of the first months of life is not yet able to function in a volume sufficient for autonomous existence in the environment, nature insures a small person with the help of so-called unconditioned reflexes. Unconditioned reflexes- the simplest "automatic" actions controlled by more primitive centers of the brain and spinal cord. Alone reflexes in newborns are present already at the time of birth, others develop somewhat later. different unconditioned reflexes of newborns and according to the duration of their existence: some of them remain with a person throughout life, others are transient (transient) in nature. Even more unconditioned reflexes differ from each other in their tasks and manifestations - but their biological meaning is always universal: protecting vital organs and allowing them to adapt to environmental conditions, they, in fact, ensure the survival of a human being at different stages of his life.

Unconditioned reflexes, such as, for example, corneal (manifested by an "emergency" blinking of the eyelid even with a very light touch of the cornea of the eye) are of a pronounced protective nature and therefore appear already in a newborn child, and persist throughout a person's life. The same, in principle, can be said about the conjunctival, pharyngeal and some other reflexes of newborns. The swallowing reflex is also preserved for life - as well as tendon reflexes, the method of "hammer" testing of which is well known to adults who have been to a neurologist.

Other unconditioned reflexes of newborns, subtly referred to as motor segmental and suprasegmental postural automatisms, persist only for several months.

It is worth talking about them in more detail - since parents will have to see more than once or twice how a pediatric neuropathologist or pediatrician evaluates them.

Among the motor segmental reflexes, a special group is distinguished - the so-called. oral automatisms of newborns. Oral means mouth. The segments of the brainstem responsible for their appearance, in fact, provide the baby with the opportunity to eat.

The reflex, called sucking, manifests itself in a child in response to any significant irritation of the oral cavity - be it the placement of a mother's breast nipple, a pacifier, a medical spatula, etc. into it. The baby immediately starts rhythmic sucking movements. This most important reflex is already present in the newborn (for premature babies, it is a criterion of maturity) and usually persists throughout the first year of life.

proboscis reflex- protrusion of the baby's lips in the form of a kind of "proboscis" in response to a quick jerky touch of the adult's fingers on them. The reflex is due to the automatic contraction of the circular muscle of the child's mouth - one of the most important "sucking" muscles. Usually the proboscis reflex persists during the first 2-3 months of life, then fades away.

Kussmaul search reflex- another oral automatism characteristic of newborns. Careful, gentle stroking with an adult finger of the corner of the baby's mouth, the latter begins to actively "search" for the mother's breast: at the same time, the lower lip descends, "stretches" towards the stimulus, and the baby's tongue also deviates there. An important point: when checking this reflex, you should not touch the child's lips (get a proboscis reflex :). And one more thing: irritation of the area of the corner of the mouth should really be the easiest - if the baby feels at least discomfort, then instead of demonstrating a search reflex, he will turn his head in the opposite direction and immediately express his displeasure with your manipulations in particular and your presence in the world in general :) Kussmaul reflex usually persists in the first 3-5 months of life, but sometimes it can "work" longer.

The last of the main oral automatisms is Babkin's hand-mouth reflex. Its essence is as follows: moderate pressure on the baby’s palm with the fingertips of an adult causes the child’s mouth to open and his head to move forward towards the examiner. Like the search automatism of Kussmaul, the Babkin reflex is especially well expressed before feeding the baby - i.e. when he absolutely does not mind, in the words of Winnie the Pooh, "a little refreshment." Babkin's automatism is one of the oldest survival mechanisms inherent in a newborn person: at such an early age, the baby's hands are equipped with only one of the countless possible functions - to help the whole body seek food. Usually this reflex is well expressed until the age of two months, then it begins to fade relatively quickly. The weakening or asymmetry of this reflex in newborns, as well as its persistence in children older than 2-3 months of life, may indicate a possible pathology of his nervous system - this means that the baby should certainly be shown to an experienced pediatric neurologist. However, practically all unconditioned reflexes inherent in young children have such kind of "signal" functions - and that is why we considered it necessary to write this note for parents.

The next group of unconditioned reflexes in newborns and infants These are the so-called spinal motor automatisms. They are no less diverse than oral ones, and, perhaps, no less important for the survival of the baby in the external environment.

Spinal motor automatisms include protective reflex of the newborn. Try to put the baby on his stomach - and he will immediately "automatically" turn his head to the side. The biological meaning of this reflex is understandable without much explanation - it allows the baby to breathe even in such an uncomfortable position as the prone position. The reflex is usually present already in the first hours of life.

Bauer's crawling reflex- another spinal automatism present in a child from the first day of life. Being laid out on his stomach and feeling the palms of an adult attached to his soles, the baby will try to push off from them, as from a support. And move forward. Some newborns tend to carry out crawling movements without support - this is the so-called spontaneous reflex crawling. Normally, both the Bauer reflex and spontaneous crawling can exist up to 4 months of life, after which they fade away.

Support and automatic walking reflexes are also programmed motor acts controlled by the spinal cord. If you give the body of a newborn a vertical position and ensure that the soles of his feet come into contact with a horizontal hard surface, then the baby will straighten his legs and will "stand" (with support, of course - the inability to stand on his own, called physiological astasia-abasia, persists in children up to the age of 8- 12 months). If the “standing” newborn in this way is tilted forward somewhat, shifting the center of gravity of the body, then the baby immediately begins to “step over” with his legs - this is automatic walking. During its implementation, many children cross their legs at the level of the lower thirds of the legs - this should not be frightened: a slightly increased tone of the thigh adductor muscles in the first 1.5 months of life is quite physiological.

Grasping reflex and Robinson reflex- automatisms, the biological essence of which is to maintain an inseparable connection with the mother (in the most direct sense of the term). The good development of this reflex in primates allows the cubs to hold tightly to the mother's fur while the female is moving. Having inherited these automatisms from his evolutionary predecessors, a newborn person unconsciously squeezes the fingers of the palms if something is put into them. Sometimes such a grip is so strong that a baby who grabs the offered fingers of an adult can be lifted into the air (Robinson's reflex). The grasping reflex is considered physiological up to 4 months of age - then it disappears, and it is replaced by an arbitrary, completely conscious grasping of objects with hands.

Reflex Galant expressed in the bending of the back of the newborn in response to tactile irritation of his skin in the so-called paravertebral region - i.e. retreating 1-1.5 cm from the long axis of the spine. At the same time, the baby arches its back, forming an arc open towards the stimulus. This reflex usually lasts up to 3-4 months of life.

Much more unpleasant for a child is the assessment of another, somewhat similar to the Galant reflex, spinal automatism - Perez reflex. Checking this reflex, the doctor with a slight pressure runs the pad of his finger over the skin directly above the spinous processes of the baby's spine. Usually, in response to such irritation, the child unbends the torso, bends the arms and legs, raises its head and ... cries. Given the sharply negative emotional reaction of the baby, the doctor usually checks this reflex, which, unfortunately, is quite informative for assessing the nervous system of the child, last.

Moro reflex- the last of the spinal automatisms considered in this note - can be caused in a baby of the first months of life in different ways: by clapping the palms on the surface on which the child lies, produced simultaneously at a distance of 15 cm to the right and left of his head; sudden passive extension of the legs of a lying child; lifting the lower half of his torso by straightened legs. The reaction of the baby to these irritations proceeds in two phases: first, the child sharply takes the arms to the sides, simultaneously opening his fists, then, as it were, covers himself with his hands.

Children of the first year of life also have the so-called supra-segmental postural automatisms. The latter are subdivided into myelencephalic (controlled by the medulla oblongata) and mesencephalic (controlled by midbrain centers). However, it seems that such details are unlikely to be of interest to our readers, therefore we will immediately proceed to the description of suprasegmental reflexes - acts, the timely appearance and extinction of which is extremely important for the subsequent mastery of such fundamental motor skills as sitting, standing, crawling and walking. So,

The symmetrical cervical tonic reflex consists in bending the arms and extending the legs of the baby with passive flexion of his head (gently bringing the chin to the chest). The reflex, the name of which differs from the above by just one letter (asymmetric cervical tonic) is checked and looks completely different: if you turn the head of the baby lying on his back to the side (so that the child’s chin is at shoulder level), then a small the person will straighten the arm and leg towards which his face is turned, and bend the opposite arm and leg.

