Course:KIN355/2020 Projects/Stepping Reflex

Defining the Concept and Its Importance

The stepping reflex is an involuntary response where the infant makes stepping movements when held upright with their feet touching a flat surface (Kuther, 2019); which could eventually promote the voluntary movement of walking (Gabbard, 2018). Normally the stepping reflex can be found as early as a week after birth and can last up to 4 months (Gabbard, 2018). The stepping reflex can be observed by placing the infant in an upright position with their feet touching a flat surface (Gabbard, 2018). With the pressure of the flat surface to the infants feet, it will cause the infant to lift their knee as if they are going through the motion of walking (Gabbard, 2018).

According to Kenneth Wible, the medical director of the Pediatric Care Center at Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics, it is important to monitor the stepping reflex as it helps prepare the infant to learn how to walk; he also suggests that it is an automatic primitive instinct in humans. Studies have shown that the stepping reflex is crucial to an infant's development as the reflex serves as one the many factors that helps produce more complex motor movements like walking (Zelazo. Zelazo, Cohen, & Zelazo 1993). This is thought that as new skills develop (ex:walking) it requires a combination of cognitive/central instruction but also requires perceptual, attentional and body awareness instruction (Thelen,1986). With all the complex parts in a movement skill, it is easily understood why some reflexes may be inhibited or hidden behind movements (Thelen, 1986). Thelen also mentions that while some components are displayed, the final stages of that movement would not be displayed until the movement is sufficiently developed (Thelen, 1986). This could be why the researchers argued that the stepping reflex disappears as the infant grows older. Furthermore, this could be the reason why researchers proposed that delayed signs of stepping movement could result in a postponed maturation of walking (Kuther, 2019).

Role in Childhood Development and Contemporary Considerations

Traditional studies of the stepping reflex describe it as a primitive reflex that is suppressed as the infant matures (Thelen, Fisher, & Ridley-Johnson 2002). Others have also suggested that the stepping reflex reshapes as learning progresses and is later used to reinforce the walking movement (Thelen et al., 2002). Furthermore, the stepping reflex was also thought of as an indicator for central nervous system dysfunction if the child displays the reflex for too long (Thele et al., 2002). A new study has argued that the stepping reflex does not necessarily disappear but instead, rapid weight gain and the ability to be in an upright position limits the opportunity for the reflex to show (Thelen et al., 2002). The traditional idea of the stepping reflex was contested because new research has found that when the infant is laying on their back, the movement patterns of the stepping reflex did not disappear with age (Thelen et al., 2002). The modern theory by Thelen and researchers found the idea that infants grow at a very rapid speed in the first few months of life and that there is an asymmetric growing rate of body fat to muscle mass (Thelen et al., 2002). The modern research carried out by Thelene and researchers studied 3 groups of infants. The first group of infants were known as the control group; where the researchers counted the number of steps that the infants had done in one minute. The second group of infants had weights added to their overall body mass and proceeded the same experiment as the control group. The last group of infants were placed in water and the same experiment was implemented as the control group. Thelen et al., (2002) found that the infants that had the weights added to their body resulted in an average of 13% less stepping than the control group. The infants who were observed in the water almost doubled the steps in the water compared to when the infants were stepping outside of the water. These observations suggest that as the weight of the infant decreased, the more steps that the infant would take. In addition, because muscle mass grows at a much slower rate than fat mass in infants, they are getting heavier and are less likely to take more steps while in the upright position (Thelen et al., 2002). Additionally, Thelen and researchers (2002) also found that the infants who’s stepping rate were higher, had a higher arousal level. Thelen et al., (2002) suggested that the infants with higher arousal levels showed better results in performing the stepping reflex as they are being distracted by other stimuli.

