NCT01996800

Study of Chiropractic and Neuromuscular Reeducation as a Treatment for Autism Symptoms

The Effects of Spinal Manipulative Therapy and Neuromuscular Reeducation on the Presentation of Autistic Symptoms in Children

• Status: Terminated
• Phase: Phase 1
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 8 (actual)
• Sponsor: Southern California University of Health Sciences · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 5 Years – 15 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study explores the effectiveness of chiropractic and neuromuscular reeducation as complementary and alternative medicine treatment approaches for autism. Our investigation maintains the following three hypotheses: 1. Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) will reduce the presentation of autistic symptoms in children. 2. Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) in conjunction with neuromuscular reeducation will reduce the presentation of autistic symptoms in children. 3. The presentation of autistic symptoms in children will significantly differ between the treatment groups of spinal manipulative therapy and spinal manipulative therapy in unification with neuromuscular reeducation.

Detailed description

We aim to describe and illustrate the roles of spinal manipulative therapy and neuromuscular reeducation in autistic children at a CAM university health center with regard to the following: 1. To measure the safety and efficacy of spinal manipulative therapy for the autism spectrum disorders 2. To measure the safety and efficacy of spinal manipulative therapy and neuromuscular reeducation for the treatment of the autism spectrum disorders 3. To begin to establish or debunk debated SMT treatment for autism 4. To evaluate, gauge, and improve current autism assessment tools by exploring face validity of the measures as indicated by ongoing data collection

Conditions

• Autism

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT)	Spinal manipulation is a therapeutic intervention performed on spinal articulations which are synovial joints. These articulations in the spine that are amenable to spinal manipulative therapy include the z-joints, the atlanto-occipital, atlanto-axial, lumbosacral, sacroiliac, costotransverse and costovertebral joints.
PROCEDURE	SMT and Neuromuscular Reeducation	Neuromuscular reeducation is a general term that refers to techniques that attempt to retrain the neuromuscular system to function properly. The basis of this idea is that the formation of certain patterns of communication between muscles and nerves allow people to perform simple everyday acts such as climbing stairs.

Timeline

• Start date: 2013-08-01
• Primary completion: 2014-08-01
• Completion: 2014-08-01
• First posted: 2013-11-27
• Last updated: 2016-10-04

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States