Normally, the muscle tone in a baby lying on his back differs significantly from the tone observed in the prone position. The reason for this is another suprasegmental postural automatism - the labyrinth tonic reflex. It is he who "makes" the flexor muscles "work" as much as possible when the baby lies on his stomach and "trains" the extensor muscles when their owner lies on his back.

Both the neck reflex and the labyrinth reflex are present in children already in the neonatal period, and usually fade away by the beginning of the third month of life. However, in preterm infants, these myelencephalic reflexes may persist somewhat longer. However, in the second half of life, these automatisms must certainly be reduced - otherwise the baby will have a delay in the development of motor skills.

As the reflexes controlled by the medulla oblongata fade away, the baby begins to show mesencephalic automatisms - the so-called chain symmetrical reflexes. The main effect of these unconditioned reflex acts, which are no longer controlled by the medulla oblongata, but by the midbrain, is the straightening of the torso with changes in the position of the head in space and an adequate setting of the arms, legs, and pelvis.

The cervical rectifying reaction is the subsequent rotation of the torso in the direction where the baby's head had previously turned. The functioning of this automatism helps the child to learn the motor skill that pleases parents so much - turning from back to side. At the age of 6-8 months, this simple automatism is replaced by another - the straightening reflex of the body. After turning the head to the side, the baby, following the commands of his midbrain, turns the shoulder girdle, torso, and then the pelvis in the same direction. Such rotation of the body around the longitudinal axis is an absolute condition for mastering turns from back to stomach and from stomach to back, the skills of self-sitting, standing up, etc. With each passing month, the rectifying reactions of the baby become more complicated, changing into complex voluntary motor acts.

Mesencephalic suprasegmental automatisms include both the protective reaction of the hands and the Landau reflex. The first is manifested in various movements of the handles (pulling forward, breeding, etc.) in response to a change in the position of the child's body in space. The second is easy to check by giving the child a "swimmer position" - lift the baby into the air so that his face looks down, and he will immediately raise his head, and then straighten (or even arch) his back, and also straighten his legs and arms.

Talk about unconditioned reflexes of newborns and infants you can go on for a long time - but, it seems, that the above information is quite enough for it to become clear to parents: the program of motor development of the baby of the first year of life laid down in the genes is quite rigid and conservative. That is why regular checking of reflexes and assessment of the dynamics of their development is very important in the medical observation of a child. Often, it is problems with the functioning of unconditional reflex acts that can be the very first visible symptoms of a serious pathology in the baby's central nervous system - and therefore, carefully monitor how your doctor checks the child's reflexes. And don't be afraid to ask your doctor questions if you have any concerns or concerns.

A baby born into the world is completely defenseless and dependent, he so needs the care of his mother. But wise nature foresaw everything in advance and endowed him with special mechanisms and behaviors that will help him quickly adapt to the new world and survive. These patterns are reflexes of newborns, gradually turning into coordinated actions or fading away over time. Let's talk about them.

Why are reflexes needed?

Have you ever wondered why you quickly remove your hand when you touch a hot iron? Or why do you close your eyes and turn away from too bright light? You do it unconsciously, or rather, not you, but your body does it for you. This is a protective reaction that is present in all people and has been honed over millions of years of evolution. This reaction is a reflex.

It is customary to divide them into two groups:

✓ unconditioned reflexes - protective reactions of the body, regulated by the central nervous system. They are present in a person from birth, arise involuntarily and are not amenable to will or consciousness. These include the reflexes of newborns, and some of them disappear after some time after birth (rudimentary reflexes), others “evolve” into more complex and coordinated ones, and still others remain for life;

✓ conditional - can be called a kind of "personal experience", since such reactions of the body are acquired with age and are largely individual in each case. Conditional reactions were studied for a long time by academician Pavlov, conducting experiments on stray dogs. A classic example from his experiments: a dog was given a treat and a light bulb was turned on at the same time. The dog salivated at the sight of food. Repeated repetitions of this experiment developed a conditioned reflex in the dog: saliva began to flow simply when the light was turned on, even if the treat was not offered. The animal associated turning on the light bulb with a treat, so the salivary glands were already activated “out of habit”. The uniqueness of the conditioned reflex is that a particular individual has it, is based on her personal experience and is not inherited.

