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Can CBD Oil or Cannabis Treat Autism? What We Know So Far

Can CBD Oil or Cannabis Treat Autism? What We Know So Far

Any family that has a child with autism or other intellectual disabilities understands that you have to take one day at a time. From the beginning, you’ve probably had to realize that, as your child learns and develops skills, there will be good days and bad ones.

Parents will all agree that raising children, in general, is a task that requires time and effort; adding intellectual disabilities definitely makes the job a bigger challenge and they will need your attention throughout their entire life. 

But half of your battle involves taking the time to learn about your awesome child’s new condition.

Causes and Treatments for Autism

When your child was diagnosed with autism, all the possible reasons for their condition have gone running through your mind. Autism can develop from factors such as genetic, nongenetic, or environmental influences, but it isn’t an illness that can be cured. 

Ideally, you learn to interact with your children in a way that helps them develop the necessary skills they need as they grow up. Although there isn’t a “cure” for autism, you can look into medication treatments that have proven effective with some symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These include:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

  • Tricyclics
  • Psychoactive or antipsychotic medications
  • Stimulants
  • Anti-anxiety medications
  • Anticonvulsants

But maybe you’ve heard of other alternative medications such as cannabis or medical marijuana. Some people have been studying the effects of cannabis or CBD oil on people with autism in the last couple   of years, but is this really an option?

What is Cannabis?

Cannabis is the scientific name for the plant most commonly known as marijuana, weed, pot, Mary Jane, and other slang terms. The dried leaves, seed oil, and other parts of the cannabis plant are used for recreational and medicinal purposes.

It may seem like an outrageous idea because many people consider cannabis an illegal and dangerous drug that’s used to get “high.” Some of its ingredients are psychoactive, meaning they can alter the mind, but cannabis actually contains about 120 active ingredients, known as cannabinoids. Not all of these ingredients cause damaging effects and their potency and balance vary depending on how the plant is grown and processed.

What is Cannabidiol (CBD)?

The two most abundant cannabinoids found in cannabis plants are cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The bad ingredient that produces the euphoric or psychoactive effect is THC. CBD on the other hand has been associated with providing pain relief, improving sleep, and producing relief from anxiety disorders and addiction.

As you research this option, you will see that CBD comes in various forms such as:

  • Oils and tinctures
  • Edibles
  • Capsules
  • Topicals
  • Vape juices

Can Cannabis Treat Autism?

autism stimmingOnce you retrained your mind to not see cannabis as a deadly substance but rather an alternative treatment, then the question becomes: has research shown that cannabis and CBD oil are effective when treating autism spectrum disorder symptoms? 

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Symptoms

As a loving parent, you’ve done your research as to the signs your child displayed to be diagnosed with ASD. Most likely you’ve been given information about the difficult road ahead as your autistic child experiences:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Stress
  • Hyperactivity
  • Aggression
  • Anger
  • Sleep problems

By helping your child create a bond with their doctor, they can feel more comfortable being themselves. This way their doctor will be able to better prescribe the right medications to counteract their negative behaviors.

How Cannabis Can Help with ASD Symptoms

You deserve to get a straight answer on using cannabis for ASD and the reality is that research on its effectiveness is very limited. However, keep in mind that studies have shown some evidence of the positive effects cannabis and CBD have on those with autism. 

You will find that the studies performed show that cannabis may help alleviate specific symptoms and improve unhealthy behaviors in those on the autism spectrum.

Research Performed Using Cannabis Oil for Autism

The dangers associated with using any part of the cannabis plant have made it vital that more research is done into the safety and efficacy of cannabis or CBD. We want parents to learn about some of the studies that have been conducted over the years:

“Oral Cannabidiol Use in Children with

photo by @Yaroslavoff

Autism Spectrum Disorder to Treat Related Symptoms and Co-morbidities”

The objective of this 2018 study was to examine the effects of oral cannabidiol on commonly exhibited symptoms of autistic children, such as hyperactivity, self-injury, aggressiveness, restlessness, anxiety, and sleep disorders. 

The study was performed on 53 patients, of which 45 were males and eight were females, between 4 and 22 years old. Parents were instructed by a nurse practitioner on how to administer the proper dosage of CBD oil for autism spectrum disorder symptoms.

