Persistence of Primitive Reflexes in Developmental Disorders

Brief Report: Differential Persistence of Primary Reflexes for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Replication

Primary reflexes are highly stereotypical, automatic movements comprising much of the motor repertoire of newborns. The current study examined rates of presence of five primary reflexes (snout, visual rooting, sucking, tactile rooting, and grasp) and variables predictive of their persistence for children with ASD (n = 35), developmental disability (n = 30), and typically developing children matched to participants with ASD on chronological age (n = 30). There was a higher prevalence of snout and visual rooting reflex among children with ASD. These data suggest that the persistence of primary reflexes holds promise as a biomarker for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The Feel of Speech: Multisystem and Polymodal Somatosensation in Speech Production

PURPOSE

The oral structures such as the tongue and lips have remarkable somatosensory capacities, but understanding the roles of somatosensation in speech production requires a more comprehensive knowledge of somatosensation in the speech production system in its entirety, including the respiratory, laryngeal, and supralaryngeal subsystems. This review was conducted to summarize the system-wide somatosensory information available for speech production.

METHOD

The search was conducted with PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar for articles published until November 2023. Numerous search terms were used in conducting the review, which covered the topics of psychophysics, basic and clinical behavioral research, neuroanatomy, and neuroscience.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The current understanding of speech somatosensation rests primarily on the two pillars of psychophysics and neuroscience. The confluence of polymodal afferent streams supports the development, maintenance, and refinement of speech production. Receptors are both canonical and noncanonical, with the latter occurring especially in the muscles innervated by the facial nerve. Somatosensory representation in the cortex is disproportionately large and provides for sensory interactions. Speech somatosensory function is robust over the lifespan, with possible declines in advanced aging. The understanding of somatosensation in speech disorders is largely disconnected from research and theory on speech production. A speech somatoscape is proposed as the generalized, system-wide sensation of speech production, with implications for speech development, speech motor control, and speech disorders.

Reliable change in developmental outcomes of Brain Balance® participants stratified by baseline severity

The effects of comprehensive multimodal programs on developmental outcomes have not been well-studied. Emerging evidence suggests a possible role for the Brain Balance® (BB) program, a multimodal training program, in serving as a nonpharmacologic approach to addressing cognitive, attentional, and emotional issues in youth. In this analysis, we examined the effects of 3 months of participation in the BB program on the outcomes of children and adolescents with developmental difficulties (N = 4,041; aged 4-18 years; 69.7% male). Parent-rated scores on the Brain Balance-Multidomain Developmental Survey (BB-MDS) were used to assess six areas at baseline and post-program: (1) negative emotionality; (2) reading/writing difficulties; (3) hyperactive/disruptive behavior; (4) academic disengagement; (5) motor/coordination problems; and (6) social communication problems. To estimate change from pre- to post-program, we calculated effect size (Cohen's d) and the Reliable Change Index (RCI) for groups stratified by baseline severity. There was a very large effect size for the moderate/high severity (d = 1.63) and extreme severity (d = 2.08) groups, and a large effect size for the mild severity group (d = 0.87). The average percentage of participants who observed reliable change over all BB-MDS domains was 60.1% (RCICTT) for extreme severity, 46.6% (RCICTT) for moderate/high severity, and 21.1% (RCICTT) for baseline mild severity. In additional assessments of primitive reflexes and sensory motor activity, students demonstrated significantly diminished primitive reflexes from pre- to post-participation and significant improvements in sensory motor skills including fine motor skills, gait and aerobic ability, proprioception, rhythm and timing, and eye-gaze stability. Overall, these results demonstrate improvements in primitive reflex integration and sensory motor skills, as well as statistically significant reliable change in emotionality, reading/writing, behavior, academic engagement, motor skills, and social communication in BB participants from pre- to post-program, with the probability and degree of change increasing as the participants' baseline severity increases. These results contribute to the growing literature on the need for evidence-based nonpharmacologic approaches to addressing developmental issues. Future research with well-controlled designs, longitudinal follow-up, implementation across settings, and participant groups in which diagnoses are known, will help to more fully characterize the effects of the BB program.