So, such unconscious automatisms are necessary for survival, security and constancy of the internal environment of the body (homeostasis).

Physiological reflexes of the newborn

A set of unconditioned reactions of the newborn allows you to adapt to new environmental conditions and survive. Normally, a full-term healthy baby shows all automatisms when examined by a neonatologist.

If considered by purpose, then the reflexes of a newborn can be divided into several groups:

✓ temporary, helping the baby to be born and freely pass through the birth canal;

✓ protective, which change and remain throughout life;

✓ providing vital activity - reflexes of swallowing, sucking, breathing, etc.

From the point of view of physiology, the classification of reflexes is somewhat different. The division into groups takes place taking into account their CNS regulators. So, they distinguish:

✓ segmental automatisms, subdivided into spinal and oral. Regulated by segments (hence the name of the group) of the spinal cord and brain stem;

✓ suprasegmental, regulated by the centers of the medulla oblongata and midbrain.

Segmental automatisms (spinal)

defensive reflex

It is observed immediately after birth and gradually disappears by the beginning of the third month of life, i.e. when the baby can already confidently hold his head. Once lying on his stomach, the baby will try to turn his head to the side for free and unhindered breathing. Of course, newly born children still cannot hold their heads, but in case of lack of air and obstruction of breathing, they are quite capable of raising it a little and turning it to the side.

This reaction is expressed in full-term and healthy children, otherwise the baby may suffocate if you do not turn him on his back or turn his head with his hands.

Automatic gait or ground reflex

Newborns do not yet know how to walk, but they can push off from the support and make uncoordinated movements with their legs, somewhat reminiscent of a gait. If you take the baby in your arms vertically and lift him above the surface so that the feet are slightly in contact with it, then the child can lean on a full foot and bend his knees. Holding the child in this way and tilting him slightly forward, you can see how he tries to pace, alternately bending his legs.

Automatic gait is normally observed up to the age of three months and is a precursor to a full-fledged coordinated gait, which develops closer to a year and is related to conditioned reflexes.

Spontaneous crawling (Bauer reflex)

The baby will try to crawl, pushing off with his legs in the position on his stomach, if you put a palm to his feet, which he uses as a support. Moreover, the baby simply pushes off the palm without using the handle.

Such crawling persists up to the 4th month in healthy children without CNS diseases and in the absence of birth injuries.

grasp reflex

This phenomenon can often be seen in the game with the baby or when manipulating him. The child firmly grips any object in the palm of his hand, whether it is a toy or his mother's finger. Some babies grip their hand so tightly that they can be lifted up and hold on. When the central part of the palm is irritated, a similar reaction is observed.

The reflex lasts up to 3-4 months and gradually develops into coordinated actions and manipulations with the handles. The kid learns to hold objects, shift them from palm to palm, do it voluntarily and consciously.

It is believed that such grasping and strong clenching of the fist, especially when frightened, is the oldest reaction transmitted from ancestors when the baby clutched at the mother's hairline.

Babinski's reflex

Stroking the outer side of the feet, the child's legs straighten and the fingers spread fan-shaped, and if you lightly press the foot, it will shrink by analogy with the palm: the baby will press the fingers inward, and the sole of the foot will wrinkle.

Such a reaction is considered pathological and indicates possible disorders of the central nervous system, cerebral palsy, is a sign of multiple sclerosis, but is considered normal in newborns and children under 2 years of age due to insufficient development of the cerebral cortex.

Reflex Galant

In a horizontal position, if you draw a section of the back to the right or left of the spine, the child will arch the back in the direction from which there was irritation, and the leg from the side of the stimulus will straighten in all joints.

The reaction is pronounced from the first minutes of life and lasts up to 4-6 months.

Perez's automatism

If you run your finger along the processes of the spinal column from top to bottom, slightly pressing, then the baby will scream, arch his back and squeeze his arms and legs. Obviously, such manipulations cause negative emotions in the child. This reaction persists up to 3-4 months.

