Autism is a diagnosis given to a child when he or she is unable to exhibit cognitive and social skills with children that are the same age. The National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association did a study on 11 children ranging from ages of 4.5 to 9. Ten of the 11 children suffered from traumatic birth injuries from forceps or twisting the head to get the baby out of the birth canal. The top bone of the spine called the Atlas can become misaligned and locked out of place following a traumatic birth. This is the only bone in the spine that can move independently and get locked in a malposition. The brain stem and spinal cord go through this bone and when it becomes misaligned, it can put pressure on these structures. It has been shown that problems can occur when the atlas is a half millimeter or more out of alignment.
When the Atlas becomes misaligned, it can create spastic muscles on one side of the body resulting in a short leg of which the chiropractor uses as part of the analysis. The children in the study were analyzed utilizing specific upper cervical chiropractic analysis procedures and adjusted gently to correct the misalignments. The adjustment is so gentle and subtle that many people do not realize they have been adjusted. The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) scoring was used to determine any improvement in the children. The test was performed 4 times in the first two months and 6 out of the 11 children showed greater than average results and 4 of the children showed higher than average results. All of the children showed favorable results in sensory, cognitive and physical behavior within the first 30 days. Some of the improvements seen in the children were the following:
- Eyesight improvement
- Gastrointestinal improvement
- Decreased auditory sensitivity & anxiety
- Fewer headaches, seizures & tantrums
- Better eye contact, speech & concentration
Although the cause of autism remains unknown, other studies on autism also have found that a common factor in many children may be linked to traumatic birth injuries to the cervical spine. Upper cervical chiropractic does not treat or cure autism but we can adjust the upper cervical spine to improve function of the nervous system so the brain and body connection can be restored. Once this connection is restored, the body can begin to heal. You can read the entire article at the following:
http://www.nucca.org/newsletter/attachments/The_Autism_File_USA-Vol-35-2010-Dickholtz_r.pdf