Autism & Chiropractic Care

A Focus on Autism and the Neuro Storm

One of the main areas we focus on in our office is helping children with autism and other spectrum-related challenges. My deep dive into this work began back in 2011, when I started studying the emerging neuroscience around neurodevelopmental disorders. That’s when I noticed a clear and consistent pattern—a “Neuro Storm” of factors that kept showing up in case after case.

What was once confusing and overwhelming began to make sense through the lens of neurology and early stress exposure. These kids weren’t broken or genetically doomed—they were overwhelmed. Their nervous systems had been pushed into a chronic state of distress and dysfunction before they ever had a chance to develop properly.

Help. Hope. Happiness.

How Can Pediatric Chiropractic Care Help with Autism?

Let’s begin with an important word in this discussion: help.

Pediatric chiropractic care is not a treatment or a cure for autism, sensory challenges, ADHD, anxiety, or any other diagnosis. In fact, chiropractic doesn’t “cure” back pain or neck pain either.

What chiropractic does do is work from a care model—not a treatment model. That means we focus on supporting and restoring balance and function within the central and autonomic nervous system. And here’s the beautiful part: when the nervous system is working the way it was designed to, it has an incredible capacity to adapt, heal, and thrive all on its own.

So no, the chiropractor doesn’t do the healing. Neurology does.

That may sound philosophical, but it’s rooted in solid science. So, let’s get to the heart of your question…

How Does It Actually Help?

As with most important questions, the answer is multi-layered. But it all comes back to one central player: the nervous system.

Anyone familiar with autism knows that the nervous system is profoundly affected. And when it’s out of balance, it contributes to many of the common challenges we see in kids on the spectrum—things like:

• Sensory processing difficulties
• Hyperactivity and attention issues
• Sleep disruptions
• Emotional regulation struggles
• Digestive and immune system challenges
• Social and behavioral concerns

The nervous system is not only responsible for processing input and regulating behavior, but it also plays a key role in coordinating the gut and immune system—which are the other two systems most frequently affected in kids with autism.

That’s why, moving forward, we’ll look at these three systems—nervous, immune, and gut—as a connected triangle, with the nervous system as the central link.

But first, let’s understand how the nervous system can become stressed and dysfunctional in the first place.

The Three Core Ingredients of the Neuro Storm

After working with thousands of families and digging deep into the research, we’ve found that most kids dealing with sensory and spectrum challenges have a common thread in their case history. We call this pattern The Neuro Storm, and it’s made up of three main ingredients:

1. Maternal Stress During Pregnancy
2. Birth Intervention
3. Frequent Illness and Medication Use in Infancy and Early Childhood

While the third is finally gaining attention in modern healthcare discussions, the first two remain widely overlooked.

Ingredient #1: Maternal Stress

Modern prenatal care does a great job monitoring things like blood pressure, weight, and avoiding harmful substances. But it often fails to address one of the most important influences on a developing baby: the mother’s emotional and neurological health.

Instead of feeling empowered and supported, many pregnant women are met with fear-based messaging. Pregnancy is portrayed as miserable. Birth is framed as traumatic. And the “joy” of having a baby often gets lost in medical jargon and anxiety.

This stress is more than emotional—it’s physiological. The umbilical cord isn’t just a nutrient pipeline—it’s a neurological lifeline. The mother’s emotional state and stress levels directly affect the baby’s developing nervous system. When pregnancy is dominated by high stress and fear, it can “pre-wire” the baby’s brain to be more sensitive, reactive, and dysregulated.

Ingredient #2: Birth Intervention

When mom’s nervous system is under strain, it makes the natural process of labor and birth much harder to achieve—often leading to interventions like inductions, epidurals, vacuum extraction, forceps, or Cesarean delivery.

In fact, of all the case histories we’ve reviewed for children on the spectrum, birth intervention is the most common link. The more intervention there is, the more stress the baby’s nervous system experiences.