Often, a similar consequence of fright can be observed when playing with a baby, during manipulations by an obstetrician immediately after birth, or simply in everyday life, for example, changing a baby's diaper. Sharp sounds near the baby, clapping, knocking, an unexpected change of position, a sharp lack of support or support cause the child to involuntarily spread his arms and open his palms (first phase), and then return to his original position (second phase).

The reflex lasts up to 4-5 months, and then gradually fades away.

Segmental automatisms (oral)

The whole group of automatisms is directly related to sucking and breastfeeding. Even if the baby receives liquid infant formula instead of mother's milk, the reaction persists and is aimed only at the extraction of liquid food.

Sucking reflex

If you give your baby a breast, a pacifier, a bottle, or just put your finger in your mouth a couple of centimeters, then the baby will immediately begin to suck. The reflex is well developed in healthy and full-term children, and allows them to be always ready to eat.

This reaction is unconditional and persists for a long time: the first 2-3 years of life, which explains the promotion of prolonged breastfeeding among specialists and pediatricians.

There is an opinion that one of the causes of bad childhood habits, such as thumb sucking, foreign objects (bedding, corners of clothes, etc.) may be the result of an unsatisfied sucking reflex. If this is indeed the reason, then after 2-3 years such a bad habit will pass without outside help.

Kussmaul reflex (exploratory)

In infants up to 3-4 months old, you can observe the following picture: if you stroke / press / touch the corners of the mouth, the middle of the upper or lower lip, then the child will slightly open his mouth and will reach towards the irritant, mistaking it for his mother's nipple or nipple from the bottle. It is especially pronounced when the child is hungry or it is time for feeding.

Normally, the baby responds equally well to stroking or pressure from either side.

proboscis

With a light blow of the child's lips with the fingers, the circular muscle of the mouth involuntarily contracts, as a result of which the baby stretches his lips with a “tube”, again expressing his readiness to eat.

(Babkin's reflex)

When pressing on the palm, the baby bends his head and opens his mouth. It is well expressed from the first days and observed up to 2-3 months, and then gradually disappears.

suprasegmental automatisms

(advertising2)

Magnus-Klein reflex (swordsman's pose)

If a baby under the age of two months, in a supine position, turn his head to the side so that his chin is next to his shoulder, then the child will stretch out his arm, which he looks at and the lower leg, and bend the rest of the limbs. This is due to the work of the flexor and extensor muscles on each side.

Symmetrical tonic reflexes

Flexion and extension of the head is directly related to the tone of the muscles of the extensor and flexor limbs. So, when the head is thrown back, the tone of the flexors of the arms and extensors of the legs increases. If the head is lowered down, the opposite picture is observed.

labyrinth reflex

In the position on the stomach, the baby increases the tone of the flexors of the neck, back, limbs, he assumes the position of the embryo, curling up and bending the arms and legs under him. Lying on his back, the extensors are already activated, the child “opens up”.

What other reflexes are there?

Newborns have some automatisms that allow them to freely pass through the birth canal. For example, a baby may briefly hold his breath if he is immersed with his head in water or when bathing, water accidentally gets on his face. This feature can be used by accustoming a child to water and swimming from a very young age. But be extremely careful and attentive, do not try to experiment at home and without the supervision of a specialist!

Small children under six months of age who do not take solid food can unconsciously push out the offered foods with their tongue. The so-called "gag" reflex allows you to remove a foreign object and free the oral cavity and airways. Gradually, it fades away by six months, but not completely, and in a less pronounced version remains for life.

Unconditional reactions of the body and diagnosis of problems

The presence of certain reflex actions in a newborn is studied even in the maternity hospital in the first days of life, and then during routine examinations by narrow specialists. This is not done in vain, since in this way it is possible to identify congenital pathologies, defects, disorders of the central nervous system, the presence of birth injuries and other pathological conditions.

The table below discusses some of the physiological automatisms of newborns in normal and pathological conditions.

