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If you’re like most parents we work with, you’ve probably tried everything. Behavior modification charts, occupational therapy sessions, dietary changes, calming techniques – yet your child’s struggles continue. You’ve dealt with constant tantrums, sensory meltdowns, and behavioral challenges that seem to come out of nowhere. When your child can only wear certain clothes, has extreme reactions to everyday sounds, or struggles with anxiety that makes simple activities feel impossible, it’s exhausting and heartbreaking.
Here’s what we want you to know: It’s not your fault. And it’s not their fault either.
Let’s start with some statistics that might surprise you. One in six children in the United States has a diagnosed developmental disability, and up to 40% of children now suffer from at least one chronic illness. These aren’t random numbers – they reflect a growing pattern that most healthcare providers are missing.
What if we told you that your child’s behavioral challenges, sensory issues, and health problems aren’t separate issues at all, but signs of one underlying problem that can finally be addressed? The real culprit behind most childhood struggles is something called nervous system dysregulation – and it’s the missing piece that most doctors never address.
Let us share Tierney’s story, which might sound heartbreakingly familiar. Before finding specialized care, Tierney had extreme sensory processing challenges. She could only wear a couple of really loose dresses that didn’t rub against her skin. Seams, fabrics, eyeglasses, and even shoes were so overwhelming that they triggered intense meltdowns and severe anxiety.
Tierney’s nervous system was so stressed that her senses weren’t communicating properly with her brain. Imagine having broken volume control where everything feels turned up to maximum intensity. She experienced clothing sensations so intensely that her body automatically went into fight-or-flight mode.
But here’s the beautiful part of her story: Today, after receiving specific care that calmed and coordinated her nervous system, Tierney has a whole new wardrobe. At 10 years old, she celebrated wearing her very first pair of jeans! As Tierney herself says, she loves her chiropractic care because it “fixes the problem.”
Your child’s tantrums, sensory meltdowns, and behavioral challenges aren’t character flaws or signs of bad behavior. They’re actually brilliant attempts by their nervous system to communicate that something is wrong.
Here are the facts: 7.1% of children aged 3-17 have been diagnosed with anxiety, 9.4% with ADHD, and 7.4% with behavior problems. But the common thread connecting all these challenges is nervous system dysregulation – when the autonomic nervous system gets stuck in “fight or flight” mode instead of smoothly transitioning between stress and calm states.
When your child’s nervous system is dysregulated, it affects everything:
This dysregulation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s typically the result of what we call “The Perfect Storm” – an accumulation of stressors that can begin as early as pregnancy.
Maternal stress hormones like cortisol can cross the placental barrier and alter the programming of your baby’s developing nervous system. This doesn’t mean you did anything wrong – life naturally includes stressful moments during pregnancy.
Birth interventions like C-sections, forceps, vacuum delivery, or prolonged labor can create physical stress and misalignments in the upper neck and brainstem area. This can interfere with critical brain-body communication pathways from the very beginning.
Inadequate sleep, processed foods, environmental toxins, or even ordinary daily stressors can pile up in children with sensitive nervous systems, making it harder for them to find their footing and develop resilience.
You may have tried dietary changes or probiotics for your child, and while these can be helpful, if you’re still struggling, there’s likely a missing piece: the nervous system’s foundational role in regulating digestion.
The vagus nerve serves as the superhighway between your child’s brain and digestive tract. It controls:
When the nervous system is stuck in “fight or flight” mode, it puts the brakes on all those crucial “rest, regulate, and digest” functions. This explains why gut-focused interventions often feel like you’re filling a leaky bucket – without addressing the nervous system foundation, the improvements don’t stick.
The good news is that nervous system dysregulation can be identified and addressed. Advanced scanning technology, called INSiGHT Scans, can objectively measure your child’s nervous system function and identify specific areas of stress, tension, and dysregulation.
These assessments include:
Through gentle, specific neurologically-focused care, it’s possible to help restore optimal brain-body communication, allowing your child’s nervous system to shift from dysregulation back to natural regulation and resilience.
Understanding that your child’s challenges stem from nervous system dysregulation rather than behavioral issues changes everything. It means:
If your child struggles with sensory processing issues, behavioral challenges, anxiety, sleep problems, or digestive issues, know that you don’t have to continue feeling helpless. At RCW, we understand nervous system dysregulation as the common thread that can help address the root cause rather than just managing symptoms, and we would love to help.
