Osteopathy for Children with Learning Difficulties

Learning difficulties may prevent a child from realising his/her full potential. Learning difficulties (including dyslexia and dyspraxia) can be broadly categorised into two main causes:

Neurological: an inability of the brain to process information correctly.
Physical: an inability of the Musculo-skeletal sytem of the body to respond appropriately to orders from the brain.

The most common cause of this is unresolved physical injury and strain from the birth process.

Effects of physical strain in a child

• The child may be fidgety and restless, find sitting still difficult and prefer to be always on the move.

• Concentration is often poor and the child is easily distracted.

• Volatile behaviour, in the same way that any person who is feeling tense may overreact emotionally.

• Light sleeper, often finding it difficult to drop off to sleep at night.

• Clumsyness, poor balance. The child may fall a lot, often seeming to bump the same part of their body.

• Handwriting is laborious and often untidy.

• Fatigue.

Common behaviour patterns

As a baby....

Babies with retained birth moulding display a number of common symptoms as a result of their discomfort:
Excessive crying, or an irritable baby who prefers being carried and needs to be rocked to sleep.
Feeding problems; a slow feeder with a weak sucking action, or a voracious feeder constantly needing to suck. The baby often has a preferred feeding position.
Colic and excessive wind.
Disturbed sleep patterns; often a very light sleeper and waking frequently.

As a toddler....

Mobility; the child may sit, crawl and walk early, seeking movement to relieve physical discomfort.
Play; the child may not become engrossed in play for any length of time, prefering to be on the move. This may lead to a 'butterfly type of child', constantly flitting from one activity to the next, and may contribute to poor concentration later on.
Sleep patterns often remain disturbed.
Behaviour is often at the difficult end of 'normal' toddler behaviour!
Teething may be particularly uncomfortable as the already stressed bony structure of the face resisits the rapid changes necessary in the eruption of teeth.

Head banging is often an indication of stresses within the head, and not simply a sign of frustration.

Childhood illnesses; the child often has a depleted imune system and succumbs to many infections. Learning can be detrimentally affected by both a child feeling unwell and increased time lost from school. Retained birth moulding of the head restricts the development. They are habitual mouth breathers.

Physical signs; there may be asymmetries in the child's posture, such as holding the head on one side, or one shoulder being higher than the other. This has implications on the best seating position within the classroom, to facilitate activities such as watching the teacher, copying from the blackboard etc.

Physical discomforts; the child may complain of headaches, growing pains, stomach aches or other physical aches and pains.

For best results, Osteopathic treatment should be carried out as young as possible, before the physical stresses have caused any further problems. Treatment is most effective before the age of 5 years, when there is still active growth of the head and brain.

After 5 years there is usually improvement in physicall well being and concentration and teachers and parents often report that the children seem to find it easier to grasp concepts.

Consultation: appointment by telephone 01293 784200