When we talk about the stepping reflex, we can not forget the environmental aspect of development. It has been illustrated that infants who practice the stepping reflex each day remember the movement patterns better which may result in the infant beginning to walk earlier (Zelazo et al., 1993). Vereijken and Thelen (1996) also found that infants who are trained also tend to have a preferred stepping pattern. It is suggested because as the infant practices the stepping reflex, the more their body gets used to the dominant stepping pattern which eventually becomes their walking pattern (Vereijken & Thelen, 1996). The daily training of the stepping pattern can help develop and strengthen the neural pathways that are involved in particular movements (Vereijken & Thelen, 1996). Though it was also found that improvement to those areas (ex: stepping reflex) would only be beneficial if the infant practices (Vereijken & Thelen, 1996). This may suggest that infants who have access to opportunity of practicing those movements, may achieve the movement milestone quicker (Kuther, 2019) compared to those who do not get the opportunity to practice.

Practical Applications

There are two activities that can facilitate infants' stepping.

First one is called Walking in the Water. To put baby in the water can reduce the weight that the infant's feet need to bear. Too much weight on the feet may be the reason why the infant stop stepping, therefore reducing the weight the feet need to bear can facilitate the movement.

Purpose: To facilitate stepping reflex or walking-like movement by reducing the weight that lower limbs have to bear.

Target age: birth to 4 months.

Settings: Shallow pools or deep tub and neck float.

Instructions: Put infants in the water with a neck float to keep the infant’s head above the water, and the lower limbs and the trunk in the water to reduce the weight. The baby is kept upright, so the infants can move their legs like walking with the help of buoyancy.

Modification: Instead of neck floats, adults can adjust the support given to the infant by holding the infants’ armpit. Or without the float, and with less water, the baby can be hold upright with their feet on the bottom of the tub.

Cautions: The infant has to be supervised all the time, the floats and the water may cause danger if not supervised.

The other on is called Stepping on a treadmill. The infants' stepping pattern may not be stable or ideal, and disappear from time to time. Treadmills can be helpful with facilitating the movement of walking-like movement.

Purpose: Training unstable stepping patterns and facilitating stepping movements by stretching the legs and providing stored elastic energy to step forward.

Target age: Infant who are 3-7 months old

Settings: A small motorized treadmill with speed range from 11cm/s to 29cm/s

Instructions: Supporting the infant on the treadmill with the feet on the treadmill, allowing them to bear as much as weight they can or want, and turning on the treadmill at the slowest speed first and gradually make it faster if needed.

Modification: Adjusting the speed or changing the amount of support to let the feet bear different amount of weight.

Cautions: It's necessary to pay attention to the infant's movement to see if the speed is too fast, or if the infant is tires, and prevent the infant from falling down.

Summary

The stepping reflex is an involuntary response where infants make “stepping-like” movements when their feet touch a flat surface. The stepping reflex is an important milestone in an infant’s development as it is a precursor to more complex motor movements. This primitive reflex is beneficial to develop and strengthen the neural pathways involved with movement and can help them reach other movement milestones. Eliciting the stepping reflex can help infants develop a stepping pattern which will eventually become their walking pattern. To facilitate the stepping reflex, one can submerge the child in water or hold them over a slow-moving treadmill.

References

Gabbard, C.P. (2018). Lifelong motor development (7th ed). Wolters Kluwer

Kuther, T.L. (2019). Lifespan development in context a topical approach. Sage Publications. Inc

Shimer Bowers, E (2012). Know your baby’s newborn reflexes.Everyday Health. Retrieved on October 15th,2020 doi: https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/your-developing-baby/newborn-reflexes/

Thelen, E. (1986). Treadmill-elicited stepping in seven-month-old infants. Child development, 57(6), 1498-1506. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1986.tb00474.x

Thelen, E, Fisher, D.M., Ridley-Johnson, R., (2002). The relationship between physical growth and a newborn reflex., Infant Behavior & Development. 25(1), 72-85. doi:10.1016/S0163-6383(02)00091-7

Vereijken, B., Thelen, E., (1996). Training infant treadmill stepping: the role of individuals pattern stability. Developmental Psychobiology, 30(2), 89-102. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-2302(199703)30:2<3.0.CO;2-Q

Zelazo, N.A., Zelazo P.R., Cohen, K., & Zelazo, D.P., (1993). Specific of practice effects on elementary neuromotor patterns. Developmental Psychology. 29(4), 686-691. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.29.4.686