Results of This 2018 Study

By the end of the study, parents reported on the following symptoms:

  • Hyperactivity Symptoms. Of 38 patients demonstrating hyperactivity symptoms, 68.4% showed improvement, 28.9% showed no change, and 2.6% got worse.
  • Self-Injury. Of 34 patients demonstrating self-injury or rage, 67.6% showed improvement, 23.5% showed no change, and 8.8% got worse. 
  • Sleep Problems. Of 21 patients experiencing problems sleeping, 71.4% showed improvement, 23.8% showed no change, and 4.7% (one patient) got worse.
  • Anxiety. Of 17 patients experiencing anxiety, 47.1% showed improvement, 29.4% showed no change, and 23.5% got worse.

Conclusion of the Study

With this study, oral CBD treatment showed an overall improvement of 74.5% on ASD symptoms. Although this may seem like a good statistic, how efficient and safe CBD for autism is, still needs to be evaluated more in-depth on a larger scale.

“Effects of CBD-Enriched Cannabis Sativa Extract on Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms”

You’re not the only one interested in finding alternative treatments that can be more effective with autism. Other studies observe the adverse effects of ASD symptoms on cognitive development, social interaction, and behavior and aim to research how effective pure cannabidiol (CBD) and CBD-enriched cannabis sativa extract (CE) are in autistic symptoms in refractory epilepsy patients.

The study began with 18 ASD patients, of which 13 were males and five (28%) females between 6 and 17 years old. The parents of these children obtained legal authorization from the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency of Brazil (ANVISA) to allow them to use CE under the supervision of those conducting this study.

Results of This 2019 Study

For this study, data was collected for the following symptoms:

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Behavioral disorders (BD)
  • Motor deficits (MD)
  • Autonomy deficits (AD)
  • Communication and social interaction deficits (CSID)
  • Cognitive deficits (CD)
  • Sleep disorders (SD)
  • Convulsive seizures (SZ)

CBD proved most effective for ADHD, SD, and SZ, where above 80% of patients showed improvement equal to or above 30%. Another notable result came in terms of controlling seizures since there was a reduction of 50% in three cases and 100% in the other two cases.

Conclusion of the Study

This study supports the idea that CBD-enriched CE has positive effects on multiple autistic symptoms and doesn’t produce the typical side effects in medicated ASD patients. However, they understand that the study has had its limitations due to things like the lack of control groups and the small study size, which is why further trials are required.

“The Therapeutic Role of Cannabidiol in Mental Health: a Systematic Review”

This 2020 study focused on analyzing the therapeutic effects of CBD on mental health. When it comes to treating ASD symptoms, CBD and CBD-containing compounds could help alleviate them.

Results of This 2020 Study

The treatment proved to be effective in reducing the following ASD symptoms:

  • Hyperactivity
  • Self-injurious behaviors
  • Anxiety
  • Insomnia

More Research is Needed

The effectiveness of different cannabis strains for autism hasn’t been studied sufficiently. The FDA still notes that more research has to be done to understand the potential side effects and possible interactions of this drug with other medications.

If you think that CBD oil or cannabis could succeed when other treatments have failed, then look for guidance from a medical professional who will also know the laws in effect where you live.

Is Cannabis or CBD Oil Legal?

Maybe this research has helped you see cannabis or CBD oil in a different light, but any competent parent will still wonder if it’s legal. In the United States, answering this question depends on when you ask it because the legal status of cannabis and CBD oil is constantly evolving. Although it hasn’t explicitly been legalized at the federal level, each state’s government has allowed it to different degrees.

However, in December 2015, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made it easier for researchers to conduct CBD trials. Then in 2018, the Farm Bill was passed, making hemp legal in the US, which allowed hemp-derived CBD products with less than 0.3% of THC federally legal.

The Only FDA Approved Cannabis-Derived Drug: Epidiolex

By the FDA approving Epidiolex, they’ve concluded that this particular product is safe and effective for its intended use. This cannabis-derived medication contains a purified form of CBD and is meant to treat seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome.

Keeping in mind that some autistic children suffer from severe seizures, many parents have looked into trying marijuana and cannabis extracts for ASD symptoms such as seizures, behavioral issues, and other autism-related traits.

Keep Informed With Normal Life, Inc. Resources

When we go through those rough moments with our children, desperation begins to overcome us, and we seek anything that can help them. If you’re a parent of a child with autism or other intellectual disabilities, know that you aren’t alone on this challenging journey. Normal Life, Inc. is focused on providing you with an expanding community of parents that are going through the same situations you’re currently facing.

