Retained primitive reflexes in children, clinical implications and targeted home-based interventions
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Retained primitive reflexes in children, clinical implications and targeted home-based interventions

Miyuru Chandradasa Lecturer in psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama, Sri Lanka and consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka
Layani Rathnayake Specialist registrar, Latrobe Regional Hospital, Traralgon VIC, Australia

This article discusses problems such as learning difficulties and behavioural problems that children may experience when they have retained primitive reflexes, which are typically only present in the first few months of life. The authors outline different types of primitive reflex present in infants and how each may affect a child when retained beyond the time when they are normally inhibited. Where relevant health professionals with expertise in this area are not available, children’s nurses may need to assess and manage children with retained reflexes. This article explains how a nurse can assess a child for each primitive reflex and describes exercises that can be taught to a child and his or her parents to carry out at home to reintegrate the reflex.

Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2019.e1132

Peer review

This article has been subject to open peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

miyuruc@kln.ac.lk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Chandradasa M, Rathnayake L (2019) Retained primitive reflexes in children, clinical implications and targeted home-based interventions. Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2019.e1132

Published online: 24 April 2019

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more