New Physical Rehabilitation Program
now available in Oakville!
Designed
and implemented by Dr. Carole Smith, B.A., DC
Doctor of Chiropractic
 Dr.
Smith received music and academic scholarships to attend
Simon Fraser University and holds a Bachelor of Arts,
majoring in psychology with a focus on children with
autism. She later graduated with clinic honours from
the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College. She is also
certified in contemporary medical acupuncture (McMaster
University).
Dr Smith is also an accomplished musician having won
various bagpipe competitions across North America and
Scotland, including the World Pipe Band Championships
in Glasgow, Scotland. This has given her insight and
experience in the treatment and rehabilitation of muscular
strains and other injuries related to playing instruments
at a highly competitive level.
Dr. Smith has been treating a variety of patient conditions,
including repetitive strain injuries, acute and chronic
conditions, as well as car accidents and other traumas.
She also has experience treating sports injuries and
teaches seminars at Goodlife Fitness and other corporate
locations on rehabilitation strategies, preventing injuries,
and other health related topics. Dr. Smith has also
worked as a research associate out of Simon Fraser University,
the Institute for Work and Health, and Toronto Western
Hospital, and has recently co-authored a chapter on
complementary therapies for headache sufferers in the
recent revised edition of Migraine.
Dr. Smith has worked as an IBI (intensive behavioural
intervention) therapist for children with autism for
the past 10 years and was trained in IBI principals
at Erinoak treatment centre. She also has experience
working at the Muki Baum Children's Centre assessing
and treating musculoskeletal ailments of the children
who are behaviourally, mentally and physically challenged.
Dr. Smith has used these experiences to develop a special
needs rehabilitation program now available at Wellness
for the body.
Programs are designed based on a child’s individual
needs and goals and may involve such things as gross
motor development, gait retraining for toe-walking behaviours,
or sensitization to medical procedures based on IBI
principles to facilitate future visits to the pediatrician
or dentist.
Dr. Carole Smith has developed
a special needs physical rehabilitation program now
available at Wellness for the Body. For more information
visit www.wellnessforthebody.com
or call 905.465.4595.
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What is autism?
Autism Spectrum Disorder is one of the most common developmental
disabilities. Autism is usually diagnosed based on the behaviours
seen before the age of three.
A child with autism usually has difficulties in four general
areas:
1. Speech, language and
communication: language may develop slowly or
not at all; child may use words without attaching typical
meaning to them; may communicate with gestures rather
than words.
2. Relating to people objects
and events: spends time alone rather than with
others; shows little interest in making friends; less
responsive to social cues such as smiles or eye contact
3. Responses to sensory
stimuli: may have sensitivities in the areas
of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste
4. Developmental discrepancies:
may have difficulties in gross and fine motor tasks;
may show aggression to self or others; often has difficulties
with changes in routine; may be overactive or passive
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 Autism
impacts the typical development of the brain in the areas
of social interaction and communication skills. Children and
adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and
non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure
or play activities. They find it hard to communicate with
others and relate to the outside world. In some cases, aggressive
and/or self-injurious behaviour may be present. Persons with
autism may exhibit repeated body movements (hand flapping,
rocking), unusual responses to people or attachments to objects
and resistance to changes in routines. Individuals may also
experience sensitivities in sight, hearing, touch, smell,
and taste.
Based on recent studies by Canadian researchers, the prevalence
rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is 1 in 165. In Ontario,
there is an estimated 70,000 individuals with ASD. Yet most
of the public, including many professionals in the medical,
educational, and vocational fields, are still unaware of how
autism affects people and how they can effectively work with
individuals with autism. Although children with autism may
differ considerably in their behavior, their learning and
cognition tend to be somewhat predictable and characteristic.
There is no standard "typical" person with autism.
Parents may hear different terms used to describe children
within this spectrum, such as autistic tendencies, autism
spectrum, high-functioning or low-functioning autism, more-abled
or less-abled. Whatever the diagnosis, children can learn
and function productively and show gains from appropriate
education and treatment.
How is autism diagnosed?
There are no medical tests for diagnosing autism. An accurate
diagnosis must be based on observation of the child’s
communication, behaviour, and developmental levels. Because
many of the behaviours associated with autism are shared by
other disorders, various medical tests may be ordered to rule
out or identify other possible causes of the symptoms.
The characteristics of a disorder vary so much, that a child
should be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team which may
include a neurologist, psychologist, developmental paediatrician,
speech/language therapist, learning consultant, or other professionals
knowledgeable about autism. Diagnosis is difficult for a practitioner
with limited training or exposure to autism. Difficulties
in the recognition and acknowledgment of autism often lead
to a lack of services to meet the complex needs of individuals
with autism.
What causes autism?
There is an abundance of research currently being done to
try to answer this question. Researchers from all over the
world are exploring different explanations for the various
forms of autism.
Although a single specific cause of autism is not known,
current research links autism to biological or neurological
differences in the brain. In many families there appears to
be a pattern of autism or related disabilities, suggesting
a genetic basis to the disorder. The genetic basis is believed
by researchers to be highly complex and involving several
genes in combination. Autism is not a mental illness. Children
with autism are not kids who misbehave. Autism is not caused
by bad parenting. There are no known psychological factors
in the development of the child that have been shown to cause
autism.
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Oakville Autism