Join our Facebook group #autismarmy today and start connecting with the parents that are a part of this community and are always willing to help.

Toilet Training Techniques: Smearing BM

A common behavior with Autistic children, or kids with special needs, is fecal smearing. Although it may seem like your child thinks this is fun to do, fecal smearing has serious health risks and can cause real damage to your property. The terrible anxiety it causes you as a parent or guardian is beyond description, but something can be done about it! Whether it is intentional or accidental, we must look into all avenues to stop this behavior. You should always start with the least restrictive first.

Tip #1 

Literally give them fiber gummies from walmart. They look like the candy “dots” and taste like candy. I love this! It won’t give them cramps, It doesn’t cause an upset tummy. Some of the side effects of other brands can cause discomfort. Try it yourself. I usually try everything myself because my non-verbal child can’t tell me how he feels. This added to their morning medication or routine will assist in their routine with poo.They will usually go by 3 or 4 pm if you give them Fiber gummies in the morning. Sometimes if they are backed up and they don’t go. Keep giving them fiber every morning until they go. Then once they are on a routine then their body will be on a routine of pooping. I usually give my children 3 gummies. These are only for the children who have trouble.

I start with the biggest secret because it’s the most important. These gummy’s have been tried on all my children and it took me years to find them. They also provide these children with the perfect poo. Believe me some fiber options make their poo pasty or too loose and these two are the worst to clean up. (If they are backed up sometimes it will start out loose then go to form and might hurt the first time until they are regular.) Keep them regular on their liquids also. This will help with fully toilet training. Before doing the data add the fiber to their morning.

Most people have a bowel movement around the same time every day. So in order to help us to more fully understand when this is most likely to occur with our child, we must take accurate data and record the times of day when your child has a bowel movement for three days.

 

Hour/Day

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

1:00

X

1:30

X

2:00

X

2:30

Then, after reviewing that collected data, we could see his/her regular schedule of times which he/she was more likely to defecate is within the hour from 1pm to 2pm. So place them on the toilet at 1pm. If they didn’t go. Then try again at 1:30pm and so on.

When he/she has a bowel movement in the toilet, reward them with praise, either with clapping and saying “right on!”, I sing my own song to Curits, “Poo Poo in the toil’et, Poo poo in the toil’et” with an edible treat. Curtis liked M & M’s. They must receive positive attention from you. Make sure you still mark it down until they are in a regular routine.

One more important thing! 

When they do a smear, pay them no mind. No eye contact, no noises, just be a monotone. Any type of interaction could turn into a reward. Only do this while cleaning him/her and the room up. Then after you are all done. Then go outside and cry.. But don’t show them any reaction.  Only give a positive reaction when they pee or poo in the toilet.

I have been able to get my non-verbal 23 year old, who has a mind of a 10 month old baby toilet trained, but it is called tripped trained *. Tripped Trained: Is when you can get your child in such a great routine. That they hold everything until the morning. Put them on the toilet and they go. After lunch, put them on the toilet and they go. After 3 oclock snacks, put them on the toilet and they go. After dinner, put them on the toilet and they go. Then before bed time, put them on the toilet and they go. And usually their accidents are because someone forgot to put them on the toilet.

Tip #2   

The most important thing is to rip out the carpet!! In your child’s room. The institutions were I worked had no carpet, so when a client smeared feces, we washed it up easily. I know many people don’t want to rip out their son’s or daughter’s carpet.  Believe me you will thank yourself for listening to me. Nothing like trying to clean out ground in feces out of carpets and trying to get out that smell. Along with all the times you went to get your kids up from playing in their rooms and you find a big wet spot from the diaper leakage. Go to your local Lowes and get a floor kit and start a new project of simplifying your life. This is the best alternative!

Tip #3

Buy tighty whities and buy them snug. After placing the diaper on, put on tighty whities on and this will help for fecal leakage if there should be a bowel movement. I even send my child to school with underwear over their diaper to help them out. Sometimes that stuff can drop right down the legs then we have a bigger mess on our hands. We don’t want our children to get embarrassed at school for leaking their diapers.

Tip #4 

Go buy onesie PJs.This is for the children who find a “new toy” in their pants. Put the onesie on backwards and zip them up. Make sure they don’t have feet in them, and if they do,cut them off. Winter is the best time of year to find these in all stores and in all sizes. Even in the men’s department for those bigger kids. This will help them from having wandering hands. If you have a child that is known for ripping up their onesie. Then spend the money to purchase a ‘no-rip jump suit from this website http://adaptiveclothingshowroom.com  I get no kick back, look through their items it might be worth it.