If you are ready to see the incredible capacity of the nervous system to help your child heal and regulate, please reach out to us today to schedule a consultation.
Tierney’s story is just one example of what’s possible when we address the true foundation of health – the nervous system. You don’t have to do this alone, and you don’t have to keep guessing about what might help your child. There are answers, there is hope, and there is a path forward to help your child not just cope, but truly thrive.
Are you feeling frustrated or even disheartened because your child seemed to be making incredible progress with their neurological challenges, and then suddenly… everything stalled? Maybe you’ve even noticed some regression even. Behaviors returning that you thought were gone forever, sleep disruptions creeping back in, or emotional regulation challenges resurfacing.
If you’re wondering if the care plan is failing or if something’s wrong, we want you to take a deep breath and hear this: plateaus and even regressions are often a normal and necessary part of the healing process.
The neurological healing journey is rarely a straight line. In fact, it’s more like a rollercoaster with its fair share of ups, downs, and unexpected twists. But here’s the thing parents often miss – those plateaus aren’t signs of failure. They’re actually evidence that your child’s nervous system is working through deeper layers of dysfunction and adapting to a new level of organization.
As neurologically-focused chiropractors, we see this pattern daily in our practice. Nearly every parent who brings their child for care will experience what research refers to as “non-linear healing progress.” Research on neuroplasticity shows that the brain has the ability to reorganize itself, forming new connections and, in some instances, even generating new neurons.
Children typically experience periods of rapid advancement followed by consolidation phases where skills are integrated. The same pattern applies to neurological healing, where the “two steps forward, one step back” progression isn’t a failure. It’s actually the brain’s natural way of reorganizing and creating lasting change.
Let’s walk you through the most common reasons why your child might be experiencing a plateau, so you can understand what’s happening and feel confident moving forward.
When your child is growing rapidly or mastering new developmental skills, their body’s energy and resources may be directed toward physical growth and neural integration. During growth spurts, your child’s body is working intensely to lay down new bone, muscle, and neural tissue. Requiring tremendous energy that may temporarily be diverted from other healing processes.
This can show up as:
Remember that these growth-related pauses are ultimately signs of progress, not setbacks. Each time your child’s nervous system successfully integrates a new skill, it becomes more resilient overall.
Here’s something that might surprise you: fevers and illnesses aren’t simply obstacles to progress – they’re sophisticated neurological responses that can actually accelerate healing in the long run.
When a child has a fever, their immune system triggers the hypothalamus’s thermoregulatory center, leading to an increase in body temperature. This activates immune cells and creates an environment that’s inhospitable to pathogens. During this process, the nervous system diverts resources to orchestrate the immune response, which can temporarily manifest as lethargy, irritability, or a seeming disconnection.
But here’s the fascinating part: the fever process stimulates the release of neurotrophic factors. Special proteins that support neuronal growth and plasticity – potentially accelerating neurological development after recovery. This is why we often see major breakthroughs following an illness, though there may be a brief regression immediately after.
Children with pre-existing neurological challenges often have nervous systems that are already dysregulated, making them more sensitive to environmental toxins. From pesticides and heavy metals in food to flame retardants in furniture and VOCs in cleaning products, these accumulated toxins can disrupt normal neurological function.
Mold exposure, whether from hidden leaks or poor ventilation, releases mycotoxins that can lead to cognitive impairments and neurological symptoms. These environmental stressors can contribute to temporary plateaus in progress as the body works to process and eliminate these substances.
Major transitions like starting a new school year or subtle shifts in family dynamics can trigger the sympathetic “fight or flight” response in children with neurological challenges. This stress response releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which can quickly become overwhelming for children with pre-existing nervous system dysregulation.
Over time, this chronic state of stress can contribute to developing subluxation – areas of dysfunction within the nervous system that further perpetuate the cycle of dysregulation. This is why we often see regressions during periods of change or high emotion. The nervous system is allocating resources to manage the perceived stress rather than continuing to make developmental progress.
Many medications are designed to suppress or override the symptoms rather than resolve the root cause of neurological dysfunction. They act like a “mute button” for symptoms the body is still struggling with underneath. When we begin true healing by restoring brain-body communication and balancing the nervous system, it’s like the body begins to “wake up” again, sometimes temporarily resurfacing underlying patterns.
The nervous system has a limited capacity, which is why we recommend prioritizing nervous system regulation first and then gradually layering in additional therapies.