But no wonder they say that everything needs a measure. The absence of reflexes, exactly like their inferiority or, conversely, too long a manifestation (for example, a reaction to fright with spreading arms to the sides in children older than 6 months may indicate a fracture of the collarbone, paralysis and disorders in the central nervous system) - equally bad. Timely diagnosis and qualitative assessment of automatisms of the newborn allows you to identify the problem in time and prescribe the appropriate treatment and take the necessary measures.

Conclusion

A healthy and happy child is a joy and joy for moms and dads. Already in the first hours of life, the state of a newborn can be assessed by looking at his reaction to a particular stimulus, to assess the degree of severity of physiological automatisms inherent in a newborn child.

Parents can assess the presence of certain reflexes in a child at home. The main thing is that the baby feels comfortable, full, cheerful and in a good mood. It is best to use a clean, moderately hard and dry surface. At home, you can observe the Moro, Bauer, Babinski reflexes, the support reflex, automatic gait, grasping and sucking reflexes. The main thing that you must understand is that your curiosity should not interfere with the comfort and safety of the child.

After the birth of a newborn child, all his organs and systems begin to adapt to completely new living conditions. Very young children are deprived of the basic human skills that they will have to master in the future as they grow up. An important role and importance in the process of adaptation is occupied by the reflexes of newborns, with the help of which the baby survives and can continue to live fully without them.

When a crumb appears, the pediatrician and neuropathologist are the first to examine him. A very important part of the examination is the test of congenital reflexes. During normal functioning of the central nervous system, all physiological reflexes should be normal in a child. Their testing is carried out by specialists in a warm, well-lit room. At the same time, the baby, in a state of wakefulness, dry and well-fed, is laid on a flat semi-rigid surface, which is also important for correct diagnosis.

Congenital reflexes of newborns are nothing more than a specific response to certain external stimuli. Each of the reflexes appears and disappears at a certain time. Some tend to appear directly at birth and fade with the growing up of the baby, while others appear already in the process of growing up.

All reflexes in a healthy newborn child should be symmetrical. We are talking about the same response of the left and right sides to stimuli. An abnormal reaction is considered when the reflex is present on one side, and absent on the other.

This may indicate problems with the nervous system..

Reflexes can be conditionally classified into two main groups:

unconditioned reflexes of newborns, which are laid down by nature itself, take place immediately after birth and subside over time, giving way to conditioned ones;
conditioned reflexes of newborns, which the child acquires from his own life experience in the process of maturation of the brain and physical, as well as psycho-emotional development.

Among congenital or unconditioned reflexes, about 15 types are distinguished. It is they who help the child survive the difficult process of adaptation associated with adapting to completely new living conditions. Some of them play a pushing role for acquiring other reflexes, and some even remain with the child for life.

Among the congenital reflexes, several groups can be distinguished:

with the help of which the normal functioning of all systems of the baby is ensured - respiratory, swallowing, sucking, as well as spinal;
with the help of which a weak child's body can protect itself from external stimuli, for example, cold or heat, bright light, etc .;
temporary, play a one-time role in the life of the baby, for example, during labor, when passing through the birth canal, the baby is able to reflexively hold his breath.

Oral reflexes of newborns

This concept should be understood as the ability of the baby to suck on the mother's breast or nipple with artificial feeding, as well as swallow the food received.

Among the main oral reflexes it should be noted:

sucking- begins to manifest itself literally from the first hours of a baby's life. It manifests itself in the form of a child's readiness to grab with his lips any irritants that touch the lips or enter the oral cavity. Active and rhythmic sucking movements provide nutrition to the child and appear until about 1 year of age, after which they begin to gradually subside. ()

Swallowing- with the help of which the child can swallow incoming food.

proboscis- at the slightest touch to the child's lips, he sticks them out, rolled up into a tube, which resembles a proboscis. The circular muscle of the mouth is responsible for this, which involuntarily contracts when touched (often disappears by 2-3 months).

Search or Kussmaul reflex- in which the child lowers the lower lip and turns the head towards the stimulus, actively searching for the mother's breast. There is a reflex with every careful touch to the corners of the baby's mouth and most often also present only in the first months of a child's life.

