Moro Reflex: Let’s look in some detail at the Moro reflex. This is the one that most people can recognise – when a baby is startled by a loud noise or sudden movement and their arms fly out wide. It is an involuntary reaction to threat and in the first few months of life its purpose is to alert and arouse to get help. It is typically replaced by the adult startle reflex by 4 months old.
An uninhibited Moro leads a child to retain and exaggerated startle reaction which can result in continued hypersensitivity to a range of stimuli. Sudden noise, light, movement or feeling off balance can spark the reflex at unexpected moments and the child lives constantly ‘on alert’ and in a heightened state of awareness. The child is poised on the edge of fight or flight and regularly producing adrenaline and cortisol – the stress hormones.
Such a child may present a paradox – sensitive, perceptive and imaginative on the one hand, but immature and over-reactive on the other. They may be the fearful child who withdraws from situations, has difficulty socialising, and can neither accept nor demonstrate affection easily. On the other hand, they may become the over-active, sometimes aggressive child, who is highly excitable, cannot read body language and who need to dominate situations or be the centre of attention.
Either child will tend to be manipulative, as they attempt to find strategies that will give them a feeling of control over their emotional responses. Children with a retained Moro often suffer with free floating anxiety, be overreactive and insecure. They may get motion sickness frequently as well as have allergies, asthma or eczema.
If this sounds like your child then perhaps a retained Moro reflex is the cause and we can help here at Wired to Learn. Send us a message for more information.