• Throp I
• Shaw Y
• Cade A

• Activator Method
• Affiliation / New Zealand College of Chiropractic
• Affiliation(G) / New Zealand / North Island / Aukland
• Affiliation(G) / New Zealand / Northland / Whangarei
• Developmental Disabilities
• Diversified Technique
• Female
• Infant
• Muscle Hypotonia

Objective: The purpose of this case study is to document improvements in motor and language development in a 15-month-old female over the course of eight months of chiropractic care.

Clinical features: A 15-month-old female with hypotonia and developmental delay presented for chiropractic care. She displayed an inability to pull herself up to standing, walk unassisted or communicate appropriately for her age level.

Intervention and outcome: After eight months of full spine chiropractic care using diversified analysis with Activator as a force application, the patient was able to pull herself up to standing, walk unassisted and had become more verbal using words appropriate for her developmental age.

Conclusion: Improved outcomes in this 15-month-old could be associated with improvement in sensorimotor integration following the correction of vertebral subluxation during chiropractic care.

Author keywords: chiropractic, complementary therapies, developmental delay, dystonia, pediatric, adjustment, spinal manipulation proprioception, central nervous system, sensorimotor integration, motor control

Author affiliations: IT: Private Practice of Chiropractic, Auckland, New Zealand;  YS: Private Practice of Chiropractic, Whangarei, New Zealand; AC: New Zealand College of Chiropractic, Auckland, New Zealand

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