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Chiropractic Care
A child with autism and a doctor’s incredible journey
by Dr. Keri Chiappino, DC, DACNB
“Want water.” These words, spoken to me by a 7-year-old patient named James, might seem inconsequential to most parents.
But for the parent whose child is diagnosed as autistic, these words are life altering.
James had been diagnosed at age 2 with autism, a developmental disorder of the human brain that first shows signs during infancy
or childhood.
Autism is characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors. The manifestations of autism cover a wide spectrum, ranging from individuals with severe disabilities to less impaired individuals who may have active but distinctly odd social behaviors.
In Newsday, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory recently revealed it believes it has identified autism-related genes. While this news is encouraging, a search for a cure continues. And at a rate of one in 150 children being diagnosed on the autistic spectrum, the incidents of autism have risen dramatically since the 1980s. In the meantime, parents are desperately seeking immediate ways to deal with the condition.
Chiropractic Neurology (CN) offers a non-pharmacological, non-invasive approach to treating children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The brain controls everything in our body and mind— from thoughts to heart rate to muscle tone. Most people have a dominant hemisphere, or side, of the brain. This can easily be seen in personality traits— someone who is musical versus someone who is mathematical— or differences may be subtler and not easily detected by the untrained eye.
Chiropractic Neurologists specialize in analyzing the differences between the hemispheres of the brain. James’s parents turned to Chiropractic Neurology for their son after pursuing a number of different treatment options. While these therapies proved helpful for some behaviors, James seemed capable of reaching a greater potential. During his first CN visit, an extensive neurologicalexam was performed to determine which hemisphere was deficient. A treatment plan was then designed using hemisphere-specific stimulation.
Therapies differ with each visit in order to accommodate the changing brain. The goal is to create new connections in the underfunctioning hemisphere that then creates a balance in the brain. In James’s case, the types of stimulation employed include
spinning, doing coordination exercises, balancing, using cognitive exercises such as jigsaw puzzles and mazes, making sound stimulation, using a tuning fork and using visual stimulation.
Autistic children are less likely to make requests, express needs or share experiences, and are more likely to repeat others’ words (echolalia). This can lead to frustration and aggressive behavior. When James said the words “want water,” at first I had to make sure he wasn’t just repeating words he had heard. But when I handed him water and he drank it voraciously, I was thrilled. This was an enormous breakthrough.
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Farmingdale, New York 11735 - 1-877-929-4633