In our country, one out of 59 children is diagnosed with a type of Autism. ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder is a broad term used for a wide range of conditions that deal with challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, and communication. Diagnosis of ADHD (Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder fall under the Autism umbrella. The majority of kids get diagnosed with a type of autism by the time they are 4 years old. But, it can be detected as early as 2 years old. In reality, boys can be more likely to be diagnosed with Autism than girls. Given that the number of people that have been diagnosed with ASD has increased over the years, the chances of you knowing or having met someone with this condition is high. There may be different approaches when it comes to treating ASD, but chiropractic care is actually recommended. Let’s go over how chiropractic and autism go together.
What is Autism?
Considering all of the different variations of Autism, it can really vary from person to person. However, many people with Autism can have similar issues that can affect them physically, emotionally, cognitively, and socially.
Different forms of Autism affect the central nervous system drastically. Symptoms of this disorder can be:
- Hypersensitivity
- Hyposensitivity
- Self-stimulating behaviors
- Overwhelming visual, auditory, and tactile sensations
The latter can lead some people with autism to have trouble dealing with big crowds, others are easily disturbed by noises that most people wouldn’t notice, or others could find certain fabrics to be unbearably binding or itchy.
Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity can lead to stimming. Stimming is a mannerism or odd behavior that people with autism do to calm themselves. This could be rocking back and forth, hand flapping, self-biting, or making repetitive sounds.
There may be people that can find these behaviors to be weird or unacceptable. However, at Mauricio Chiropractic all people with or without any form of Autism are welcome in our office.
Social Impairment
A lot of people with autism can have trouble identifying social cues like body language, or voices. A common sign is a lack of eye contact. A lot of children with this disorder are verbally delayed, others have Apraxia. This condition makes them learn how to speak impossible or very difficult.
It is important to know that the lack of speech is not equal to a lack of intellect. Only a few people with autism have an intellectual disability. In fact, a high percentage of the autistic population has a pretty high IQ.
Chiropractic And Autism
There is not a known cure for this condition. However, there are a lot of therapies and treatments that can help them live fuller, happy lives.
A lot of forms of autism have altered sensory information that is communicated between neurons. This is the reason why chiropractic care can be beneficial to patients with autism. Correcting spine alignment can reduce interference in the nervous system. After a spinal adjustment, many patients have reported experiencing more displays of eye contact and more willingness to be social.
Some other patients have said that chiropractic care provides similar stress relief to the one they experience when stimming. The benefit of chiropractic care is that the stress relief lasts for much longer than stimming.
Pediatric Chiropractic Care
For parents who are searching for care for their child with autism, pediatric chiropractic care is encouraged. Chiropractic care can help the child’s overall physical health and cognitive function. Keeping a healthy alignment of the spine can also help them with other issues such as bedwetting, sleep disturbances, and digestive disorders.
Food Sensitivity
Food sensitivity is related to Autism in many ways. Some forms of autism have an autoimmune component. This is why patients with autism and caregivers should consider conducting a food sensitivity test. This way, they can know if there are any food allergies that are just making their symptoms worse.
A lot of autistic patients can be pretty picky when it comes to food. Thanks to these intense food aversions, some parents of children with this condition struggle to maintain a healthy diet for their children. At Mauricio Chiropractic, we offer nutritional counseling that can help families with this type of issue.
Chiropractic Care For Autism
At Mauricio Chiropractic, we have experience treating children with autism and are ready for you. To schedule an appointment in one of our 9 locations in the Orlando area, click here.
We provide advanced spinal correction utilizing “state of the art” chiropractic techniques. Never in the history of chiropractic have we been able to provide the level of help and expertise that now exists. These newer correction methods are even safer, more comfortable and more effective than ever before. As Doctors of Chiropractic,Our Team has years of training and experience in spinal adjustment.