Showing posts with label massage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label massage. Show all posts

Thursday, May 16, 2013

How Massage Can Help You and Your Child With Autism

The recent CDC statistics that were released show that 1 in 50 children have Autism Spectrum disorder! This is an alarming increase from the last CDC statistics that estimated closer to 1 in 80. he CDC found more children above the age of 7 (above the age of normal diagnosis) which may account for the higher statistics. With the upcoming combination of what historically been several types of Autism into one encompassing Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD it creates a need for possibilities of treatment for the wide range of ages and symptoms with children diagnosed with ASD.
Massage is a great treatment option as it is not only low cost but helps facilitate and nurture a stronger bond between child and parent. The many benefits that may come from using massage are: improvements were seen in sleep patterns, on-task behavior, parent and child communication, increased positive responses to being touched, positive social interaction, motor skills, sensory function, language function, and general health. There are a lot of scientific data that backs up all of the benefits but results can still vary on each individual child..
Sleeping is a monumental issue with children of all ages, and something that parents can attest to after a long night of walking their child back to their room! A study done introduced the use of Touch to several families with ASD children, not only did the parents feel more in control and closer after the Touch training was done but also gained the perception by parents of the children as having improved sleep patterns, children were more relaxed after receiving the massage and appeared more open to touch1.
Children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) can often have trouble with attention behaviors which impact development of social interactions and relationships with others. In a study aimed at exploring how aromatherapy massage could increase shared attention behaviors, Steve Solomons, assistant head teacher at Rectory Paddock School and Research Unit in London set out to explore these issues. The children's responses were observed through the introduction of Aromatherapy. The results indicate that the children's shared attention behaviors increased during aromatherapy massage and other positive behavioral changes2.
Alternatively, standardized tests showed a decrease in common autistic behaviors, improvement in motor skills, sensory function, general health and language development in children. Using medical Qigong massage twice weekly from the physician and adding in daily massage from parents for a five week period created these results.
Multiple studies have shown that through the use of massage, children with ASD have seen improvements in wandering, more time showing on-task behavior, less time showing negative responses to being touched, and less time resisting the teacher than those in the control group4. Others reaffirm the use of massage as a way to improve social relatedness behavior during play observations at school, and fewer sleep problems at home5.
With all of the documented reasons why to start massaging there are some considerations to keep in mind. Similar to any medical treatment, consultation and guidance of a healthcare provider is a necessity! Important things to remember when massing your child is to always ask the permission, keeping the child involved is key, additionally adjusting and adapting your massage strokes for your child taking care and caution, making eye contact and continually using verbal and visual ques during the massage.
Copyright (c) 2013 Liddle Kidz Foundation Infant and Children's Pediatric Massage
Looking for tips and techniques to improve your child's health? Find answers to all your questions about autism massage, children's and pediatric massage at http://www.liddlekidz.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tina_Allen

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7713107

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Massage, Autism & Dopamine

Children diagnosed on the autism spectrum have varied symptoms that contribute to ultimately reaching a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Symptoms of autism typically appear before a child is 3 years old and last throughout life. Children with autism can display a wide range of symptoms, which can vary in severity from mild to disabling.
General symptoms that may be present to some degree in a child with autism include:
- Difficulty with verbal communication, including problems using and understanding language.
- Inability to participate in a conversation, even when the child has the ability to speak.
- Difficulty with non-verbal communication, such as gestures, facial expressions and eye-to-eye contact.
- Difficulty with social interaction, including relating to people and to his or her surroundings.
- Inability to make friends and preferring to play alone.
- Unusual ways of playing with toys and other objects, such as only lining them up a certain way.
- Lack of imagination.
- Difficulty adjusting to changes in routine or familiar surroundings, or an unreasonable insistence on following routines in detail.
- Repetitive patterns of behavior, or body movements, such as hand flapping, spinning, and head banging.
- Preoccupation with unusual objects or parts of objects.
Researchers also estimate that between 56% and 83% of children with autism spectrum disorders experience sleep disturbances, including refusal to go to bed, getting out of bed, tantrums at bedtime, early waking, requiring a parent to sleep with the child and hyperactivity at night (Schreck and Mulick, 2004) (Taira et al., 2008). This can create not only difficulty at the very time of the day when relaxation is needed most, but not having adequate sleep can have detrimental effects on parent and child.
So, what does that have to do with Dopamine? Dopamine is a chemical that is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter. Dopamine is important for normal functions of neurons, and plays a role in turning neurons on. It is also a vital component in many nervous system functions, including mood, sleep, movement, and motivation.
According to research performed by the Touch Research Institute published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy (Field et al., 2005). Not only does this increase in dopamine contribute to sleeping patterns for children on the autism spectrum, but massage therapy can also affect their anxiety levels due to the decrease of the stress hormone cortisol. Massage Therapy may provide relaxation, decreased anxiety and increased dopamine which can assist in appropriate and restful sleep.
Copyright (c) 2010 Liddle Kidz Foundation Infant and Children's Pediatric Massage
Looking for expert advice and tips to help improve your child's health? Find research proven answers to all your questions about infant massage and pediatric massage therapy for Autism at http://www.liddlekidz.com. Pediatric Massage Master Teacher, Tina Allen, founder of leading children's health and nurturing touch organization Liddle Kidz Foundation, shares over ten years of expertise working with children and families.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tina_Allen