autism
Chiropractic Care and Behavior in Autistic Children
By Andrew Aguilar, B.S., D.C., M.B.A., John D. Grostic,
D.C., and Bruce Pfleger, ph.D., M.S.
Autism is a severe behavioral and neurological disorder
including gross deficits in language development. If speech
is present, peculiar speech patterns such as immediate and
delayed echolalia, metaphorical language, or pronominal reversal
frequently will exist. A child with autism may display bizarre
responses to various aspects of the environment including
resistance to change, peculiar interest in or attachments
to animate or inanimate objects.
A systematic series of chiropractic
adjustments were administered to 26 autistic children to
see if behavioral or neurological remediations would occur
concomitant to the nine month care plan. The children were
recruited through three local autism societies from the greater
Atlanta area.
Behavioral data for the study were collected by
both the classroom teachers and the children's parent(s). Objective
data were collected through Brain Stem Evoked Potential (BSEPs)
recordings, pre and post x-ray films, a dual probe infrared
heat recording graph instrument, and a supine leg check analysis.
Student clinicians performed physicals on each child reevaluating
at three month intervals. Subjective data were collected
through both a Modified Autism Checklist and a Childhood
Autism Rating Scale (CARS). (JCCP, Volume 5, Number 1, Spring/Summer
2000)
Key Terms: autism, pervasive developmental
disorder, developmental delayed, subluxation, upper cervical
technique, Grostic technique, orthospinology