None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The principal study question being tested is, whether or not it would be worthwhile to perform a full scale study investigating if chiropractic adjustments can positively influence the way sensory information is processed by children with autism. To our knowledge there has been no study similar to this in the past, prior studies have used various outcome measures to determine that children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have poor sensory integration. It appears that no studies have used these measures with a chiropractic intervention to determine if they are able to change the way children with ASD process and integrate sensory information in the brain. Furthermore, there is now a growing body of literature demonstrating that children with ASD have dysfunctional motor learning and motor control. For example: poor balance, poor handwriting skills, clumsiness, frequent delay in reaching motor milestones and difficulty with postural control, with studies of adults with ASD showing that some of these adults never reach the same level of postural control as typically developed adults (Freitag, Kleser, Schneider, & von Gontard, 2007; Minshew, Sung, Jones, & Furman, 2004; Wing, 1981). Moreover, a study by Freitag et al. (2007), found an association between the level of motor control impairment and the degree of social impairment. Those with the greatest degree of social impairment in general performed more poorly in terms of motor control. Some authors suggest that these motor control impairments seen in ASD may be a result of disrupted sensorimotor integration (SMI) (Siaperas et al., 2012; Weimer, Schatz, Lincoln, Ballantyne, & Trauner, 2001). Current literature suggests that chiropractic adjustments help to improve SMI and multisensory integration (MSI) in adult, subclinical pain patients, as well as geriatric populations (Haavik Taylor, Holt, & Murphy, 2010; Holt, 2014). Results demonstrated greater awareness of where the body was in space as well as improvements in processing visual and auditory information. Therefore, this study will assist in the planning of a future full-scale study, which will investigate if chiropractic adjusting can enhance SMI and MSI in children with ASD. As well as if these changes can result in improvements in motor control and social dysfunction.
Interventions
A single session of high-velocity, low amplitude, spinal manipulative therapy performed by a registered chiropractor in Auckland, New Zealand at the Centre for Chiropractic Research or at another suitable location. The intervention will involve assessing the full spine for any dysfunctional spinal segments and using spinal manipulation where necessary, this intervention will be pragmatic in style to best replicate chiropractic practice. The intervention session will take approximately 10-15 minu
A single session of high-velocity, low amplitude, spinal manipulative therapy performed by a registered chiropractor in Auckland, New Zealand at the Centre for Chiropractic Research or at another suitable location. The intervention will involve assessing the full spine for any dysfunctional spinal segments and using spinal manipulation where necessary, this intervention will be pragmatic in style to best replicate chiropractic practice. The intervention session will take approximately 10-15 minutes.
Sponsors
Auckland University of Technology
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
6 Years to 15 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
High-functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) confirmed by parental report, and verbal. Participants will also be screened with the following question, to determine if the child may have issues with sensory processing: “Does your child struggle to cope in environments where there is a lot going on? E.g. environments that are loud/noisy, busy and/or bright?” A ‘yes’ to this question will result in inclusion and a ‘no’ will result in exclusion from the study.
Exclusion criteria
non-verbal; hearing or vision impairments; specific reading disorder (such as dyslexia) or genetic disorder (e.g. tuberous sclerosis); or a history of seizures or traumatic brain injury
Outcome results
None listed