Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects 5.9 to 7.1% of the population and is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder affecting children. Studies have shown that ADHD affects eye movement control and that dysfunctional eye movement may result in difficulties learning.
For this pilot and feasibility study published in 2021 in the journal Brain Science, New Zealand researchers at the Centre for Chiropractic Research and the National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences at Auckland University of Technology, conducted a randomized controlled crossover study looking at the affects of a single session of spinal manipulation on eye movement control in children with ADHD. Thirty children participated in the study and were randomized into either control-first or chiropractic treatment first groups. The "crossover" was swapping children from control group to treatment group and vice versa to study the effects. The study showed a significant decrease in reading time after the chiropractic spinal manipulation intervention compared to the control intervention in children with ADHD and demonstrated the feasibility of a larger trial which is in the works.
To read more from the study, please visit: The Effects of Spinal Manipulation on Oculomotor Control in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Pilot and Feasibility Study - PMC (nih.gov)