The Structure and Function of Sensory Processing Disorders: Working to Benefit from ADD/ADHD to Autism

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The Structure and Function of Sensory Processing
DisordersWorking to BenefitfromADD/ADHD
to Autism

• Charles W Chapple, DC, FICPA
• 360 E Irving Park RD, Roselle, IL
• [phone] www.drchapple.com
• Selected 2006 2007 Guide To Americas Top
  Chiropractors
• 2008 Five Star Excellence Award in
  Chiropractic

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What are Sensory Processing Disorders?

• Any condition which demonstrates the inability to
  process information through the Senses.
• Interestingly the DMSR does not acknowledge this
  sensory component in ASD (only language, social
  and behavioral variations).

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Inter-related Conditions?

• ADD/ADHD AUTISM PDD
  SPD CHALLENGED
• 
  
  Normal Children

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Prevalence

• ADD/ADHD 5 Million Children in USA alone
• Autism Every 21 minutes another Child is
  Diagnosed.
• Challenged Child 12 to 30 of Children.

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How is Information Gathered for Our Sensory
System?

• Though Senses

• Through Reflexes

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Body Senses Include

• Far Senses - Allow us to respond to stimuli
  outside our body
• Hear
• See
• Taste
• Touch
• Smell

• Near Senses - Or Hidden Senses Automatically
  respond within our body to stimuli
• Body Position/Awareness
• Movement/Balance

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What are the Primitive Reflexes?

• Primitive reflexes are automatic survival
  responses to stimuli (Sensory Input) which
  develop during uterine life and should be fully
  present at birth.
• Asymmetrical/ Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex
• Moro Reflex
• Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex
• Fear Paralysis Reflex
• Palmar Reflex
• Plantar Reflex
• Babinski Reflex
• Spinal Galant Reflex -
• Suck and Rooting Reflex

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Primitive Reflexes Charted
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Anatomy of Primitive Reflexes

• Within the brainstem
• Oldest part of the brain (Reptilian or
  Pre-Cortical) gt Midbrain gt Cortical
• Automatic vs Volitional
• Stimulus elicited (e.g. A Chocolate Cookie)
• Survival / Instinctual
• As higher brain centers mature or the PRs
  Integrate more voluntary Postural Reflexes and
  Cortical development occurs

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What are Retained Primitive Reflexes?

• These are primitive reflexes that remain and do
  not integrate, therefore postural reflexes do not
  develop fully resulting in a Reflexive No Mans
  Land or A Reflexive Seesaw (e.g. Car stuck
  in the Snow).
• Thus the body remains under the influence of
  involuntary responses instead of voluntary.
• Retained Primitive Reflexes cause
• Difficult voluntary movements and Balance
• Irregular Visual Perception
• Irregular Auditory Processing
• Irregular Sensory Perception

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Observing SPDs

• An Individual defined as having SPD concerns
  exhibits variations of sensory activity in
• Frequency Intensity Duration
• Observed as either as a Hypersensitivity or a
  Hyposensitivity

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The Sensitivity of the Seven Senses in SPD

• Hypersensitive - requires less stimulation
• Avoids sounds
• Overwhelmed by intense visual
• Object to textures and gag
• Avoid textures and being touched
• Avoids odors
• Rigid and uncoordinated
• Apprehensive running, climbing and swinging

• Hyposensitive - requires more stimulation
• Appears to ignore sound
• Appears uninterested by visual
• Tastes inedible objects
• Chews and presses into objects
• Unaware of unpleasant odors
• Limp and clumsy
• Craves rocking, twirling and fidgets

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How SPD Presents
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More Specific Retention Symptoms of Retained
Reflexes

• Fear Paralysis Reflex
• Oppositional Defiance
• The Screaming Child
• Moro Reflex
• Aggressive
• Overactive (Ready-Fire-Aim)
• Overemotional (Weeping Anger)
• Learning Difficulty
• Cant Turn Off
• Hypersensitive to sense
• (sound,taste,touch,vision,balance)
• Adrenal Fatiguegt Weak Immune

• Palmar Reflex
• Poor Manual Dexterity (Thumb)
• Speech Difficulties
• Manual Tasks Inhibit Talking
• Difficult writing (w/Mouth Motion)
• Plantar Reflex
• Trouble w/Gait, Run, Toe Walk
• Rooting/Suck Reflex
• Difficult Chew, Speech and Dribble
• Often w/ Car Sport Injury, Dental

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More Specifics on Retained Symptoms

• Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex
• Easily Distracted
• Poor Pencil Grip, Excessive Grip
• Missing Visual Reading Fields
• When reading
• Difficult Distance Perception
• Difficult tasks involving both sides of Body
• Poor Ball Skills
• Learning Difficulty

• Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex
• Poor Judgment of Balance, Space, Distance, Depth
  Motion
• Motion Sickness
• Floppy or Rigid Child
• Fatigue when Neck Flexed
• Learning Difficulty
• Spinal Gallant Reflex
• Delayed Sitting
• Abnormal Gait/Posture
• Poor Bladder/ Bed Wetting
• Ants in Pants Child
• Learning Difficulty

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Difficulty with Senses and Reflexes

• Difficulty with Skills
• Motor/ Muscle Tone
• Cognition
• Communication
• Socialization
• Independence
• Difficulty with Behaviors
• Impulsiveness
• Self Control
• Distractibility
• Frustration
• Social
• Emotional