Palmar-oral or Babkin's reflex- is expressed in the opening of the child's mouth with a simultaneous movement of the head in the direction of the stimulus with a slight, simultaneous pressure on his palms. It is clearly expressed only in the first months and by the third month of the child's life begins to gradually fade away.

spinal- representing a set of specific reactions that indicate the state of the baby's muscular apparatus. Specialists check these reflexes throughout the entire neonatal period.

Protective- activated in the first hours of a child's life. If the baby is laid out on the tummy, his head turns to the side and he tries to lift it (). Thus, by nature, the child has a protective function against respiratory failure.

Grasping and motor responses

Robinson and Yanishevsky reflexes or grasping- are expressed in the grasping movement of both hands of the baby and a fairly strong hold in the handles of mother's fingers. Sometimes the grip force is so strong that in this way it is even possible to slightly lift the child. This reflex begins to weaken by about 3-4 months of a newborn's life. If he accompanies the baby at a later age, then this may indicate the presence of neurological problems.

Babinski reflex or plantar when light stroking of the outer part of the sole of the child is accompanied by the opening of the toes in the form of a fan. At the same time, the back of the foot is slightly bent. This skill is judged by its vigor and symmetry.

Moro reflex- occurs in the form of two phases, which are a specific reaction of the baby to a loud knock or other sharp sound. At the same time, in the first phase, the child spreads the handles to the sides, while unclenching the fingers and straightening the legs. In the second phase, the baby returns to its original position. Sometimes it is called the hug reflex, since in its second phase the child makes a movement that resembles a hug to himself. Remains pronounced until about 5 months of age.

Kernig's reflex- manifests itself in the form of a specific response to attempts to unclench the legs in the knee joints and take them to the sides in the hip joint. In a normal healthy child, this movement is not possible. Appears before the baby reaches 4 months.

Automatic gait reflex or stepping- the baby makes movements with the legs, imitating independent walking. This happens when it is slightly raised, slightly tilting the body forward. At the same time, he should step on the entire foot, which is a good signal. If the feet begin to cling to each other or a child, then this may be a signal to contact a neurologist.

Reflex Galant, which determines the degree of response of the child's spine to external stimuli. The baby should arch the back if you run your finger along the spine (hereinafter,).

This is not a complete list of all reactions. There are some other congenital reactions that a specialist in the maternity hospital will definitely check.

When Should Parents Be Concerned?

In cases where congenital reflexes appear with a weak degree of intensity or are slightly delayed, it is necessary to seek the advice of a specialist. Such deviations may indicate certain health problems, such as:

getting a baby injury during labor;
the presence of certain diseases;
the birth of a child prematurely;
birth with asphyxia;
specific individual reaction to taking certain medications, etc.

The situation will be especially dangerous when reflexes are completely absent due to serious birth injuries, severe intrauterine defects, deep asphyxia. This fact is the basis for emergency resuscitation. However, if the child is helped in a timely manner, then problems can be easily avoided, since the reserves of the baby's body are huge.

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 a child is. 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.

Search reflex or Kussmaul reflex

This reflex belongs to the category of sucking reflexes and completely disappears by the end of the fourth month of a child's life. The reflex itself lies in the fact that when you stroke the corner of the child's mouth with your finger, he will automatically turn his head towards your finger and open his mouth. Also today there are several subspecies of this reflex. If you press the child on the middle of the lower lip, then he begins to tilt his head and at the same time lowers the lower lip and may even open his mouth. If the reflex does not disappear by three months, then it is necessary to consult a doctor for the presence of pathology. It is worth noting that you need to touch it extremely lightly so as not to hurt the child, because otherwise he will turn away and cry.

Proboscis reflex of the newborn

This reflex refers to oral. Disappears by about three months of age. You can call it very simply: just touch the baby’s upper lip and he will begin to stretch his mouth in the form of a “proboscis”. In this case, it is also necessary to consult a doctor to exclude pathology if the reflex has not disappeared before three months.

