CBD and autism: can CBD help with its manifestations?
First suspicion
If you observe uncharacteristic behaviour or a lack of interest in social contact in your child, pay attention. If he or she has "a world of his or her own" despite outside stimuli and the efforts of those around him or her, it is important to have an evaluation because development is not progressing well.
Warning signs:
- Not interested in social interaction
- He has only weak reactions to talking and imitating
- He doesn't blab and he doesn't make an effort to learn
- Extremely focused
- Not looking for a collective
- Ignores instructions
- Repeats activities
- It is stubborn and uncooperative
- Does not maintain eye contact
- He has exaggerated reactions (anger, hysteria, apathy)
- Does not adapt to changes
- They don't care about playing each other (sending cars, etc.)
These can be manifestations of the child's character, but also indicators that all is not well. If there are more warning signs (they never all manifest themselves), it is necessary to seek a doctor to examine the child. Around the second year of age, the diagnosis can be confirmed with certainty. You should know your child's condition before starting school (usually at three years of age) so that you can adapt the school environment or choose one that respects his or her specific requirements.
There are several forms of autism, but none of them can be cured. It's a lifelong thing. Only round-the-clock care, environmental access and cognitive behavioural therapy can alleviate the symptoms.
Forms of autism:
- Infantile autism (the disorder involves the acoustic triad, which includes the areas of communication, social interaction and imagination)
- Atypical autism (a milder form of autism that manifests itself after the age of three and does not impair all of a child's abilities)
- Rett syndrome (a disorder affecting only women, where the patient loses all acquired abilities after the age of 18 and ends up in a wheelchair or bedridden and dependent on the help of others)
- Asperger's syndrome (manifested by a weaker inability to interact socially and accompanied by unusual hobbies (timetables, phone books), verbosity, motor clumsiness and usually above average intellect)
- Disintegrative disorder (between the ages of 2 and 7, communication and social skills stagnate and deteriorate; the condition may improve over time, never returning to the age-proportional norm)
Autism manifests itself differently in each patient. Some people are withdrawn, refuse to communicate, depend on their rituals or cannot tolerate change; others may be aggressive, have a tendency to self-harm, suffer from tantrums, express themselves vulgarly, have problems with tremors and tics, or with the discrimination of emotions and the perception of time. The typical manifestation of autism, regardless of its form, is difficulty sleeping. Sleep is not smooth, deep or regular.
Solution on the horizon: promising CBD
While the treatment of autism is not moving forward and relies mainly on an individual approach at home, school or work, more and more people are talking about cannabidiol. Its effects could alleviate some of the symptoms of PAS and improve the quality of life of patients.
One of the most recent studies, conducted in August 2022, investigated the potential of CBD for autism symptoms and produced very promising findings where the effects of cannabidiol may improve the quality of life for people with PAS (autism spectrum disorder). The patients were taking full-spectrum CBD oil with low THC content.
One example in particular is worth mentioning of a patient whose condition improved significantly. A nine-year-old boy required daily insulin injections. He beat his head and chest, liked to play with faeces and soothed himself by rocking on the floor. At school he was independent and needed constant care. The initial dose of CBD (full-spectrum oil with CBD and THC) was set at 0.1 mg of CBD twice daily and gradually increased to 0.5 mg of CBD every four days. The boy showed no side effects or undue reactions to the intake of the new substance, such as redness of the skin or eyes, nausea or dry mouth. There were few positive changes.
How the patient's condition has improved:
- Ability to fall asleep within 15 minutes
- Sleep eight to ten hours a day
- Days and nights without pull-up diapers
- Reduce anxiety and improve mood
- Better concentration
- Weaker experience of anger
- Reaction to instructions
- Effort to communicate
CBD in association with autism requires further investigation. However, it is already clear that, by stimulating the nervous system, having a positive effect on sleep quality and concentration, reducing chronic pain, alleviating anxiety and potentially increasing resilience to stress, cannabidiol represents an interesting alternative to improve the quality of life of patients with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and their loved ones and relieve some of the difficulties that exacerbate the condition and prevent effective treatment in the form of various therapies.
What is autism?
Autism is a disorder of social interaction and communication. It is not manifested by physical differences, but by specific behaviour and perception of reality. In milder forms, individuals with mild limitations can integrate into normal life, but in most cases they require support from their environment and permanent care.
The differences in question are mainly related to the development and functioning of the brain, which causes inadequate reactions to the surrounding world. However, autism can also manifest itself in part through an exceptional ability to learn foreign languages, excel in mathematics or other specific sciences. However, this is not a rule and depends on the individual, the care and the extent of the disability.
Autism can manifest itself later in life, but a diagnosis during the early years greatly increases the chances of effective treatment and the ability to learn to live with the disorder (this applies to both children (patients) and parents). In the Czech Republic alone, at the turn of 2021 and 2022, there were more than 4,200 children with so-called autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in school settings. However, the numbers diagnosed worldwide are increasing - one in every 44 children born has ASD. Boys are four times more likely to have autism than girls.
Summary
Autism is a serious developmental disorder for which there is still no effective treatment. However, cannabidiol can alleviate some of the symptoms of the disease through its effects. These include sleep, temper tantrums, anxiety, and impaired concentration.
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