7/29/2019 Reflexe1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/reflexe1 1/4

Reflexes

 – We concentrate on the

primary reflexes that are known to affect progress. It isdue to the retention of these reflexes that a person’s automatic

natural skills and control are prevented from developing properly. 

The following section explains briefly what these reflexes do and how they

cause interference when they are retained beyond their normal time span : 

Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) 

 

 

The retention of this reflex causes the most interference with a

child’s learning process. It is responsible for problems with: 

  -problems with handwriting is the most obvious

casualty of the retained ATNR – each time a child turns his

head to look at the page, his arm will want to extend and the

fingers will want to open. Holding and working a pen or pencil

for any length of time will require This leads

to very heavy pencil grip and tension in the body. All the

energy is now going into the writing and distracts attention

from the writing content. Some children learn

to compensate with an immature pencil grip. Writing may

slope in different directions from one side of the page to the

other so the child may rotate the page as much as 90 degrees

when writing in an attempt to “accommodate” the effect of 

ATNR.

 

7/29/2019 Reflexe1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/reflexe1 2/4

  - Eye tracking difficulties - when reading the eyes do

not move smoothly from one side of the page to the other,

they frequently jump. This can result in loosing your place,

loss of accuracy and loss of comprehension. 

   – Child may use left foot, right hand, left ear

or child may use left and right hands interchangeably for the

same task. The effect of mixed laterality can be failure to send

information to the most efficient centre of the brain for that

skill. Competition between 2 centres may occur, which is very

like two people trying to drive the same car. 

 

This reflex allows the baby to straighten its arms and bend its legs

when it looks up. The STNR reflex is present in normal development

for a relatively short time span and is normally lost at 8 months

after birth. If it is not lost, it can affect a child’s ability to crawl on

hands and knees. Crawling is a major developmental milestone, as a

baby crawls, as well as looking ahead, babies also learn hand-eye

coordination from the movement of the hands.

 

 

 

  poor posture 

  tendency to slump when sitting, particularly at a desk 

  poor hand-eye coordination 

  messy eating 

  clumsy 

  problem catching balls 

7/29/2019 Reflexe1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/reflexe1 3/4

  slow at copying from blackboard 

 

The Moro Reflex should disappear at 2-4 months and should be

replaced by the adult “Startle” reflex. The Moro reflex is a response

to unexpected changes within the infant’s environment and acts as

the infants’ “fight of flight” response. The prolonged retention of 

this reflex can be highly disruptive to a child’s development. 

 

  Poor coordination (particularly during ball games) – which

leads to poor sequencing and memory skills 

  Balance problems 

  Motion sickness 

  Sensitivity to bright lights 

  Difficulty reading black print on white paper 

  Tires easily under fluorescent lights 

  Dislike of loud noises 

  Easily distracted 

  Allergies and lower immunity 

  Dislike of change- child may be clingy or shy 

 

The TLR is the opposite of STNR; when a baby looks up TLR causes

the baby to straighten it’s legs and arms, likewise when the head

goes down the limbs fold in. This reflex should be fully present

from the time of birth to 4 months old. It is active during the

7/29/2019 Reflexe1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/reflexe1 4/4

birthing process. It is linked to and . If this

reflex persists it will disrupt balance and gross motor skills. 

 

  Poor posture 

  Tendency to walk forward on toes 

  Weak at ball skills 

  Poor articulation – due to an extension of the tongue in the

mouth pronunciation is distorted. 

 

This reflex is present at birth, and should disappear by the time the

baby is 9 months old. 

 

  Restlessness 

  Fidgeting 

  Inability to sit still. 

  is sometimes associated with this reflex 

  A tendency to dislike tight clothing around the waist. 

  Poor concentration and short term memory, making it difficult

to take in and process information.