Autistic Child Helped by Chiropractic – Chiropractor Wilmington NC

Case study illustrates promising results

(Chiropractor Wilmington NC). A recent article in the Journal of Maternal & Family Health reported on a 6 year old male child originally diagnosed with Autism who received chiropractic care over a period of 16 weeks.

Following the study, the child showed a reduction of autistic signs and symptomatology as determined by objective and subjective findings. Wilmington-based Dr. David Russ, D.C., who follows health and wellness issues closely in professional journals and other publications, was not surprised by these findings.  “Studies of a similar nature have been conducted previously with similar outcomes,” said Dr. Russ, “but more research needs to be conducted in order to evaluate the precise connection between chiropractic care, Autism and other Autistic-like Disorders.”

Autism is defined as a brain development disorder that causes impaired social interaction, decreased communication ability, restrictive repetitive or stereotypical behaviors, and decreased cognitive and learning abilities.  In the United States, the number of people with autism ages 6-21 has risen from 5,145 in 1991-1992 to 118,602 in 2001-2002.  The increase in students in the United States with Autism has risen 1700% over that same time period

“This has profound implications not only on the population, but also on the economy.” Dr. Russ related.  “It is estimated that as of 2000, $18,581,511,000 is spent annually in the United States for children with autism and autistic-like disorders in their education.”

In this study, an Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) was utilized to evaluate the child in order to have a baseline for the monitoring of future clinical changes in the patient.  ATEC was designed by the Autism Research Institute to assist parents, physicians and researcher to evaluate virtually any treatment for Autism.

“Improvement was noticed after the 4^th adjustment,” said Dr. Russ.  After the 4^th adjustment the mother mentioned that the child no longer rocked his head and jabbered less.  After the 6^th adjustment the child began spelling out the words on video cassette covers, which is something he had never done before.   By 7 weeks the child began to vocalize his name, as well as the words that he had been spelling.

After 8 weeks, a reassessment was conducted which showed marked improvement.  Positive structural and postural changes were noted and by the 12^th week of care the child was performing well in school.  It was reported that the child did exceptionally well in math and reading class.  The mother was able to change the child’s diet to a more healthy option and also withdrew Ritalin.  The mother also stated there were improvements in his communication skills, sociability, awareness and behavior.  The child was able to use sentences that contained four or more words; he would make eye contact and show less disagreeability; he began to understand his own name more often and would understand explanations more frequently; and there were no incidences of rocking, less incidences of crying, obsessive speech and hyperactivity.

After the 16 weeks were completed, a second ATEC was given to the mother in order to measure the progress of the patient.  The overall improvement on the ATEC measured 54.3%, bringing him up from a moderate severity classification to mild severity.