The Relationship between Retained Primitive Reflexes and Hemispheric Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorders

BACKGROUND

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be identified by a general tendency toward a reduction in the expression of low-band, widely dispersed integrative activities, which is made up for by an increase in localized, high-frequency, regionally dispersed activity. The study assessed ASD children and adults all possessing retained primitive reflexes (RPRs) compared with a control group that did not attempt to reduce or remove those RPRs and then examined the effects on qEEG and brain network connectivity.

METHODS

Analysis of qEEG spectral and functional connectivity was performed, to identify associations with the presence or absence of retained primitive reflexes (RPRs), before and after an intervention based on TENS unilateral stimulation.

RESULTS

The results point to abnormal lateralization in ASD, including long-range underconnectivity, a greater left-over-right qEEG functional connectivity ratio, and short-range overconnectivity in ASD.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical improvement and the absence of RPRs may be linked to variations in qEEG frequency bands and more optimized brain networks, resulting in more developmentally appropriate long-range connectivity links, primarily in the right hemisphere.

Front and center: Maturational dysregulation of frontal lobe functional neuroanatomic connections in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Frontal lobe function may not universally explain all forms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but the frontal lobe hypothesis described supports an internally consistent model for integrating the numerous behaviors associated with ADHD. The paper examines the developmental trajectories of frontal and prefrontal lobe development, framing ADHD as maturational dysregulation concluding that the cognitive, motor, and behavioral abilities of the presumptive majority of ADHD children may not primarily be disordered or dysfunctional but reflect maturational dysregulation that is inconsistent with the psychomotor and cognitive expectations for the child’s chronological and mental age. ADHD children demonstrate decreased activation of the right and middle prefrontal cortex. Prefrontal and frontal lobe regions have an exuberant network of shared pathways with the diencephalic region, also having a regulatory function in arousal as well as with the ascending reticular formation which has a capacity for response suppression to task-irrelevant stimuli. Prefrontal lesions oftentimes are associated with the regulatory breakdown of goal-directed activity and impulsivity. In conclusion, a presumptive majority of childhood ADHD may result from maturational dysregulation of the frontal lobes with effects on the direct, indirect and/or, hyperdirect pathways.

Retained Primitive Reflexes and Potential for Intervention in Autistic Spectrum Disorders

We provide evidence to support the contention that many aspects of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are related to interregional brain functional disconnectivity associated with maturational delays in the development of brain networks. We think a delay in brain maturation in some networks may result in an increase in cortical maturation and development in other networks, leading to a developmental asynchrony and an unevenness of functional skills and symptoms. The paper supports the close relationship between retained primitive reflexes and cognitive and motor function in general and in ASD in particular provided to indicate that the inhibition of RPRs can effect positive change in ASD.

Primitive Reflex Activity in Relation to Motor Skills in Healthy Preschool Children

Psychomotor development in the first year of life is possible due to activity and then integration of primitive (neonatal) reflexes. The presence of active primitive reflexes (APRs) in preschool and school-aged children indicates neuromotor immaturity. Studies show dependencies between the preserved activity of primary reflexes and developmental problems such as learning difficulties (problems with reading, writing, reduced mathematics skills, and dyslexia), difficulties with coordination, and attention deficit. The primary purpose of this study is to present the activity of three tonic reflexes in a sample of 112 Polish children aged 4–6 in relation to their motor skills. The children were examined for the presence of the asymmetric tonic neck reflex (ATNR), symmetric tonic neck reflex (STNR), and tonic labyrinthine reflex (TLR). Motor performance was examined with the MOT 4–6. Statistical analysis shows an inverse correlation between the score in the test of reflexes and motor efficiency (MOT 4–6) at p < 0.05 (−0.33). Children with increased reflex activity presented a lower level of motor efficiency. The multiple regression model showed that with the older age of the child and the decrease in the level of reflex activity, the motor skills of children improve. Thus, there is a need for early screening of primitive reflexes in children. Properly selected exercises and therapeutic activities aimed at integrating APRs in children with developmental difficulties can improve their motor skills, perceptual abilities, and emotional behavior.