1.Hug reflex
It appears after birth and disappears at 6 months of age. If it does not appear within 3 months or does not disappear at 6 months, it is abnormal. In spastic cerebral palsy, the tendon reflex is active, but if the muscle tone is extremely high, this reflex may not be elicited.
Examination: The person is examined in a semi-supine position, and the stimulus applied during the examination is to drop the head from behind.
Negative response: Mild startle response or no response is seen.
Positive response: The upper limb is abducted, externally rotated or flexed, and each finger is extended and abducted.
2.Holding reflex
It gradually disappears in 3 to 4 months under normal conditions, and lasts longer in cerebral palsy, and the hand is often in the shape of a clenched fist.
Examination method: Lie on your back or sit down and press the palm of your hand from the ulnar side with your index finger or a small stick.
Positive response: The child’s fingers are rapidly flexed and clenched.
3.Tension vagal reflex
Extensor pattern in supine position, flexor pattern in prone position. Positive within 2 months in normal children. Continuous positive, affects normal motor development.
4.Tension neck reflex
Symmetrical tense neck reflex: pick up from the prone position and hold the head in forward flexion and dorsal extension as far as possible.
Positive response: when the head is flexed, the upper limb is flexed and the lower limb is extended; when the head is extended, the upper limb is straightened and the lower limb is flexed. Normal children turn negative at about 5 months of age.
5.Asymmetrical neck tension reflex
Normally, it is obvious within 1 month after birth and disappears at 4 to 5 months of age. It persists in children with cerebral palsy and affects the development of turning movements.
Examination method: The patient is placed in a supine position with the face upwards, the head in the middle position and the upper and lower limbs in the extended position. The stimulus applied during the examination is to make the head turn to the other side.
Negative reaction: The examined child’s limbs do not respond regardless of which side the child’s head is turned to.
Positive response: When the head is turned to the lateral side, the tension of the upper and lower limbs in the extension or extensor muscles on the side of the face increases, while the tension of the upper and lower limbs in the flexion or flexor muscles on the other side increases.
6.Protective reflex does not appear
When a normal child is held in an upright position at 1 month, the child can hold his head upright, and at 4 months, when the child’s trunk is tilted to the left and right in an upright position, the child can keep his head in a neutral position. This reflex does not appear in children with cerebral palsy. Normal 4-6 month olds can extend their upper limbs when they are suddenly tilted into a sitting position, but this action does not occur in children with cerebral palsy. 8-9 month olds can elicit the “parachute reflex”, but not in children with cerebral palsy.