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SPD Expression

• Cause
• Difficulty with Senses
• and Reflexes

• Effect
• Difficulty with Skills and Behavior
• Low Self Esteem

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Intervention

• Traditional
• Treats causes as genetic, pre-postnatal trauma
  and unknown
• Treatment is geared from outside the body to
  inside the body ( e.g. Behavioral Modification)
• Reactive

• Alternative
• Treats the structure in order to improve the
  function as cause is a Sensory Reflex imbalance
  System Overwhelmed
• Treatment is geared from inside the body to
  outside the body (e.g. Chiropractic and
  Craniosacral Therapy (CST)
• Proactive

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Controlling the Senses and the Reflexes

• The Central Nervous System (CNS), comprised of
  the brain, brain stem, the cranial nerves, the
  spinal cord and the nerve attachments controls
  the senses and the reflexes.

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CNS Involvement

• HearCN 8 (Vestibular Cochlear)
• See..CN 2(Optic)..CN 3(Occulomotor),
• CN 4(Trochlear)..CN 6 (Abducens)
• Taste..CN 9(Glossopharyngeal)
• Touch..............................Afferent and
  Spinal Pathways
• Smell..CN 1 (Olfactory)
• Body Position...................CN 8, Brain stem
  and Spinal cord
• Movement..Brain stem and Spinal cord

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Cranial Nerves Involvement
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CNS Structure and Function

• The Cranium and Spinal Cord are the boney
  structures protecting the CNS.
• Improper Improper
  Improper
• Structure Function
  Sensory and Reflex Processing
• (Alignment and Position) (Motion
  and Nerve Communication)
• Improve Improve
  Improve
• Structure Function
  Sensory and Reflex Processing

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The Link

• The CNS and its intimately related boney
  protective network form the profound link of
  communication and functional interaction between
  an individuals internal and external
  environments.

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Craniosacral Therapy (CST)

• Focuses on relieving pressure on the brain and
  spinal cord through manual pressure techniques
  used at the cranium and sacrum.

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The Craniosacral System

• Consists of membranes and cerebral spinal fluid,
  which protect the CNS.
• Restrictions in this system are detected, and
  corrections are identified through manual
  monitoring of the craniosacral rhythm (CSR).

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The Bones to the Senses and Reflexes
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The Bones in Motion
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Variations in CSR.

• Variations in the CSR (6-12 bpm) could indicated
  any number of motor, sensory, reflex or
  neurological impairments, as well as causes of
  pain.

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The Chiropractic Approach to the CNS

• Chiropractors identify the necessity for the
  reduction of Subluxations, and utilize gentle
  spinal pressure techniques called Adjustments in
  order to remove Subluxations.

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What are Subluxations?

• CNS irritation characterized by
• Irregular boney mechanics or spinal misalignment
• Nerves imbalances
• Muscle irritations
• Tissue inflammation
• Degenerative wear
• The poor structure or mechanics involved in
  creating Subluxations results in poor motor,
  sensory, reflex and neurological function, as
  well as causes of pain.

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Spinal Involvement
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The Best of Both Worlds

• CST and Chiropractic adjustments work to restore
  more appropriate motor, sensory, reflex and
  neurological input and therefore improve
  function.
• Improve Structure Improve
  Function
• Working inside to out and not outside to in.

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Measuring CNS Function

• Health care practitioners are challenged to
  quantify variations of the CNS communication with
  SPD conditions.
• Frequently conventional tests such as blood
  markers, MRIs and EEGs appear unremarkable.

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The CNS Simplified
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Noninvasive Testing of the CNS

• Infrared Thermography
• Measures temperature variations along the spine
  as indications of imbalances in the Autonomic
  nervous system which result from subluxations
  within the CNS.

• Surface Electromyography
• Illustrates the effectiveness of motor nerves by
  measuring the amount of current at the muscle,
  with imbalances being indication of subluxations
  within the CNS.

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Infrared Thermography
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Surface Electromyography
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More Scans
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Clarification

• There is no HealthCare that is guaranteed or
  without risk.
• However, Chiropractic and CST are among the most
  safe effective in benefiting the CNS.

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A Moms Story

• Dear Parents,
• After a frustrating year of indifferent doctors
  who ignored my concerns about my son, finding Dr
  Chapple was like a gift.
• Over weeks of therapy he has improved
  considerably. He no longer cocks his head. Spins
  or presses his forehead onto me.
• In Fact, we took him for a haircut, and for the
  first time he sat still for the whole thing.No
  unfinished haircut, frantic barber or parents.
• Its sad, but I had never really noticed that he
  didnt run very much before. When he didhe ran
  on his toes with a very awkward gait. Now he
  races around on his little feet for the sheer joy
  of running that all children have.

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More Resources

• www.icpa4kids.com
• www.upledger.com
• www.autismspeaks.com

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Some Help from Michelangelo

• the danger that exist is not aiming to high and
  reaching it, but aiming to low and achieving it.
• We can never aim to high for our children

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The Structure and Function of Sensory Processing
Disorders

• Charles W Chapple, DC, FICPA
• 360 E Irving Park Rd, Roselle, IL 60172
• [phone] www.drchapple.com