For much of the earlier part of the 20th century, it was assumed that the newborn infant was indeed a “blank slate,” a reflex organism, operating at a brainstem level, so that newborn assessment scales reflected these assumptions. These earlier neonatal scales focused on the assessment of the so-called primitive reflexes and postural reactions (e.g., Peiper, 1924; Andre-Thomas, 1960; Prechtl and Beintema 1964; Sainte-Dargassies, 1977). [Source: Encyclopedia of Human Development; Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale]
Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale
birth and infancy
concepts