Craniosacral Test and Primitive Reflexes in Infant Neurodevelopment

Summary

Question(s): Can active primitive reflexes (APR) and cranial blocks (CB) in healthy children interfere with neurological balance causing psycho-behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions? Design: Cross-sectional and descriptive study analyzing perinatal, neurobehavioral and physiotherapeutic parameters. Participants: School population of both genders (n=120) divided in two groups: 3-6 years old (n=60) and 6-8 years old (n=60). Intervention: Systematic evaluation of the children based on a parent survey, assessment by teachers and physiotherapeutic exploration. Outcome measures: Perinatal (surveyed parents) and neurobehavioral problems (assessed by teachers) were related to the presence of RPA and BC (analyzed by physiotherapeutic exploration).

Key words: primitive reflexes, craniosacral disfunctions, neurodevelopment, childhood, early diagnosis, screening.

Conditions

• Child Development Disorder

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Series of questions to parents of children in a virtual form.

A questionnaire of 5 questions was provided in an online format addressed to the parents or legal representatives of each child. These questions were related to the child's own aspects (behavioral, psychomotor and cognitive parameters), as well as parameters oriented to the mother (pregnancy and childbirth).

OTHER

Intervention by teachers

The school teachers examined neurobehavioral aspects of the students using the "Battelle Developmental Inventory" (BDI), which assesses five areas of development (personal/social, adaptive, motor, communicative and cognitive) between 2 and 8 years of age. The results are assigned in age-adjusted percentages, classified as: low (0-50%), normal (50-80%) and high (80-100%). Low and high values are considered impairments in one or more of the evaluated areas.

PROCEDURE

Physiotherapeutic evaluation

A physiotherapeutic evaluation of the state of the RP and craniosacral system was performed according to the method of Andrzej Pilat and John E. Upledger. The 14 primitive reflexes explored were: Moro reflex, cervical asymmetric, supine labyrinthine tonic, prone labyrinthine tonic, palmar grasp, plantar grasp, lateral trunk propulsion, parachute, Galant, search, cervical symmetric, Babinski, cochleo-palpebral and acoustic. These reflexes were considered as: inactive (0), or active (1). In the evaluation of the craniosacral system, the following parameters were explored: dura mater sway, frontal bone, parietal bones, temporal bones, temporomandibular joint and sphenoid bone. These parameters were considered as: normal (0), or blockage (1).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Clinica Gema Leon

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Irene Cantarero, Study Chair · Universidad de Córdoba

• Javier Caballero Villarraso, Study Direct · Universidad de Córdoba

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

3 Years

Max Age

8 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-12-01

Primary Completion

2021-12-30

Completion

2022-02-05

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations