What is Autism?

Autism is a common disorder of childhood, affecting 1 in 500 children. Yet, it often remains unrecognized and undiagnosed until or after late preschool age because appropriate tools for routine developmental screening and screening specifically for autism have not been available. Early identification of children with autism and intensive, early intervention during the toddler and preschool years improves outcome for most young children with autism.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism and its associated behaviors have been estimated to be four times as prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries.

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Many chiropractors and other manipulative therapists  purport to treat autism and related disorders and report good improvements. However, there are only a handful of published papers regarding the efficacy or mechanism by which manipulative care can help.

Most of the available literature is in the form of anecdotal case reports rather than larger, more meaningful studies.  Under certain circumstances, children with autism may receive clinical benefit or palliative relief of concurrent problems via chiropractic intervention. Manipulation may, therefore, help with some of the associated symptoms, rather than cure or treat the underlying disease process. Despite these limited claims for success for some children, it may be the associated symptoms that are the most distressing, and preventing them from leading a more normal life.