What is a stepflex?

Step Reflex is one of the primitive or infant reflexes observable in newborn children. It is also called walking reflex or dance reflex, refers to the movements of the child's graduation that the child has touched a solid surface. Although it seems that a child may walk, he cannot support his own weight and does not have the need for it. The adult should allow the feet of the child's feet to easily touch the surface of the table or floor. Then the child should start alternating legs as if walking. It happens to voluntary behavior when a child reaches eight to 12 months. This is a period when a child begins to learn how to walk. However, the strength of the child's reflective reaction will depend on its excitement. A child who feels tired or drowsy may not respond as expected. Continuous inability to show behavior, regardless of the level of the child's excitement, may be a symptom of a basic problem and should be reviewed by a doctor.

The overall absence of stepflex and its persistence after four months of age could indicate problems with neurological functioning such as brain palsy. Infants suffering from a condition known as neonatal abdominal syndrome will have one of its symptoms of absence of stepx. Neonatal abstinence syndrome concerns a set of behavior observed in infants who have been exposed to drugs such as opiates and methadone, while in the womb.

Asymmetric reflex, where behavior is observed only one side, but not on others, could indicate the lesion in parts of the brain or spinal cord that controls the reflex. Adults who have experienced brain damage or stroke may suddenly have a return of primitive reflex due to brain damage. The step reflex, along with other infant reflexes, is evaluated at birth and during periodic visits to a pediatrician.