School Aged Children Quality Of Life Chiropractic Care

The health and wellbeing of children today is showing some alarming areas of decline and is becoming a bit of a concern (1). Along with this, it is seen that there is an increasing number of neurodevelopmental disorders seen in school aged children, which may be associated with this decline (2). Do you have a loved one who’s not the best with their overall health and wellbeing, affecting their quality of life? This important article can make the world of difference to you.
 
“Data from the US National Survey of Children’s health from 2016 to 2020, showed an increase in rates of anxiety, depression, behavioural disorders and obesity. It also showed declining rates of preventative medical visits, daily physical activity, and decline in parents mental health.” (1)
 
Neurodevelopmental disorders covers conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD), dyslexia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysphonia, Tourette syndrome, synaesthesia, and other distinctions in behaviour and neurobiology (2). It is currently estimated that it affects around 15% of school aged children, with ADHD having a prevalence of around 5-11% (2). It has been increasing over the last decade, with the prevalence of ADHD being 8% in 2011/12, and current data from a 2022/23 National Survey of Children’s Health showing 10.5% of the population age 3-17 years in the US have ADD or ADHD (3). In Australia, around 1 in every 20 Australians has ADHD, and more than 3 in 4 children diagnosed with ADHD in childhood still have symptoms as an adult (4).
 
Conditions of neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with several health and wellbeing difficulties, including poor sleep, poor school performance, gross motor function deficits, musculoskeletal pain, headaches, digestive issues and other physical complaints (5-9). Can chiropractic help with supporting children who are affected by these conditions?
 
In a recent research literature, a retrospective review of case records of school-aged children receiving chiropractic care was done. The sample of cases were children aged 5-18 years attending a public school in the US. The children were offered chiropractic care if they were identified by teachers/educators as having a neurodevelopmental disorder, or if it was requested by the child’s caregiver due to musculoskeletal and/or other health complaints, and were assessed and screened for eligibility to receive chiropractic care by the chiropractors providing the care. In this review, children who received chiropractic care found significant improvements in several areas, mainly in the health and activity domain and the overall score of the paediatrics quality of life questionnaire, which reflects enhanced self-reported quality of life related to health and activities (10). Though more research would be needed to further substantiate these findings as this case series only involved 180 children, early findings indicate positive influence of chiropractic care in supporting the health and wellbeing of children with these conditions.
 
So if you want to find out if chiropractic care may help improve the overall quality of life for you or your loved ones, have a chat with one of our chiropractors to see how they can assist.

“Childhood is a period of huge growth and development so it’s important to help support children to maximise their quality of life in this sensitive period”
 
 
 
 
1. Lebrun-Harris, L.A., Ghandour, R.M., Kogan, M.D. and Warren, M.D., 2022. Five-year trends in US children’s health and well-being, 2016-2020. JAMA pediatrics, 176(7), pp.e220056-e220056.
2. Francés, L., Quintero, J., Fernández, A., Ruiz, A., Caules, J., Fillon, G., Hervás, A. and Soler, C.V., 2022. Current state of knowledge on the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood according to the DSM-5: a systematic review in accordance with the PRISMA criteria. Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 16(1), p.27.
3. Initiative, T.C.A.H.a.M. 2024. Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health.
4. Australia, H., 2024. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).3. Boivin, M.J., Kakooza, A.M., Warf, B.C., Davidson, L.L. and Grigorenko, E.L., 2015. Reducing neurodevelopmental disorders and disability through research and interventions. Nature, 527(7578), pp.S155-S160.
5. Gnanavel, S., Sharma, P., Kaushal, P. and Hussain, S., 2019. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and comorbidity: A review of literature. World journal of clinical cases, 7(17), p.2420.
6. Landgren, V., Svensson, L., Törnhage, C.J., Theodosious, M., Gillberg, C., Johnson, M., Knez, R. and Landgren, M., 2024. Neurodevelopmental problems, general health and academic achievements in a school‐based cohort of 11‐year‐old Swedish children. Acta Paediatrica, 113(3), pp.506-516.
7. King-Dowling, S., Proudfoot, N.A. and Obeid, J., 2019. Comorbidity among chronic physical health conditions and neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood. Current Developmental Disorders Reports, 6, pp.248-258.
8. Blackmer, A.B. and Feinstein, J.A., 2016. Management of sleep disorders in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: a review. Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy, 36(1), pp.84-98.
9. Alabaf, S., Gillberg, C., Lundström, S., Lichtenstein, P., Kerekes, N., Råstam, M. and Anckarsäter, H., 2019. Physical health in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49, pp.83-95.
10. Duehr, J., Cook, L., Blonigen, A., Cade, A., Glucina, T., Buerger, M., Sullivan, S., Perez, T., Navid, M.S., Niazi, I.K. and Haavik, H., 2025. Retrospective review of case records of school-aged children receiving chiropractic care. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.