Chiropractic Care Helps Toddler with Numerous Neurological Dysfunctions

On July 1, 2024, the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health Chiropractic published the results of a case that documented a toddler's improvement, with chiropractic, of a variety of neurological issues and developmental delays.

The study begins by explaining, "Developmental delay occurs when a child does not achieve developmental milestones in comparison to children of the same age." Another measure of delayed development is the retention of "primitive reflexes." These are reflexes that are present before birth and start to disappear in the weeks and months after birth. If these reflexes remain present, it is considered a form of developmental delay.

In this case, a 3-year-old girl was brought to the chiropractor for help with a variety of developmental issues. Those issues included delayed speech, sleep disturbances with frequent nighttime awakenings, lack of eye contact, vomiting and reflux, and picky eating habits where she would only eat certain foods.

The history revealed that the child was born to a mother that suffered from gestational diabetes during pregnancy. This led to complications which necessitated a C-section delivery at just over 39 weeks of pregnancy. The baby had difficulties in breastfeeding and later had delays in sitting, crawling and walking.

The examination showed a decrease in facial tone on the left side along with a noticeable left head tilt. Overall, the girl had low muscle tone and was observed to be walking on her toes. It was also noted that her eye movements were abnormal. The examination also showed that a number of the primitive reflexes were still present well beyond the time when they should have disappeared.

Specific age-appropriate forms of chiropractic adjustments were started to address the subluxations that were found to be present in the girl's spine. Additionally, several forms of sensory integration therapies, speech therapy, and auditory stimulation were also a part of the multidisciplinary approach in this case.

Over time, the girl showed multiple area of improvement due to her care. This included significant speech improvements. Initially, the girl was only able to speak 15-20 words and was not able to create a single sentence. After care, she could maintain and initiate conversations.

The girl's emotional regulation and sleep routines improved to where she could sleep for 8-9 hours in a single night. Additionally, her motor coordination improved as did her ability to maintain eye contact. Also, her digestive issues and picky food preferences both improved.