Improvement in a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder Following Chiropractic

A documented case study appeared in the November 7, 2011 issue of the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health reporting on the improvement of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) with chiropractic care. Sensory processing disorders are when a person can not properly process sensory input involved in daily activity. Various authorities have different opinions as to what constitutes SPD, however, estimates suggested that 5.3% of kindergarten children may meet the criteria for a SPD.

In this study a four and a half year old boy, described as "well nourished", was brought to the chiropractor with Sensory Processing Disorder and related symptoms. The boy had been diagnosed with SPD by a childhood developmental therapist a year earlier. At 18 months old his parents noticed there was a problem when he started to become very aggressive, substantially increase the amount of food he ate, and was breaking out in unexplainable blotchy rashes.

The study noted that the initial chiropractic exam was very difficult to conduct as every time the doctor tried to examine the child he would throw himself to the floor and start screaming uncontrollably. After 40 minutes of this behavior, the child collapsed crying into his mothers arms, and the initial attempt at examination was postponed.

One week later an examination was performed and it was noted that there was a problem in the upper cervical (neck) spine. Chiropractic adjustments specific to findings of spinal subluxations were initiated. In addition to the adjustments the child was placed on a gluten-free, casein-free, and refined sugar-free diet. The mother followed the care and dietary recommendations carefully, but she did note that occasionally the boy's grandmother would "slip him some treats".

The changes reported in this study were nothing short of life changing for the boy. The author reported, "There were dramatic decreases in sensory stimulating behaviors, physical outbursts, and behavioral outbursts following the introduction of care. There was also a dramatic increase in his attention span and ability to focus on one thing at a time. The patient also started to read for the first time after the 8th adjustment."

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