This early interference can lead to a host of problems right away—things like:

• Trouble latching or nursing
• Reflux and colic
• Torticollis and plagiocephaly
• Constipation and eczema
• Chronic ear infections

And this leads right into ingredient #3: frequent illness and medication use in early life.

A Nationwide Trend with Worldwide Consequences

Birth interventions in the U.S. have reached alarming levels. According to the World Health Organization, Cesarean deliveries should ideally occur in no more than 10–15% of births. In the United States, that number is over 30%—double what’s considered healthy and necessary. Even many vaginal births today are now induced or medically augmented. A recent study in the journal Pediatrics confirmed a higher likelihood of autism following induced labor, validating what pediatric chiropractors have observed for years.

You’ll find a collection of related research articles linked below, many connecting early birth interventions to long-term challenges in immune function, metabolism, and neurological development.

Looking Ahead

In the rest of this article, we’ll break down how each of these early stressors impacts a child’s developing nervous system—and how specific chiropractic care can help restore calm, regulation, and healing from the inside out.

Because when we support the nervous system at its foundation, we don’t treat the diagnosis—we empower the child.

The Hidden Impact of Birth Intervention and Injury

One of the most commonly affected areas during the birth process is the upper neck and skull—specifically the upper cervical spine. This region is highly vulnerable, and the risk of injury (subluxation) increases significantly with birth interventions such as C-sections, vacuum extraction, forceps use, and prolonged or difficult pushing.

Why does this matter so much?

Because this delicate area surrounds and protects the brainstem and cerebellum—critical parts of the nervous system responsible for regulating balance, muscle tone, sensory processing, and motor coordination. These structures act as the control center for a child’s sensorimotor system: vision, balance, posture, movement, and so much more.

So when this area is injured or misaligned during birth—even slightly—it can send a child’s neurodevelopment off track from day one.

The Problem: Nobody’s Looking

Here’s the troubling part: in most cases, no one checks for these injuries. Traditional medical providers are not trained to assess the upper neck or neurospinal system for subtle misalignments (subluxations). As a result, these injuries go unnoticed and unaddressed—even though they could be at the root of major developmental challenges.

We believe that if pediatric chiropractic care were applied immediately after birth, many of the neurological challenges we see later on—including sensory issues, speech delays, behavioral struggles, and spectrum disorders—could be prevented or greatly reduced.

The Nervous System Disrupted

When the upper neck is subluxated, it interferes with the brain’s ability to properly communicate with the body. It scrambles the signals going in (sensory input) and out (motor output), leading to a breakdown in regulation, coordination, and development.

This is why children with autism often experience such a wide range of symptoms—from social and emotional challenges to digestive, immune, and sensory issues. As Princeton researcher Dr. Samuel Wang puts it, autism is likely driven by “disruption or distortion of neurological signaling” throughout the brain and nervous system.

At the heart of this disruption is a nervous system stuck in sympathetic overdrive—commonly known as the fight-or-flight state. This stress response is meant to be short-term, but in many children with autism, it’s been “on” since birth.

Colic, Stress, and the Road Ahead

This chronic state of neurological stress explains why so many of our spectrum kiddos experienced early signs like:

• Colic
• Sleep issues
• Reflux
• Ear infections
• Constipation
• Skin issues
• Delayed milestones

These aren’t just random baby ailments—they’re early indicators that the nervous system is overwhelmed. And no, many of these kids don’t “grow out of it.” They often “grow into” more serious and complex challenges—unless the root cause is identified and corrected.

What We See at Thriving Families

One of the most rewarding parts of our work is seeing the shift in these children over time.

As we begin applying gentle, specific, neurologically focused adjustments, something amazing happens:

• Their eyes soften.
• Their bodies relax.
• Their coordination improves.
• Their awareness grows.
• And communication often begins to emerge—sometimes for the first time.