At RCW, we understand that, most of the time, plateaus are simply one or more of these outside stressors putting a bit of a headwind in play. Once that stressor passes and your child builds up additional resilience and adaptability, they’ll blow right past it and be right back on the path to progress and breakthrough once again.
The key is understanding that healing is non-linear. It’s a lot of “two steps forward, one step back” at first! Growth spurts, immune stress, environmental toxins, emotional changes… all of these can cause temporary plateaus or even regression as your child’s nervous system works hard behind the scenes to integrate and level up.
That 3-week sleep regression, the return of meltdowns, the clinginess that came out of nowhere – it’s not a sign that care isn’t working. It’s actually one of the clearest signs that your child’s nervous system is unwinding and releasing! Just like cleaning out your closet or pantry, it gets a little messier before we can reorganize it all into pretty containers.
You’re doing better than you think, and their nervous system is too. Trust the process, stay consistent with your care plan, and remember that these apparent setbacks are often evidence of your child’s nervous system working through deeper layers and preparing for the next breakthrough.
If you are ready to take the next step in your child’s neurological healing journey, or if you’re experiencing these plateaus and want some guidance, please reach out to RCW today!
Have you ever noticed how your baby seems perfectly content in your arms, but the moment someone else holds them, the waterworks begin? Or how does your little one somehow sense when you’re stressed and respond in kind? Or why healthcare providers prioritize skin-to-skin contact right after birth?
It’s not a coincidence—it’s co-regulation. And it might just be the most powerful tool in your parenting toolkit.
We want to share with you the absolute best hack when it comes to soothing a colicky baby, bringing down a fever naturally, and even boosting your milk supply. Would you believe it’s all the same approach?
Let us let you in on a little secret: your nervous system controls everything, and your baby’s nervous system is deliberately underdeveloped at birth. This isn’t a design flaw—it’s by design! Babies need their parents to help regulate, calm, and nurture them.
Your calm presence isn’t just emotionally comforting—it actually provides the neurological pattern your baby’s developing brain needs to learn regulation. When you hold your baby close, their heart rate, breathing patterns, and stress hormone levels literally synchronize with yours. It’s a beautiful biological dance that sets the foundation for lifelong health and emotional well-being.
The first three years of life represent a critical period for brain development, with more than 1 million new neural connections formed every second. Studies clearly show that babies receiving regular skin-to-skin contact have better temperature regulation, improved breastfeeding success, and significantly less crying.
This is all called co-regulation, and it truly is the best “hack” when it comes to anything baby-related!
Think of your nervous system like a car:
Your baby is remarkably aware of your nervous system state. They’re not reading your words or even your intentions—they’re picking up on subtle cues through your facial expressions, voice tone, heart rate, breathing pattern, and the quality of your touch.
When you’re stressed, your baby often becomes stressed too. When you’re calm, your baby can borrow your calmness until they develop their own regulation skills.
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, co-regulation doesn’t seem to work. Your baby remains fussy despite your cuddles, or you find yourself struggling to maintain the calm your baby needs.
This isn’t your fault! Several factors can create a “perfect storm” that affects co-regulation:
This physical tension can cause subluxation—areas of neurological dysfunction that interfere with proper nerve communication. Particularly affecting the vagus nerve and autonomic balance.
Without addressing these root neurological issues, babies don’t simply “grow out” of regulation challenges. They often “grow into” other health challenges like sensory issues, digestive problems, and emotional regulation difficulties.
When co-regulation isn’t happening naturally, Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care can help restore balance to both your nervous systems:
The journey of motherhood is absolutely amazing and such a blessing… but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard sometimes! You’re not meant to do this alone, and seeking support isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a sign of wisdom.
Co-regulation isn’t just a parenting technique; it’s a biological necessity for your baby’s developing nervous system. By understanding and nurturing this connection, you’re giving your child the neurological foundation for lifelong health and emotional well-being.
At RCW, we understand that your ability to co-regulate improves when your whole family’s nervous systems are functioning optimally. When everyone is regulated, the ripple effect creates a harmonious environment where your baby can thrive.
If you’re ready to take the first step and schedule a consultation, please don’t wait and reach out to us today!
You already have everything you need to be the calming force in your baby’s life. Trust your instincts, honor the power of your connection, and remember that in those moments when your baby finds peace in your arms, you’re not just soothing them—you’re literally shaping their developing brain in the most beautiful way possible.
Now that’s a superpower worth celebrating!