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Persistence of primitive reflexes and associated motor problems in healthy preschool children
Ewa Z Gieysztor1, Anna M Choińska2, Małgorzata Paprocka-Borowicz1
1Rehabilitation Developmental Laboratory, Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
Insights
Retained primitive reflexes are common in 4-6 year olds and negatively impact psychomotor development. Early intervention through reflexes integration therapy can improve motor skills and prevent developmental challenges.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Psychology
- Motor Development
Background:
- Retained primitive reflexes can impede natural development, affecting social, educational, and psychomotor progress in children.
- Maturation of the central nervous system is crucial for transitioning from primitive reflexes to cortically controlled responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of primitive reflexes in healthy 4-6 year old children.
- To analyze the impact of retained primitive reflexes on psychomotor development.
Main Methods:
- Study included 35 healthy preschool children aged 4-6 years.
- Utilized primitive reflexes tests (Sally Goddard) and the Motor Proficiency - Test (MOT 4-6 test).
Main Results:
- 65% of children exhibited residual primitive reflexes; 11% had none.
- Lower motor efficiency correlated with the severity of retained reflexes (p < 0.05).
- Psychomotor abilities ranged from "altered development" (9%) to "very good development" (3%), with 59% in the "normal" category.
Conclusions:
- Reflexes integration therapy is recommended for children with low psychomotor skills.
- Routine testing of primitive reflexes can aid early psychomotor development and prevent future social and academic difficulties.
Introduction:
Retained primitive reflexes can disturb natural development and involve difficulties in social and educational children's life. They can also impact on psychomotor development. Mature responses in a child's psychomotor progress can only occur if the central nervous system itself has reached maturity. The process consist the transition made from brain stem reflex response to cortically controlled response. This study define the occurrence of primitive reflexes in healthy 4-6 years old children and analyze the impact of survived primitive reflexes on psychomotor development.
Material And Methods:
The study involved 35 participants aged 4-6 years healthy preschool children. The study tools were: primitive reflexes tests by Sally Goddard for children and Motor Proficiency - Test (MOT 4-6 test) in 18 tasks.
Results:
Over a half (65%) preschool children had survived the primitive reflexes on the residual level. Eleven percent of them had no retained primitive reflexes. According to the psychomotor ability, 9% of the children were in the category of "altered development", 29% in "delayed development", 59% in "normal" and 3% in "very good development". The greater the severity of the reflex, the motor efficiency was lower (p < 0.05).
Conclusions:
It seems reasonable to introduce reflexes integration therapy in children's with low psychomotor skills. Primitive reflexes routinely tested, can contribute to improved early psychomotor development in children with needs, thus preventing many difficulties which children can encounter within their social and school life.
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