From The Desk of Dr Craig Hindson CEng DC
So late on Thursday night I discovered a paper(1) which not only covered 1 study on the effects of chiropractic care with individuals suffering with dyslexia and learning difficulties but it covered 27 studies conducted over the last 40 years.
The 27 studies covered 201 cases in total and had been identified from 4 major literature databases.
The paper was a very interesting read as it presented the fact that the studies varied in level of evidence from case study to pre and post study. It also compared the 5 different theories of how and why dyslexia develops. It further went on to attempt to explain the mechanism behind the positive effects of chiropractic care on learning disabilities and dyslexia. Indeed, with all 27 studies the conclusion of the author was that: “All studies reviewed suggested a positive effect of chiropractic care in individuals suffering from learning diffabilities and dyslexia.”
Also it highlighted that the definition of learning disabilities exists on a sliding scale and the agreement of what constitutes dyslexia and learning disabilities varies from authority to authority. For example, in the US only 12 of the 50 states apply the same criteria.
Notwithstanding this difficulty of different authorities trying to “nail the jelly to the ceiling” learning disabilities require the fulfilment of 3 basic criteria:
- The learning problem is due to some deficiency in cognitive skills rather than intellectual impairment.
- The child’s academic achievement is below expectation based on his/ her IQ.
- The learning disability is not due to either other handicapping conditions (E.g. visual impairment) or to environmental factors (inadequate educational experiences).
The most common type of learning disability is dyslexia which affects 8 in 10 children diagnosed as learning disabled and is a “specific and significant impairment in reading abilities, unexplainable by any kind of deficit in general intelligence, learning opportunity, general motivation or sensory acuity.”
There are 5 leading hypothesis of developmental dyslexia 1. The phonological theory (unable to manipulate the sound of language) 2. Auditory theory (unable to hear certain sounds) 3. Visual theory (a visual deficit) 4. Cerebellar theory (a dysfunctional cerebellum) 5. Magnocellular theory (this attempts to combine the theories). Most dyslexics seem to be affected by a combination of the different theories.
The 2 theories behind the positive effects of chiropractic care on learning difficulties are highlighted as: 1. the vertebral subluxation classic in chiropractic where the neurological dysfunction leading to learning difficulties is a result of a complex of functional and structural dysfunction in the motor units of the spine.
2. the neurological disorganisation (ND) model proposes a functional disturbance to the appropriate higher centres of the Central Nervous System which practitioners of Applied Kinesiology (AK) developed a protocol to overcome.
The full info for you chiro geeks out there is in the paper in the learning area / reception and Loving Life Chiropractic is organising an Ottawa based study on dyslexia to further add weight to the efficacy of chiropractic care with sufferers of learning disabilities and dyslexia. Let those parents of dyslexic children know by sending them our Youtube video.
- Yannick Pauli. The Effects of Chiropractic Care on Individuals Suffering with Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia: A Review of Literature
Loving Life Chiropractic | 842 Byron Ave | Ottawa | K2A 0H8 | T: 613 7252525