Is your child clumsy with their hands, struggles with fine motor tasks, or presses their fists into their mouth when overwhelmed—and you’re not sure why? The root cause might be neurological, NOT behavioral. Specifically, it could involve unintegrated hand-related reflexes: the Palmar Grasp, Hands Pulling, and Babkin Reflexes.
In our latest episode of Reflex Integration Through Play, occupational therapist and author Kokeb McDonald explores Book #6 in the Reflex Integration Through Play series, unpacking three foundational reflexes that shape how children develop fine motor control, emotional regulation, and even speech.
What Are These Reflexes?
🔹 Palmar Grasp Reflex
Present from birth, this reflex causes babies to instinctively grasp when the palm is touched. While adorable in infants, if retained beyond infancy, it can interfere with handwriting, utensil use, and hand-eye coordination.
🔹 Hands Pulling Reflex
This reflex helps infants activate their core, neck, and shoulder stability when being pulled up from lying down. If unintegrated, it may lead to poor upper body control and delayed postural development.
🔹 Babkin Reflex
Triggered when pressure is applied to a baby’s palm, this reflex can cause mouth movement, jaw opening, or head turning. Retention can impact speech, oral motor development, and emotional processing—especially under stress.
When these reflexes linger past their developmental window, children may struggle with tasks like tying shoelaces, holding a pencil, or speaking clearly. But what often looks like laziness or avoidance may actually be a nervous system stuck in primitive patterns.
Signs to Watch For
✋ Poor grip strength
✋ Fatigue during writing or crafts
✋ Jaw tension or chewing on hands
✋ Speech difficulties under pressure
✋ Emotional meltdowns during fine motor tasks
From Insight to Action
In this episode, Coca walks you through:
✅ Simple assessment strategies to spot retained hand reflexes
✅ Fun, movement-based exercises for home or therapy
✅ Ways to integrate handwork into daily routines and play
✅ How these reflexes relate to others like the Moro, shaping the full nervous system picture
Why It Matters
Coca emphasizes that hand reflexes don’t just affect motor skills—they can impact emotional expression, self-regulation, and sensory processing. And the good news? You don’t need fancy tools or complex plans. Just understanding what’s really going on beneath the surface can transform frustration into connection—and spark meaningful progress.
Episode Highlights:
🕐 00:00 – Introduction to Reflexes and Book Overview
🕐 02:03 – Understanding the Palmar Grasp Reflex
🕐 12:45 – Exploring the Hands Pulling Reflex
🕐 18:58 – Diving into the Babkin Reflex
🕐 27:27 – Practical Applications and Exercises
🕐 34:18 – Conclusion and Additional Resources
Your New Lens
By the end of this episode, you’ll understand how something as simple as a retained grasp reflex can ripple into larger challenges—and how targeted, play-based movement can offer relief.
Because when we start looking at behavior through the lens of reflex integration, frustration turns into clarity. And from that clarity comes progress—real, joyful, meaningful progress.
🎧Tune in to Reflex Integration Through Play and see how Kokeb McDonald transforms reflex work into functional, play-based strategies that support the whole child—mind, body, and nervous system.
Treatment Planning and Fine Motor Development: Addressing Hand Reflex Patterns
We just wrapped up our live recording—but the learning doesn’t stop there! 🎉 Enroll now to get instant access to the full replay, downloadable resources, and lifetime access—including future live workshops for this course.
Master fine motor development and reflex integration—on your schedule.
This on-demand training is designed for pediatric occupational therapists who want to confidently assess and address retained reflexes like Palmar Grasp, Hands Pulling, and Babkin. Through real case studies, play-based strategies, and parent-friendly tools, you’ll learn how these reflexes impact coordination, handwriting, and functional skills—and gain evidence-based techniques you can apply right away. From hand anatomy and reflex screening to hands-on interventions, this course equips you to support stronger, more efficient motor development in the kids you serve.
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