Rooting Reflex
Onset age: 28 wks gestation
Integration age: 3 months
Stimulus: Stroke the corner of the mouth, upper lip, and lower lip.
Response: Movement of the tongue, mouth, and/or head towards stimulus.
Relevance: Allows searching for and locating feeding source.
Suck-Swallow Reflex
Onset age: 28 wks gestation
Integration age: 2-5 months
Stimulus: Place examiner's index finger inside infant's mouth with head in midline.
Response: Strong, rhythmical sucking.
Relevance: Allows ingestion of nourishment.
Traction Reflex
Onset age: 28 wks gestation
Integration age: 2-5 months
Stimulus: Grasp infant's forearms and pull-to-sit.
Response: Complete flexion of UE.
Relevance: Enhances momentary reflexive grasp.
Moro Reflex
Onset: 28 wks gestation
Integration age: 4-6 months
Stimulus: Rapidly drop infant's head backwards.
Response: First, arm extension/abduction, hand opening, then arm flexion and adduction.
Relevance: Facilitates ability to depart from dominant flexor postu
Plantar Grasp Reflex
Onset age: 28 wks gestation
Integration age: 9 months
Stimulus: Apply pressure with thumb on the infant's ball of the foot.
Response: Toe flexion.
Relevance: Increases tactile input to sole of foot.
Galant Reflex
Onset age: 32 wks gestation
Integration age: 2 months
Stimulus: Hold infant in prone suspension, gently scratch or tap alongside the spine with finger, from shoulder to buttocks.
Response: Lateral trunk flexion and wrinkling of the skin on the stimulated
Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex
Onset age: 37 wks gestation
Integration age: 4-6 months
Stimulus: Fully rotate infant's head and hold for 5 seconds.
Response: Extension of extremities on the face side, flexion of extremities on the skull side.
Relevance: Promotes visual hand regard.
Palmar Grasp Reflex
Onset age: 37 wks gestation
Integration age: 4-6 months
Stimulus: Place examiner's finger in child's palm.
Response: Finger flexion; reflexive grasp.
Relevance: Increases tactile input on the palm of hand.
Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex- Supine
Onset age: >37 wks gestation
Integration age: 6 months
Stimulus: Place infant in supine.
Response: Increased extensor tone.
Relevance: Facilitates total-body extensor tone.
Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex- Prone
Onset age: >37 wks gestation
Integration age: 6 months
Stimulus: Place infant in prone.
Response: Increased flexor tone.
Relevance: Facilitates total-body flexor tone.
Labyrinthine/Optical (head) Righting Reflex
Onset age: birth-2 months
Integration: Persists
Stimulus: Hold infant suspended vertically and tilt slowly (about 45 degrees) to the side, forward, or backward.
Response: Upright positioning of the head.
Relevance: Orients head in space; maintains face ve
Landau Reflex
Onset age: 3-4 months
Integration age: 12-24 months
Stimulus: Hold infant in horizontal prone suspension.
Response: Complete extension of head, trunk, and extremities.
Relevance: Breaks up flexor dominance; facilitates prone extension.
Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex
Onset age: 4-6 months
Integration age: 8-12 months
Stimulus: Place infant in crawling position and extend head.
Response: Flexion of hips and knees.
Relevance: Breaks up total extensor posture; facilitates static quadruped position.
Neck Righting (NOB) Reflex
Onset age: 4-6 months
Integration age: 5 years
Stimulus; Place infant in supine and fully turn head to one side.
Response: Log rolling of the entire body to maintain alignment with head.
Relevance: Maintains head/body alignment; initiates rolling (first a
Body Righting (BOB) Reflex
Onset age: 4-6 months
Integration age: 5 years
Stimulus: Place infant in supine, flex one hip and knee towards the chest and hold briefly.
Response: Segmental log rolling of the upper trunk to maintain alignment.
Relevance: Facilitates trunk/spinal rotati
Downward Parachute (protective extension downward)
Onset age: 4 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: Rapidly lower infant towards supporting surface while suspended vertically.
Response: Extension of the lower extremities.
Relevance: Allows accurate placement of lower extremities in anticipation of
Forward Parachute (protective extension forward)
Onset age: 6-9 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: Suddenly tip infant forward towards supporting surface while suspended vertically.
Response: Sudden extension of upper extremities, hand opening, and neck extension.
Relevance: Allows accurate plac
Sideways Parachute (protective extension sideways)
Onset age: 7 months
Integration: Persists
Stimulus: Quickly but firmly tip infant off-balance to the side while in the sitting position.
Response: Arm extension and abduction to the side.
Relevance: Protects body to prevent a fall; supports body for unila
Backwards Parachute (protective extension backwards)
Onset age: 9-10 months
Integration: Persists
Stimulus: Tip infant off-balance backwards.
Response: Backward arm extension or arm extension to one side.
Relevance: Protects body to prevent a fall; unilaterally facilitates spinal rotation.
Prone Tilting
Onset age: 5 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: After positioning infant in prone, slowly raise one side of the supporting surface.
Response: Curving of the spine towards raised side (opposite pull of gravity); abduction/extension of arms and legs
Supine Tilting and Sitting Tilting
Onset age: 7-8 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: After positioning infant in supine or sitting, slowly raise one side ot the supporting surface.
Response: Curving of the spine towards raised side (opposite pull of gravity); abduction/extension of
Quadruped Tilting
Onset age: 9-12 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: After positioning infant on all fours, slowly raise one side of the supporting surface.
Response: Curving of the spine towards raised side (opposite pull of gravity); abduction/extension of arms a
Standing Tilting
Onset age: 12-21 months
Integration age: Persists
Stimulus: After positioning infant in standing, slowly raise one side of the supporting surface.
Response: Curving of the spine towards raised side (opposite pull of gravity); abduction/extension of arms a