Side Note: In the state of Washington, a child at the age of 3 year, who is not toilet trained may get a prescription from their pediatrician to have diapers paid for from either your health insurance or DSHS. However, the state diapers are cheap. If you are unhappy with the diapers they send you. Call them and ask for samples. They are happy to accommodate. So check your state or insurance to see where your child might be covered. Or try the top ten we have chosen https://normallifeinc.com/autism-awareness-blog/10-best-adult-diapers-available-for-sale-in-2020/

I hoped we helped. Please give a review and brag about toilet training your child! Please if this doesn’t work let us know. Every child is different. Please join our group on facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/autismarmy many of us have already raised our children and it’s a nice place to vent if needed, along with many ideas from other parents. Join us on you tube and Subscribe Here is a link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YtbMDK3JK8&t=20s

 

How to Get a Child with Autism to Eat

Improving Mealtimes for Children on the Autism Spectrum

Helping children to eat a balanced meal is often difficult for many parents. Parents with children on the spectrum find that feeding their children nutritious meals is one of the biggest challenges and dinner time sounds like War War 3.

Some children limit what they eat to the extent that it could just be chicken nuggets.  This can result in the child experiencing severe nutritional deficiencies. This can lead to problems like aggression, weight loss, malnutrition, growth problems and often diabetes.

What can be done? If you find that mealtime is more of a battleground than a bonding time, then techniques this article you might want to consider.

Take Notes of the Areas where your child struggle

Make a comprehensive list of foods that your child absolutely will not eat. 

Try to document: They will not eat.

  • where you were.
  • the time of day.
  • how the food was presented.
  • what happened. (What was the reaction?)

This will help to spot and identify their eating patterns and what you can be changed. AT mealtime give the child a new food item introduced with an item they like. Give positive reinforcement for trying foods let them know one bit is enough. Just try.

Positive Reinforcements 

While you continue to serve them foods your children are familiar with, try introducing new foods along with these. They may have to work their way up to the new item but rewarding the behavior with positive reinforcement is strongly encouraged. Some children love verbal praise and some love edible praise. 

For example, if your child is struggling with broccoli but manages to take a few small bites, a piece of their favorite candy could be provided. A personal favorite in our household is using M&M’s as a reward.

Then we found out a group of children like to take shots. What I mean is that little medicine cap used to give children either their Benadryl or cough meds. They are great little shot glasses and I filled them up with Kool-Aid. This turned out to be the best in getting them to finish their meals. Cue words are, “take a bite, take a shot” This caught on and we slowly pulled back the shots and now they eat to get the natual reward of desert. 

The goal is to have the food in question become its own reinforcer. Once the child realizes that the unfamiliar food is good and it becomes familiar, they begin to enjoy it. 

Another variation of this could be during breakfast times. If your child enjoys waffles or pancakes for breakfast, continue to serve him these foods, but make it a point to add a bowl of fruit on the side. For each piece of fruit that is eaten, then they get a bite of waffles or pancakes. As they eat, be sure to commend and encourage them. This will take hands on parents, and it will require patients. However, it does work!

Modifying and Substituting Foods 

Many people in the autism community say’s it the textures, that’s why my child only eats chicken nuggets.  While we may simply find some textures unpleasant, these same textures could be impossible for your child to overcome. Remember to be flexible in this area of your food management. Sometimes, no matter how much you plead with them, some foods are best written off. 

With the number of foods, we have available, play around with different combinations. For example, if a typical Caesar salad is a definite no in your household, why not try a broccoli salad? If they don’t seem to like chicken, try swapping it out for catfish or salmon. 

Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels

Play with food 

Chopped and moist foods seem to go over well with even the pickiest of eaters. Give mashed potatoes with ranch and bacon bits or cook a ham with a brown sugar glaze and why can’t we serve ranch or cheese over broccoli? Try to broaden their horizons.  

It may even be beneficial to try frozen foods. One mom found that frozen peas were a success in her household as a snack. Peas are small and can be eaten as finger food, making them fun to eat for children.

It may not be the flavor your child is averse to, only the fact that obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) comes with autism and sometimes they feel they have to chew their food forever before swallowing.  I suggest that you try chopping foods smaller with smaller portions or blending certain foods to change the texture they dislike. Or eliminate this completely by hiding it in something they already like. 

There are so many different ways to cook fruits and vegetables.  For example, if they dislike the squishiness of blueberries, offer smoothies instead or cook them into a compote that can be served along with a neutral food. 

Model the Desired Behavior 

We need to din together! When your child sits together with both parents and siblings at a dining table. This is the best model of behavior your child learns to imitate. 

Sit down, talk, ask how everyone’s day was and at a reasonable pace, finish the food on your plate. Shower them with praise when improvements are shown, everyone at the table can contribute. Use words like please pass the plate or thank you for getting me more milk. Be dramatic sometimes and say, “mm good! I love this chicken!” “it’s my favorite!” then ask the child what their favorite food is. Remember all children are sponges with autism or not.

Don’t Reinforce Bad Behavior 

This is the flip side of the previous tip. Many children on the spectrum struggle to communicate and may feel that throwing a tantrum is their best option. No matter how loud it gets, or how ruff it gets, let them walk away. Kids will not starve. However, they don’t get their reward either.

One of our children loved iPad. If he didn’t eat his dinner, then no iPad. 9 out of 10 times he comes back and eats dinner to get his iPad.  This is a long way from him taking a “Bite for a shot”.

Ignore the undesirable, such as throwing food or spitting. No eye contact mom! No surprise face when they dumb their food onto the ground. Just quietly pick up their plate with no eye contact and let them know in a calm voice, they need to leave the table if they are not going to eat. 

I am also a parent and I have had serval children come through my house and this program works. However, Its hard! We have support group on Facebook group at #autismarmy.   I want to let you know… It does get easier! And it does happen quickly. As soon as your child knows you mean business. Then it works. Thats why people always say start good eating habits when they are young. When they get bigger… believe me their tantrums become demolition destruction to your home. 

Encourage Communication Through Choices 

Children who struggle with verbalizing need tools to help with communicate their likes and dislikes. 

By using Pecs to show pictures of food you can have them plan out a meal to prepare. Always making sure they pick all 4 food groups. For example, they pick chicken nuggets, now have them pick the vegetable or a salad. Don’t forget to have them pick their reward after dinner either a cookie, ice-cream or popcorn. Parents need to stick to the program!  Please don’t give in and let the child have their reward before they finish their dinner. Once the child knows you mean business the tantrums will become fewer and fewer until dinner finally becomes that bonding time instead of War time.

Teaching sign language to your child can assist with them communicating their needs and wants. Sign Language is a great thing to teach all children as early as possible. It will enhance their abilities in communication and reduces their anxiety.   

 Visual charts are great!  Display what you’re having for dinner along with what time dinner will be served. By allocating your child a sense of control and letting them know what to expect, their mealtime anxiety is reduced.

To recap:

  • Make a list of foods you would like to implement 
  • Offer rewards to encourage eating (Positive Reinforcments)
  • Be opened to changing textures to make food more appealing 
  • Clearly model the desired behavior 
  • Reward good behavior and ignore less desirable behavior
  • Encourage them to communicate by providing choices 

The most important thing to remember as a parent be consistence, always be positive and keep it fun and you will succeed. 

Stop Autistic Kids From Getting Into Their Drawers!

Do you have trouble redirecting your child to not get into their drawers and empty them onto the floor every day?  If so then, this video and links are for you.

We have had kids even go into other children’s room to borrow clothes or empty out their dressers. Kids that also like to put on as many clothes as physically possible. As a parent this could become very exhausting.  The exhausting part is… It is daily! To add a little more drama, your child has incontinent, and you do not know if all the clothes he/she applied are still clean. So just to be safe you wash all of them. This consumes time and energy; wouldn’t it be nice if we could prevent this from completely happening?

Here is an easy quick way to adapt your child’s dresser to give your family a little more normalcy in life.

Our quick fix product can be found at Lowe’s.  “Tot Loks” by “Safety 1st”. Make sure before you install these locks, you unscrew or otherwise remove the handles that are already on your dresser. This makes it safe for your child when they do try to open their drawers.

The locks and key go for about $20.00. You can watch you-tube video here to see how easy they are to use. Please leave any ideas and comments on the video. We love hearing your insight.  Other locks could also be found on amazon. You can still purchase the Tot loks at Home Depot or Lows. Here is a link to Tot Loks on you-tube on how to apply to Cupboards 
https://youtu.be/axT902rPtpY