• Troy J
• Dennis T
• Cade A

• Apraxias
• Child
• Diversified Technique
• Male
• Open Access Document
• Sacro Occipital Technique

Objective: To present the chiropractic management of a 4-year-old child diagnosed with dyspraxia and concomitant vertebral subluxations.

Clinical Features: A four-year-old boy with a history of developmental motor delays was presented by his mother for chiropractic evaluation. The child was previously diagnosed with dyspraxia at one year of age, based on a delay in developmental milestones being met; specifically of speech and fine motor control. The patient was 1.25-years-old before starting to walk and 3-years-old before being able to produce any basic sounds such as “Ma” or “Da”. At the commencement of chiropractic care the child was undergoing concomitant speech therapy; six weeks of intensive repetitive therapy was the average amount of time required for the patient to learn and retain one new sound or word.

Intervention: Modified Diversifed (Touch-and-hold) and Sacro-Occipital Techniques were utilized to reduce subluxation indicators through the cranium, upper cervical and lumbopelvic spine. Fifteen adjustments were administered over a 4-month period.

Outcome: The child experienced a number of developmental advancements over the duration of chiropractic care, specifically in speech, fine motor control and coordination. After 8 visits the patient learned 20 new words in one week, after 12 visits all primitive reflexes were tested to be within normal limits and after 15 visits their vocabulary consisted of hundreds of words and continued to expand.

Conclusion: This patient experienced significant developmental advancements while receiving chiropractic care. Additional research is necessary to assess the role chiropractors may play in caring for children with developmental delays

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