Being an autism parent means you learn the ins and outs of the nervous system and how to keep it humming at an optimum level. Regular chiropractic care in autistic children can enhance performance of said nervous system to help your child live their healthiest life. That’s all we want as parents.
In most cases, autistic children face challenges like a misfiring nervous system. This is why brushing and joint compressions work so well. Chiropractic care can enhance your therapy goals.
Since it mainly targets the joints and the spine, it’s a natural way to get the nervous system to calm down or rev up depending on what your child needs. This non invasive process has had a positive impact on autistic children with not a lot of negatives.
How Does Chiropractic Care Help With Autism?
Increased Focus and Attention
An autistic child often has trouble with focus and attention which gets in the way of learning as well as life in general. Issues with the nervous system that is in charge of this trait can be often traced back to issues with the spines. The spine is considered to offer full-body support since it holds many joints as well as the nervous system. Adjusting it will help the child function at a much more regulated state because the nervous system is firing optimally.
Helps with Hypotonia
Chiropractic care has also shown to be beneficial in the growth of muscles, which can help with a common co morbid condition in autism, hypotonia. We refer to this is Autismland as the marshmallow syndrome. Your child looks like he has no muscle tone in his body at all. Autistic children are more prone to fatigue due to the hypotonia. If your child sits down in the middle of a walk, you can thank hypotonia.
A professional chiropractor can guide you on ways to help your child prevent body fatigue and muscle weakness, which can cause reduced performance in activity. Having a healthy nervous system strengthens your muscles, joints, and spine. Doing this assures your autistic child of a healthy and fit body that is less prone to fatigue.
Fatigue and hypotonia can cause long term illnesses if not taken care of in your child with autism. It’s been my experience with Logan in Autismland that once you strengthen the core, the hypotonia will become a workable issue. Regular spinal adjustments can help you work on hypotonia naturally as well.
Relieves Pain
Depending on if the nervous system is revved or sluggish, an autistic child can have either a high pain tolerance where they don’t feel pain (this is what we deal with in Autismland) or a low pain tolerance where everything hurts when it touches them. Along with chiropractic care, a sensory diet is imperative.
This is because the spine controls the nervous system which in turn determines your feelings. Chiropractic care has proven to control this kind of reaction by balancing your spine. This way, you can avoid pain and make your body more active. This process has a fast effect compared to using drugs for such problems.
Helps with Relaxation
Regular chiropractic care can ensure that every point in the body is well attended and aligned. You want to look for professional chiropractors who have training and experience with autistic children.
Chiropractic care also helps the brain release serotonin and dopamine regularly on its own. It can be beneficial to the body since it is a drug-free type of medication. Similar to relieving pain, we try to go drug free as much as possible in Autismland. Don’t get me wrong. Drugs have a purpose and can be beneficial when necessary. Anything that helps my family get to sleep is a winner in my opinion.
Regular chiropractic care can be a useful item in your autism toolbox. It doesn’t take the place of regular therapy, adaptive technology, or anything else in your autism plan. It can however help your child live happy and healthy. In the end, that’s all us autism parents want anyway.
I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. This is what works for our family in our personal Autismland. Please consult your own doctor who knows your history for recommendations.
