Understanding Primary Reflexes and Child Development

Posted on Mar 7, 2025 in Physical Education

Unit 3: Primary Reflexes

Primary reflexes are the previous step of voluntary motor activity and movements.

They are automatic movements that happen after a specific stimulus in the first months of life.

In a newborn baby, they are produced in the subcortex because of the unfinished development of the brain.

They are useful to identify normal brain activity (no Motor Neuron Disease).

Their main aim is to protect the child’s life.

Children need time to take control over reflexes.

Types of Primary Reflexes:

Rooting: The baby will turn their head and open their mouth to follow and “root” in the direction of the stroking. This helps the baby find the breast or bottle to begin feeding.
Sucking: Rooting helps the baby become ready to suck. When the roof of the baby’s mouth is touched, the baby will begin to suck. It appears in the 32nd week of pregnancy and is not fully developed until about 36 weeks.
Moro: This reflex usually occurs when a baby is startled (frightened) by a loud sound or movement. The baby throws back their head, extends out the arms and legs, cries, then pulls the arms and legs back in. A baby’s own cry can startle them and trigger this reflex. This reflex lasts about 5 to 6 months.
Tonic Neck Reflex: When a baby’s head is turned to one side, the arm on that side stretches out and the opposite arm bends up at the elbow. This is often called the “fencing” position. The tonic neck reflex lasts about 6 to 7 months.
Grasp: Stroking the palm of a baby’s hand causes the baby to close their fingers in a grasp. The grasp reflex lasts until about 5 to 6 months of age.
Babinski: When the sole of the foot is firmly stroked, the big toe bends back toward the top of the foot and the other toes fan out. This is a normal reflex up to about 2 years of age.
Step: This reflex is also called the walking or dance reflex because a baby appears to take steps or dance when held upright with their feet touching a solid surface.
Righting: Gently drop a blanket over your baby’s face. They’ll automatically shake their head from side to side and flail their arms until it falls off—it’s your baby’s way of protecting themself.

Voluntary Movements

Voluntary movements are an important skill that involves the infant interacting with their environment and objects. A baby’s initial attempt to reach, grasp, and manipulate an object is an important sign of voluntary movements. The first sign of voluntary reach and grasp is around 4 months of age. The reach and grasp seem to appear simultaneously.

Grasping Development

4 months: Grasping is controlled by the shoulders and arms; incapable of making contact with the object.
5 months: Grasping is controlled by wrist, hand, and finger control; plus thumb in opposition to the fingers; crude contact with object.
6 months: A primitive squeeze grasp emerges (fingers close around the object).
9 months: Grasping can be controlled by thumb and one finger (pincer-like control); fingertips of the 3 fingers oppose the action of the thumb in the grasp.
13 months: Four fingers grasp.
18 months: The child can finally release the object.

Bimanual Control

By 4 to 5 months: Children could only manipulate one toy at a time.
By the 6th month: The children could reach and grasp two toys.
By the 9th month: The child can manipulate 3 toys.
By 18 months: The child is using both hands about 30% of the time.

Gait or Walk

Depends on the acquisition of voluntary head movements:

1 month of age: little or no control.
2 months: elevates the head when prone with effort.
3 months: position of the head left to right or right to left when prone.
5 months: elevates head when spine.

Once the chest can be elevated, the child will attempt to roll from a supine position to a prone position. This is important because it enables the child to attain a proper position for crawling.

First Crawling

Emerges around 7 to 8 months of age.
Involves thrusting the arms forward and then flexing so they drag their body along the surface.

Creeping

Is elevated crawling with only the arms and knees.
Can be contralateral (limbs in opposition) or homolateral (limbs on the same side moving in the same direction).

Walking Development

10 months: Walk with assistance.
11 months: Walk by being led.
12 months: Walking independently.

The arms have a high carriage, very wide base of support, knees are in the flexed position, toes pointed out, length of strides are highly inconsistent, and lateral stability is poor.

Muscle Tone

Definition

Muscle tone is a partial state of contraction of a skeletal muscle to maintain the optimal length during a resting condition, even when force is applied to elongate the muscle.

What to Observe in a Newborn

Nice and strong twinkle (Chander Eliot, 1970).
Wiggling and squirming movements are the basis of all higher motor development.
No wiggly or fidgety movements between 6 and 20 weeks: “floppy babies” (movement and learning difficulties).

Hypertonia (High Muscle Tone)

Muscle is shorter than normal/average. Feels tight or rigid.

Hypotonia (Low Muscle Tone)

Muscles are longer than normal/average. Feels floppy, flexible and mushy.

Erikson’s Stages

1. Infancy: Birth – 18 Months Old

Basic Trust vs. Mistrust – Hope

During the first or second year of life, the major emphasis is on the mother and father’s nurturing ability and care for a child, especially in terms of visual contact and touch. The child will develop optimism, trust, confidence, and security if properly cared for and handled. If a child does not experience trust, he or she may develop insecurity, worthlessness, and general mistrust to the world.

2. Toddler / Early Childhood Years: 18 Months to 3 Years

Autonomy vs. Shame – Will

At this point, the child has an opportunity to build self-esteem and autonomy as he or she learns new skills and right from wrong. The well-cared-for child is sure of himself, carrying himself or herself with pride rather than shame. During this time of the “terrible twos”, defiance, temper tantrums, and stubbornness can also appear. Children tend to be vulnerable during this stage, sometimes feeling shame and low self-esteem during an inability to learn certain skills.

3. Preschooler: 3 to 5 Years

Initiative vs. Guilt – Purpose

During this period, we experience a desire to copy the adults around us and take initiative in creating play situations. We make up stories with Barbie’s and Ken’s, toy phones and miniature cars, playing out roles in a trial universe, experimenting with what we believe it means to be an adult.

Relaxation

Mostly related to the tonic condition of the infant (muscle tone).
To educate in relaxation helps to reduce corporal stress or tension.
In psychomotricity, relaxation helps for a good function of the body and prepares the child also in a psychic way. In some cases, as a therapy.
It is a way of disconnection from the environment in benefit of being conscious of the own body and its effects.
In an educational ambit, it is used to make children conscious of their corporal scheme.

Aims of Relaxation

To reduce physical and psychological tension.
To improve the voluntary perception of the different body parts and their grade of tension and distension.
To improve coordination of movements (more control).
It is related to the consciousness of our breathing.
To create a regular habit of relaxation and breathing practice.

A Good Relaxation Session

Duration: Not too long, child have difficulties to maintain their attention.
Temperature: Nice and warm.
Environment: Calm, without distraction.
Floor: Comfortable, not too big mats.
Illumination: Not too clear and not too dark (dim light).
Clothes: Comfortable and adequate to do any movements.
Teacher position: Out of the group.
Voice: Monotone.
Content: Close to the students, easy symbols and metaphors.

How Relaxation is Adequate?

Relaxation as a game.
Start in a silent atmosphere, like telling a story.
Use examples of unequal animals that really have difference between them (rabbit-turtle, cat-mouse, elephant-ant,…).
Try to make them stay in the position of the mentioned animal and reproduce antagonistic movements (slow-fast, tense-relaxed, loud-silence,…).
Use objects or plush toys they can press.
Also use the idea of a balloon how they inflate their lungs.
Make them imagine situations of comfortability, things they like, experiences…
Mandala paintings (fine motricity).

Breathing

To take air/oxygen into your lungs and expel it, to inhale and exhale.

Breathing in Psychomotricity

Control is good for the execution of the tasks.
Rhythm changes depending on the situations.
Make children conscious of their breathing depending on the situations.
Learn how to control respiration.

Activities to Control Breathing

Breathe in and out through mouth.
Breathe in and out through nose.
Mixed breathing.
Long and short, deep or light breathing.
Stop breathing and maintain it (voluntary control).

Breathing Situations

Conscious and control breathing.
Relaxed breathing.
Activity breathing.
Calm down breathing.