It’s a joy to witness. Because when we help a child’s nervous system return to calm, connection, and balance, we don’t just reduce symptoms—we unlock their potential.

What Else Is Going On? Let’s Talk Neuro-Gastro-Immunology

If we return to our “Triangle of Health”—the nervous, immune, and digestive systems—we see how closely they’re connected, and how much stress in one can throw off the others.

When a child’s nervous system is stuck in sympathetic overdrive (that fight-or-flight mode we’ve been discussing), it downshifts both the immune system and digestive system. These systems aren’t designed to function properly when the body thinks it’s in survival mode.

How Stress Impacts the Gut

Chronic stress leads to issues like:

• Decreased digestive motility
• Cramping and constriction
• Gut inflammation
• Poor nutrient breakdown and absorption

In this state, even healthy foods can become irritating or triggering to the digestive system. This is why so many parents feel defeated trying to get their sensory or spectrum child to eat nutritious meals or take supplements—those complex foods are harder to digest, and their little systems simply can’t handle them… yet.

Here’s the good news: once the nervous system begins to regulate, digestion improves. We see this all the time in practice. As stress subsides, kids begin tolerating a wider variety of healthy foods—one of the most exciting “side effects” of chiropractic care.

Stress Weakens the Immune System Too

Just like the gut, the immune system takes a hit under prolonged stress. This leaves children more vulnerable to:

• Colds and respiratory issues
• Chronic congestion and allergies
• Asthma, eczema, and skin conditions
• Frequent infections and autoimmune flare-ups

All these issues build more inflammation in the body, keeping the child in a vicious cycle of stress, sickness, and struggle. This is where pediatric chiropractic care steps in—to break that cycle at its source: the nervous system.

The Vagus Nerve – The Hidden Key

One final and crucial piece of this puzzle is the Vagus Nerve—often called “The Wandering Nerve” and also nicknamed the “Rest and Digest” nerve.

It originates in the brainstem (remember that area often affected by birth trauma?) and travels through the neck, down into the chest and abdomen. Along the way, it connects with major organs involved in digestion, breathing, immune regulation, and even emotional and social processing.

Recent neuroscience, especially the work of Dr. Stephen Porges, has shown that the Vagus Nerve plays a role in:

• Social connection and communication
• Emotional regulation
• Cognitive development
• Immune balance
• Digestive health

When the Vagus Nerve is underactive, as it often is in children with spectrum and sensory challenges, these functions struggle. Restoring its activity is essential—and that’s exactly what neurologically-focused chiropractic care is designed to support.

So… How Do You Actually Help My Child?

It starts by locating and addressing the subluxations—those neurological stress points stuck in “fight-or-flight.” A specially trained PX Doctor uses Insight Scans to:

1. Determine if subluxation is present
2. Measure the severity of nervous system stress
3. Identify the specific areas that need correction

These scans are our roadmap for care. No guesswork—just real data, personalized plans, and consistent check-ins every 2–6 weeks to track progress and adjust as needed.

Why Frequency Matters

Most spectrum cases require intensive care at first—often starting at 3x per week, and sometimes daily for more severe cases. This frequency is grounded in the science of neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change and rewire.

We have to “pour in” enough calm and corrective input to interrupt the storm. Over time, those new, healthier patterns start to stick, and that’s where the real, lasting change begins.

It’s not a quick fix. But it is powerful. We’ve watched children transform—physically, emotionally, developmentally—month after month, year after year.

The Growth vs. Protection Dilemma

As Dr. Bruce Lipton says:

“You can’t be in growth and protection at the same time.”

A child stuck in fight-or-flight is stuck in protection mode—focused on survival, not development. Until the nervous system shifts out of that state, they remain “locked out” of communication, connection, and healing.

Chiropractic adjustments—gentle, specific, and neurologically guided—are the “brake pedal” these kids need. They help switch the system from chaos to calm, from protection to growth, from stuck to thriving.

And that’s what we’re here for.