Developmental Advancements in a Child with Dyspraxia with Chiropractic

A case study published in the October 2015 issue of the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics documented the case of a boy suffering from developmental issues and dyspraxia being helped as a result of chiropractic care. The journal is published by the Council of Chiropractic Pediatrics of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA).

According to the Dyspraxia Foundation, "Dyspraxia, a form of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a common disorder affecting fine and/or gross motor coordination in children and adults. It may also affect speech."

The authors of the study explain that although each case of dyspraxia can exhibit different symptoms, "Individuals with dyspraxia experience difficulty planning and executing tasks that require fine motor skills, affecting any or all areas of development including physical, intellectual, emotional, social, language and sensory."

n this case, a 4-year-old boy with developmental delays was brought to the chiropractor by his mother. The history noted that the boy's parents started noticing his problems at the age of one. Based upon a medical examination of the boy, a diagnosis of dyspraxia was made. The boy avoided rolling over or crawling, showed sensitivity of touch for different textures, and would move his whole head as opposed to moving his eyes to see things around him. The boy was under the care of a speech therapist but was unable to produce words easily.

A chiropractic examination was performed from which it was determined that there were multiple areas of subluxation creating nerve system interference. Specific chiropractic adjustments were initiated at the rate of twice a week for the initial three weeks of care, followed by one visit per week for six weeks.

The study reported that over the first six weeks of care, the child showed significant improvement in his ability to speak. In what was probably an emotional point, on the eighth visit, the boy had learned how to say twenty new words in the space of a week and also spoke his very first full sentence; "I love you, mum." By the 12th visit, the boy showed vast improvements in both fine and gross muscle control.

As care progressed, the boy continued to show improvement and his vocabulary expanded to the point where he was able to start school.

In answering the question of "What causes dyspraxia?," the Dyspraxia Foundation responds on their website, "Although the exact causes of dyspraxia are unknown, it is thought to be caused by a disruption in the way messages from the brain are transmitted to the body. This affects a person's ability to perform movements in a smooth, coordinated way."

Based on the results of this case, and considering that the goal of chiropractic is to normalize nerve transmission by removal of subluxations, the authors were able to conclude, "This case study reports a possible association between chiropractic care and improvements in delayed development in a four-year-old child."