Worried about your child and the possibility of retained neonatal reflexes?

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Children lying on grass, using digital tablet togetherIt’s perfectly normal to worry about your children, in fact if you weren’t worried then there would be something very wrong! When our little bundles of joy are first brought into the world our anxiety goes into overdrive, looking for every single thing that might be slightly off, and when we focus on something, the worries intensifies.

Retained neonatal reflexes are worrying for parents, because when your child doesn’t seem to be developing at the rate you would expect, you of course begin to be concerned about their future and what exactly is wrong.

Retained neonatal reflexes are basically when your child doesn’t seem to rid themselves of the primitive reflexes they were born with, and these aren’t replaced with newer, more developed skills. For instance, every child is born with the skills to survive their early months, such as knowing how to attract attention when something is wrong, and how to feed, but as time goes on these reflexes should be replaced with further development; when this doesn’t happen, this is called retained neonatal reflexes.

Luckily in these cases there are some treatment options to help rewire the brain and gently coax development to the fore; chiropractic care is one of them. Here at Neurobalance we are experienced in helping children and parents going through this hard time, and Sydney chiropractor Dr Veronesi offers treatment and advice to achieve the best possible outcome.

Chiropractic in this particular condition involves the use of movement exercises to help rectify motor skill problems, whilst ironing out the nerves within the joints and correct spinal problems. How does this help? Well, it helps correct problems in the way information is processed and distorted, rectifying any blockages and correcting flow. This all basically means that the brain is able to help integrate these neonatal reflexes and replace them or enhance them with new ones, just as nature intended.

Symptoms of retained neonatal reflexes are far-reaching, and we know that one size never fits all, but a few common ones are anxiety or being fearful, poor memory or poor concentration, poor posture, and slow development in terms of movement, such as crawling. Conditions such as ADHD or autism are characterised by retained neonatal reflexes also, meaning learning difficulty conditions go hand in hand with the importance of rectifying this problem.

If you are having worries or difficulties with your child that sounds a lot like this condition, then help is certainly at hand. Call the practice now on 02 9938 5456 and discuss with our friendly, highly skilled staff about what we can do to help you and your child in his or her further development, helping to put right any problems and set them on a road to achieving their potential in the future. Your child is undoubtedly the most important person in your life, so don’t delay in seeking help if you are at all worried about any aspect of their behaviour or development.

ADHD and ADD – What’s the deal?

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adhdYou will probably have heard the letters ADHD and ADD in passing, and maybe you know someone who has been diagnosed with the condition, but do you really know what it is?

Medical terms can be complicated, especially when abbreviated!

ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and ADD is simply attention deficit disorder. Whilst both are subtly different, they are essentially very similar in nature, and the overall general treatment is the same regardless. The types of ADHD/ADD which fall underneath the same umbrella however are very different, and should be diagnosed and treated differently in effect.

The difficulty in this case comes from recognising symptoms, and identifying the type. Treating the appropriate type of ADHD/ADD in the correct way will have a much greater success rate for the person involved. Thankfully, testing has come on leaps and bounds over recent years, so more and more people suffering with the effects of this difficult condition can get effective treatment faster, and live their lives free of the sometimes debilitating effects of this complex condition.

The main symptoms of ADHD/ADD are:

  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Easily distracted
  • Often losing things
  • Not organised
  • Often late
  • Easily side-tracked
  • Often working on several tasks at once because of an inability to concentrate on one thing

As you can see, these are traits which could be easily mislabelled, especially in adults.

Whilst children are most often diagnosed with the condition, it can and does affect adults, and it is most often the case that the adult has had it since childhood, but it has only just been picked up, often because of a family member or someone close has noticed traits and persuaded the person affected to seek help.

There are several types of ADHD/ADD, but the main are inattentive, hyperactive, and combined. Inattentive is often the hardest to diagnose because the symptoms which present could be put down to someone being a little withdrawn or shy, when in fact they are down to ADHD/ADD. Because of this, many go undiagnosed.

Much in the way of study and research has gone into the best treatment options for ADHD/ADD, and the best ways to identify the particular type. EEG biofeedback has shown great hope for treatment, with those undergoing this form showing a 60/70% success rate in medication reduction after treatment. More research is going into this, but it certainly shows hope on the horizon.

The key first step to seeking the treatment required to live a life in control of ADHD/ADD symptoms is to seek help if you are at all worried. If you are concerned about symptoms which you believe could be down to this condition, call the practice now on 03 9095 7990 to arrange an appointment to discuss your worries and possible options.

Diagnosis of the condition, and then determining the type is the first step to a targeted treatment plan, which will help make life much easier for the person involved, as well as close friends and family, in understanding the condition and its effects.