Can anyone help with newborn reflexes?

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Hi everyone,

I am doing an assignment on full newborn assessment. One of the things I need to do is describe certain reflexes and what an abnormal response could be caused by. For example, the absence of the Landau reflex can indicate cerebral palsy or gross motor retardation, and the absence of the Magnet reflex can indicate spinal cord damage.

Out of the 13 that I have there are three that I can not find what absence of the reflex would indicate. If anyone has any resources, can you please post? This assignment is due Wednesday morning, 11-13.

Here are the ones I am lacking (I have the definitions already, and how to perform the assessment):

Stepping reflex

Crossed Extension

Extrusion

I just need to know what absence would indicate. Thanks for your help!

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Specializes in CCU/ER.

Hey!

The only one I can find in my book with an indication is the stepping reflex.

My book says,

"Hold infant vertically, allowing one foot to touch table surface. Infant will simulate walking, alternating flexion and extension of feet; term infants walk on soles of their feet, and pre-term infants walk on their toes."

Hope it helps!

Misty

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Thanks Misty! I really appreciate you taking the time to look that up! Any chance your book says what it might mean if they don't respond with that reflex? What would cause absence of the reflex in the infant?

This is driving me crazy! I've spend a lot of time searching the web since I can't find it in any of my books. I also posted to the NICU board in hopes that someone might know. Keep your fingers crossed for me.....

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go to http://www.mosby.com/MERLIN/Wong/maternal/ this is my maternal text and it has a very comphrehensive newborn assessment in it..hopefully you can get in if not pm me

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Thanks Elusive! This is the same book that I have. Most of my information I was able to get from the table on pages 536 to 539, but for the three reflexes I listed, they didn't give an explanation on what it would indicate if there is no response. Have you come across it in any of the reading? I've read all of the newborn chapters, but didn't see it anywhere. But then again, as tired and burnt out as I've been, it might be staring me in the face and I'm just not seeing it! Thanks!

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http://www.zerotothree.org/brainwonders/ped_2mo.html

http://www.therapyedu.com/pedi/chapter9.htm

http://www.babytimes.co.nz/default.asp?Topic_ID=11&domain=1

Check the second one first, it has a bunch of reflexes there, and the third one is the extrusion reflex and what it means. Hope this helps.

M

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Thanks MRed! The third one helped me understand why the extrusion reflex should disappear after the first few months so solid foods can be introduced. Hopefully that description will be acceptable to my instructor.

I got help on the stepping reflex from Kristi on the NICU board. I spoke with some fellow students today who are also having difficulty finding this information, so I am going to ask the instructor to have mercy and share some of her resources with us!

Thanks, everyone, for your help!

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