Primitive Reflex Effect on Infant with Delayed Motor Development

초록

The development of voluntary motor actions by an infant depends on a declining intensity of the primitive reflexes. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relation of primitive reflexes and motor development during the second 6 months of life. Allinfants were refered to our Development Evaluation Clinic from January 1,1996 to March 30,1997 were included in this study. Identical evaluations were performed on 49 risk infants at eight months of age. Their primitive reflexes were graded on a 0-2 scale - 0 being an inability to elicit the responses passively, 1 being intermediate degree, 2 being obligatory. Primitive reflexes studied were;asymetric tonic neck reflex(ATNR),tonic labyrinthine reflex on supine(TLS),Moro reflex(Moro). Voluntary activities observed included rolling prone to supine, rolling supine to prone ans sitting unsupported. The Mantal-Haenszel chi-square for trend test was used to study the association of primitive reflexes and motor development in infants with delayed evelopment. Roling prone to supine was significantly affected with the ATNR, and then the TLS,but was not affected with the Moro reflex. Rolling supine to prone was significantly affected with the ATNR and the Moro reflex,the the TLS. Sitting unsupported was affected with the TLS,but was not affected with the ATNR,and the Moro reflex.This study demonstrates that the retained primitive reflexes at second six months of age affect on early motor development of infants.