Babkin palmar-oral reflex

Also applies to oral reflexes. It is called by pressing a finger on the child's palm. As a result of this, the baby will open his mouth and try to move his head forward. When a child is hungry, this reflex is especially pronounced. It is considered normal to consider the disappearance of the reflex by 2-3 months of the life of the crumbs. If the child does not have a palmar-mouth reflex, then this may indicate the presence of problems with the nervous system. The same conclusions can be drawn while maintaining the reflex at an older age. By the presence of deviations from the norm, preliminary conclusions can be drawn about problems with the cervical spine that could arise directly during childbirth.

The sucking reflex of the newborn

This reflex is the main and very well expressed in all completely healthy newborns. In addition, the sucking reflex allows you to determine the degree of maturity of the child. Sucking is a very complex process and is controlled by five pairs of nerves in the skull. It is worth noting that the sucking reflex will be weaker immediately after feeding, and then it will recover again. If the reflex is weak, then you need to check the child for lesions of the brain or nerves that are responsible for this process.

Reflexes in a newborn: what parents should know

The reflex is a very important process that every newborn child should have. They are very simple and help the baby survive and grow stronger in the first months of life. Over time, they begin to weaken and disappear. By the presence, absence or intensity of one or another reflex, one can understand whether the child has deviations in physical development and which ones.

The grasping reflex of the newborn

When you begin to touch the child's palm, he bends his fingers and grabs into his fist what you touched. It is normal when this reflex is very well expressed. In some babies, the grasp reflex is so strong that you can easily lift your baby into the air just by holding onto your finger tightly. It is also possible to cause this reflex by pressing a finger on the ball of the foot. Then the child's fingers begin to automatically bend. Approximately by the end of 4 months of a child's life, the reflex almost completely disappears. Initially, the grasping reflex is the basis for the formation of an arbitrary grasp of an object. If there are problems with the grasp reflex, then most likely it is caused by problems in the cervical spine.

Moro reflex

This reflex refers to spinal automatism. You can call it in different ways. For example. Hit the surface on which the child lies at a distance of 15 cm from him or raise the baby at a time when his legs are unbent. It should be noted that the reflex is divided into two phases. In the first phase, the baby spreads his arms to the sides, completely straightens them and even spreads his fingers. During the second phase, the child returns the handles to their original position. The Moro reflex is very well expressed immediately after the birth of a child. Of course, if the child had an intracranial injury or birth injury of the cervical spine, then such a reflex may not appear or it will be very weak. The Moro reflex gradually disappears by the end of 3-4 months of the baby's life.

Reflex Galant

This reflex is called by irritating the skin along the child's spine. Then the child starts arching. It is worth noting that the leg that is on the side of the stimulus will be fully extended. You can notice the Galant reflex from the end of the first week of a baby's life and it remains up to 3-4 months of life. If the child has problems with the central nervous system, then this reflex may be mild or it may not be there at all.

Reflex support and automatic walking of newborns

If the child is placed vertically, then he will bend his knees. If the baby is brought to the support, then his legs will quickly become straight and he will be able to stand on his foot. If at the same time the newborn is tilted forward a little more, then he will begin to make movements that will very much resemble walking. You should not assume that when a child's legs cross, this is a pathology, because small children have a more pronounced flexion tone. The reflex passes in about 1-1.5 months. If there are problems with the nervous system, then there will be no such reflex.

defensive reflex

You can cause a reflex when the child is laid on his stomach, and at the same time he will turn his head. Such a reflex is available from the first minutes of a child's life. If the child has lesions of the nervous system, then the protective reflex will not be clearly expressed, and if he does not turn his head in a prone position, then the baby may even suffocate. Cerebral palsy also causes the head to be thrown back or its strong rise during turning over on the stomach.

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 an experience in which changes occur in brain cells, physiological changes are observed, and psycho-emotional development occurs.

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 correct sucking process. 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 the mother's breast, which is expressed in the lowering of the lower lip and the parallel movement of the baby's tongue 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 tightly. 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 in a 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 state of health of the child, 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 of intrauterine 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 frustrated if you don't get the 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 must be careful, otherwise the reflexes may be extinguished by the reaction 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 hemorrhage, 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, involving the appointment of pharmacological preparations, massages and special physiotherapy. At the same time, regularity and constant monitoring by a narrow specialist with the implementation of the recommendations issued is important.