Upledger CranioSacral Therapy and children with ASD.

I recently had the pleasure to participate in a richly informative workshop by Rachel Lowden from Autism Sussex about the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and what we as therapists need to do to prepare our clients for their visits and how to conduct sessions and make evaluations.

What was made very clear was the disconnect these children have between their minds and their bodies and the wide range of the extent of that disconnection.

Back in 1976 Dr John Upledger began studying the effect of CranioSacral Therapy (CST) on children from the Genessee County Center for Autistic Children in Flint, Michigan. What he found was that the meningeal membranes, especial the dura mater, were not growing at the same rate as the child's growth. This disparity in growth rates leads to restrictions in the normal growth of the brain and cranial vault that stresses their central nervous system.

By using non invasive techniques and bones that attach to the dural membrane the dural mater can be manually stretched to counteract this disparity in growth rates. The treatment needs to be on a regular  basis up until the child has fully grown.

CST is a deeply profound therapy that also helps the child to quieten the chatter in their mind and give them a few moments of respite from their tireless analysis of the world.

Thank you Rachel and Autism Sussex for giving me a greater understanding of what I need to do (and mostly not do) so that I can offer CST to children with ASD.

Here are some articles from the IAHE

http://iahe.com/images/pdf/3524_001.pdf
http://iahe.com/images/pdf/3549_001.pdf
http://iahe.com/images/pdf/2294_001.pdf
http://iahe.com/images/pdf/3263_001.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-0aYkPbono&feature=youtu.be

Craniosacral therapy and Tourettes and Asperger's Syndrome

I recently had the good fortune to work multi hands at a Craniosacral clinic run by a colleague who has years of experience as a Craniosacral therapist and in particular in pediatrics. Together with another colleague we were able to have three pairs of hands on each client. This multi hands work enables the body to resolve its imbalances more quickly as it's supported in several areas at once.

I thought I would tell you about two of the clients that we saw.

We saw a 15 year old boy with Tourettes Syndrome. This syndrome manifestes itself in multiple bodily tics and at least one vocal tic. The boy had visited the clinic several times previously and the mother reported that he now had fewer tics and the boy said he felt calmer. He certainly came into the session eagerly and left with a big smile.

Another client we saw was an 18 year old with Asperger's Syndrome. This syndrome is seen as a mild form of autism and manifestes itself amongst other things in social aloofness and an excessive preoccupation in a specialised interest. This boy had also been to the clinic several times and his demeanour on each visit had changed from quiet, sullen and depressed to being chatty and giggly. In fact he didn't stop talking and laughing the whole way through the session. His mother also said he was much easier to live with now.

Another happy day at the office!