AutismOne announces autism continuing education program for chiropractors

Continuing education credits have been applied for by Logan University. The program offers 18.5 CE, pending.

AutismOne, host of the world’s largest and most comprehensive autism conference, is proud to announce the 3rd Annual Chiropractic Pediatric Continuing Education Program with Emphasis on Autism.

The program trains chiropractors and chiropractic students on the most effective treatments and therapies to be used in conjunction with chiropractic care for the significant population of individuals with autism and other neurological disorders. The program runs from Thursday, May 21 – Saturday, May 23 in Chicago.

“The public is not aware of the power of chiropractic in helping children with neurological disorders,” said Ed Arranga, AutismOne’s president and cofounder. “We’re not only looking to teach chiropractors — we’re looking to educate the public about chiropractic care as well.

“The rate of autism is exploding: today one in 24 boys and one in 38 children are diagnosed with autism. We need to get chiropractors involved in the fight to help our kids.”

Candyce Estave, communications director for AutismOne, says the public is not aware of chiropractic’s impact on autism.

“In addition to the general public not appreciating chiropractic’s salutogenic model, most people don’t know children with autism recover — they lose their diagnosis,” Estave said. “Chiropractic care is extremely helpful in reducing the inflammation throughout the body all our children suffer.”

The continuing education program brings together the most experienced chiropractic faculty ever assembled to address autism, says Jean Elizabeth Grabowski, executive director of Kentuckiana Children’s Center.

“We could not be more thrilled to have Dr. Patrick Montgomery, Dr. Sharon Vallone, and Dr. Carol Phillips, along with 10 other world-class autism experts, who average 20-plus years caring for children on the spectrum,” Grabowski says. “The program addresses issues from preconception through adulthood.”

Chiropractic, says Vallone, is essential for freeing information pathways and balancing the autonomic nervous system.

“Children diagnosed on the autism spectrum often cannot express to us verbally how they feel and often experience difficulty modulating their nervous system — too much stimuli! too little stimuli! etc.,” Vallone says. “If our joints are not moving properly our brain is not receiving information about where we are in space. We might seek sensory input by banging into things, stimming or even, sadly, injuring ourselves. If the joint dysfunction, or subluxation, results in pain, it may cause an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system which puts us into ‘fight or flight.’ If the chiropractic adjustment can restore function to a dysfunctional joint and reduce their pain, many of the behaviors that become activated by pain — stimming, self-injurious activities, escalating emotional distress, etc. — are calmed as the cessation of pain allows them to come out of ‘Fight or Flight.’

“A chiropractic adjustment restores function to the joint, reduces or eliminates pain and sends information to the brain from deep mechanical receptors in the joints that orient us to where we are in space — proprioception — regulates the autonomic nervous system and in turn, wakes up our brain as to how to respond when our joints move.”

Montgomery adds, “The chiropractic profession is equipped with several approaches to help those on the autism spectrum. Two of these are cranial analysis and correction, and the other is nutrition. It has been shown that cranial dyskinesis can have an effect on blood flow and cerebral spinal fluid flow, effecting not only brain functions but spinal cord function. Nutritional advice has been a part of the chiropractic profession for decades. Both of these approaches are offered by specialists in the chiropractic profession. There are other specialists in the field of chiropractic that can help those on the autistic spectrum.”

Arranga noted that 21 years ago, mainstream medicine told him nothing could be done to help his son’s autism.

“They were wrong,” Arranga said. “Four years ago, they told me my son’s chronic cough was psychosomatic. They were wrong again. After a few weeks of adjustments, his cough was 90% gone. After several months of adjustments, Jarad’s appetite exploded, his acid reflux was resolved, his constant need to urinate eliminated, and most stunningly Jarad’s cognition is soaring.”

The chiropractic program runs concurrently with the general conference. The general conference runs Wednesday, May 20 – Sunday, May 24 (two days longer than the CE program). Chiropractic participants are free to attend any of the presentations in the general conference, and parents are encouraged to attend any of the CE presentations. Our goal is to cross-pollinate the communities.

The upcoming event marks the 18^th annual AutismOne Conference. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will deliver the keynote address and is joined by 100-plus autism experts from around the world.

Join in the conversation by participating in our weekly Facebook livestream Program hosted by Dr. Mackenzie McNamara, at facebook.com/AutismOneDCProgram. Some of the guests include Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Dr. Andrew Wakefield, Dr. Carol Phillips and Dr. Pat Montgomery.

For more information about the conference, visit autismoneconference.com or call 800-908-5803.

About AutismOne

AutismOne is a nonprofit, parent-driven organization that provides education and supports advocacy efforts for children and families touched by an autism diagnosis. Since 2003 AutismOne has hosted the world’s largest, most comprehensive autism conference, in Chicago, Ill. Some of the past keynote speakers have been such luminaries as Nobel Prize-winning researcher Prof. Luc Montagnier, Congressmen Dan Burton, Dave Weldon, Darrell Issa and Bill Posey. In 2017, AutismOne introduced the Chiropractic Pediatric Continuing Education program.