Autism and the Upper Cervical Spine

In the upper cervical spine, there are four main structures to focus on. They are:

1. The Foramen Magnum of the Occipital bone 

2. The Atlas vertebra (1st cervical bone)

3. The Axis vertebra (2nd cervical bone) 

4. The Brainstem of the Nerve System. 

    The Brainstem exits from the Foramen Magnum. The Atlas and Axis bones protect and surround the Brainstem. The brainstem connects all the nerves from the brain to the nerves of the body.

Regarding Autism the secondary focus is on two nerve structures: 

1. The Reticular Formation is found within the Brainstem. The Reticular Formation makes up a big part of the “switchboard operator” function of the Brainstem. The Brainstem collects all the stored information and energy from the brain above and passes it off to the body below. It also receives all the stimulation from the body below and transfers it up to the brain above for interpretation. The Reticular Formation helps the Brainstem coordinate and synchronize information, assist in consciousness, cognition and communication. 

2. The Basal Ganglia is found at the base of the cerebrum, right above the upper portion of the brainstem. It is primarily associated with motor control and motor learning but is also involved in emotion, the formation of habits and reward reinforcement learning. Its relationship with motor control is mostly to inhibit unwanted motor actions and to help with the fluidity of movement. In general, it assists in the suppression of involuntary motor movements. The Basal Ganglia is similar to the Reticular Formation in that it is also involved in a lot of “switchboard operations” connecting information from higher brain areas to lower brain areas with one of those operations connecting information from the cerebrum to the brainstem.

The Nerve System in general has four main functions: 

1. It controls all the movements we make

2. Senses everything we feel

3. Regulates all our body organs

4. Relates us to the outside world

When nerves get stressed, it effects their sensitivity, perception and behavior to perform these functions. There are three types of stresses we deal with in life. The stresses are physical, chemical and emotional in nature. These stresses create nerve tension and spine imbalance. 

One specific job of the brainstem is to adapt to these stresses and help bring the spine back into balance. If the stresses are too great for the brainstem to adapt, compensations arise. One particular compensation that occurs in the upper cervical spine is a vertebral subluxation.

A vertebral subluxation will cause the Atlas and Axis bones to get locked in a misaligned position. This lock will perpetuate spine imbalance and Nerve System tension. This tension will lead to abnormal sensitivity, perception and behavior of the brainstem and connecting nerves. Nerve System function is disrupted.

Over time, this disruption can lead to symptoms of the involved nerve structures. The usual symptoms of Autism are:

Social communication challenges and difficulty with:

• Language 

• Gestures

• Eye contact

• Facial expressions

• Tone of voice

• Expressions not meant to be taken literally

• Recognizing emotions and intentions in others

• Recognizing one’s own emotions

• Expressing emotions

• Seeking emotional comfort from others

• Taking turns in conversation

• Gauging personal space 

Restricted and repetitive behaviors including:

• Repetitive body movements 

• Repetitive motions with objects 

• Staring at lights or spinning objects

• Ritualistic behaviors 

• Narrow or extreme interests in specific topics

If we reference the Reticular Formation and the Basal Ganglia we can see that they associate with Autism symptoms.

    The goal of Chiropractic is not to medically treat the symptoms of Autism. The aim of Chiropractic is to correct nerve tension and spine imbalance. Chiropractors correct this by adjusting the vertebral subluxation of the upper cervical spine. 

     Correcting the subluxation better optimizes the function of the brainstem and associated nerves. The Nerve System overall can sense, perceive and behave at a greater potential when a subluxation is corrected.  

- Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP

Related Blogs:

1. Brain Development and Pediatric Chiropractic

2. Safety and Effectiveness of Pediatric Chiropractic

3. Birth Imprints

4. Motor Tics and the Upper Cervical Spine

Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby.