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05-21-2012, 04:17 PM
WWII Chemical Exposure Spurs Obesity, Autism, Researcher Says
May 21 (Bloomberg) -- The World War II generation may have passed down to their grandchildren the effects of chemical exposure in the 1940s, possibly explaining current rates of obesity, autism and mental illness, according to one researcher.
David Crews, professor of psychology and zoology at the University of Texas at Austin, theorized that the rise in these diseases may be linked to environmental effects passed on through generations. His research showed that descendants of rats exposed to a crop fungicide were less sociable, more obese and more anxious than offspring of the unexposed.
The results, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are part of a growing field of study that suggests environmental damage to cells can cause inherited changes and susceptibility to disease. Crews said his findings are applicable to humans.
"We should be very careful about overstating what looks like basic science with public health implications," Feinberg said in an interview. "Currently we don't have enough evidence showing that these fungicides are causing common human disease through an epigenetic mechanism. It's research that's well worth doing, but it's clear that that hasn't been shown."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.co...L#ixzz1vYC5xs9j
KTLA 5 news Los Angeles has reported on a family in southern California who, after a series of worsening autism symptoms exhibited by their son, resorted to medical marijuana. The results have been wonderful, according to the boy's parents.
Ten-year -old Sam's father told reporter Cher Calvin that his son had been hurting other children at school, pulling the television down, destroying furniture, etc .He would have to put the boy in a hold for an hour, while he had spasms, until he eventually calmed down.
The parents had consulted the conventional 'experts'; doctors who put Sam on prescription drugs, which resulted in the boy gaining twenty pounds. "He was getting more dangerous, bigger, stronger", recalled Sam's mom.
Within 20 minutes effects were clear, recalls the reporter who spent some time with the family.
He was "calm, relaxed and social" after taking his "spec of hash" in front of the news crew.
"The more I tell people the more comfortable I am", says the mother when asked how she explains this treatment to others. A Dr. Tolcher, consulted by KTLA, says this is intriguing, but needs more research.
Read the full article here...
Sams Story: Using Medical Cannabis to Treat Autism Spectrum Disorder
Background on Sam
Sam is an eight-year-old male. He was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Delay- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) when he was two and one-half years old by a pediatric psychiatrist at the M.I.N.D. Institute, UC Davis Medical Center. He was re-diagnosed at the M.I.N.D. Institute in October of 2007 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As the psychiatrist told Sams mom and I, Sam is a poster child for ASD. Sam has lowered cognitive abilities and lowered verbal skills. Sam lives with his mom, dad and his younger sister who is six years of age. She is a typical child with no physical or mental health issues.
Sam was adopted at birth. He had no prenatal issues and was a healthy infant. At around 18 months of age he began exhibiting ASD like behaviors and after six months of reassurances by his primary doctors that he was fine Sam was diagnosed with ASD. Since his diagnoses he has received special education services, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and behavioral therapy. He had been on the Gluten-Casein Free Diet (GCFD). He has been treated by a doctor (supposedly one of the best in the country) who treats ASD patients following the Defeat Autism Now (DAN) protocol which emphasizes a BioMedical approach established by Dr. Rimland the founder of Autism Society of America and the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, CA.
As a family we have spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to help Sam. Even though as a teacher I have full coverage insurance, many of the services and doctors Sam has seen are not covered under my plan. Blue Cross of California still categorizes ASD as a mental illness instead of an organic disorder which precludes it from receiving the coverage a typical physical illness would be granted. I only mention this because since Sam was diagnosed with ASD we have devoted ourselves to helping him. This devotion has been in the forms of time, effort, education, therapy cost, medical costs, conferences, parent support groups, and most importantly love.
Sams Strengths
Sam loves people and he loves to be on the go. He has been to Disneyland four times, been camping many times, and has been to San Diego to visit the zoo, Wild Animal Park and Sea World. Sam loves to go to San Francisco Giant and Sacramento Kings games and loves to travel to San Francisco. Sam is our gift from God and we love him just as he is. Many tears have been shed from worry and from the joy of watching Sam achieve things parents of typical children take for granted. There have many moments of laughter and warmth given to us by our quirky, sweet, lovable, little boy.
Purpose of this Journal
I write this journal for Sam and other children like him. We almost lost our little boy to ASD and pharmaceuticals. By the grace of God and the help of a little Medical Cannabis (MC) we have him back. Maybe this journal can give other parents hope when all else seems dark and hopeless. Maybe this journal can prompt others to tell their stories if they have treated their ASD child with Medical Cannabis (MC). Even more important would be some legitimate scientific studies conducted to determine the effectiveness of MC to treat symptoms of Autism.
I never wanted to be an advocate for Medical Cannabis (MC). I do not drink alcohol, take marijuana, or any other psychoactive drug. However, this experience has been so profound and dramatic that I feel no choice but to speak out on the issue. I understand the political and legal sensitivity of giving an eight-year-old child medical cannabis but if one child and family can be helped from my disclosure any risk to myself is acceptable. As a parent, I only want to help my son. No one ever questioned our decision to give our son the potpourri of pharmaceuticals prescribed by his doctors that, in my opinion, almost destroyed him.
My wife and I both have very conservative parents and families who are very much opposed to any type of illegal drug use. We have their complete support. They witnessed Sams deterioration over the last year and they saw his almost miraculous turn around once we started using the MC. We have only disclosed treating Sam with MC to our closest family. We have shared the information with Sams primary pediatrician on the recommendation of Sams MC Doctor. The pediatrician has been supportive in an off the record manner. He has been Sams pediatrician since birth and he knows that we are responsible parents.
Sams Educational Background
Sam has had significant difficulty in school. He did well in preschool but began having constant problems once he entered Kindergarten. After a few months in a Kindergarten Special Day Class (SDC) Sam was removed from his neighborhood school and placed in a more specialized program for children with ASD. In 1<sup>st</sup> grade he was removed from that program and placed in a very restrictive setting that deals only with ASD kids (also public school). The population of that program was much lower than Sam, i.e., he was the only verbal child out of 12. Throughout this time Sam continued to have severe behavioral problems. To begin the 2007-08 school year he was placed back at his home school. His negative acting out became so intense and frequent that he was only able to attend school for 3 hours each day and was getting sent home at least 2 days each week. He was extremely unhappy at school and this unhappiness seemed to compound the increasing difficulty he was having at home.
In December of 2007 Sam was placed in a Non Public School setting due to his aggressive, destructive, unsafe and antisocial behaviors. Data from a Functional Analysis Assessment done over a month period of time by a Behavioral Intervention Specialists (BIP) showed that Sam was having anywhere from 10-20 hitting, pushing, knocking things over, running off incidents per each 3 hour day. In summary, school was a disaster. Sam wasnt learning anything and the teacher and his one-on-one aide were just trying to prevent him from hurting himself, them, or other children.
Medical Intervention with Pharmaceuticals
Throughout this time we were encouraged by school personnel and his doctors to keep trying different medications until we found one that would help him. We were told that this could be a long process because kids with ASD were extremely sensitive to medications in general and that there was no one drug that worked for every kid. We were constantly reminded of the success stories of other children. Unfortunately, taking any of the medications prescribed by his doctors never helped Sam.
On the contrary, Sams mom and I were seeing a dramatic escalation of his anti social behaviors at school and at home. We had never had such intense problems at home. Sams condition imminently threatened the safety of our six-year-old daughter whom he began hitting on a regular basis. There were times when I would have to physically restrain Sam because he was in such a rage. He would go around the house yelling and knocking things over as if he were going crazy. He would try to run out of the house at 10 PM in the rain with no shoes on. Our home became a lock down facility. We were all miserable and Sam just kept getting worse. The future looked bleak.
All this time we were going through a litany of medications to "help" him. Over a two-year period we did trials with Respirdol and Abilify (atypical antipsychotics), Ritalin and Adderall (amphetamines), Prosac, Paxil and Celexa (serotonin reuptake meds), and Tenex (Guanfacine), which is a blood pressure medication. We have a cupboard full of prescriptions for Sam. We tried different versions of the same type medications. We were encouraged to keep trying a medication until we knew for sure it worked or didn't work. The problem was he was having significant negative reactions to each medication he would try. He gained 10 pounds in 6 weeks on the Respirdol. Some of the meds, like the amphetamines, were obviously ineffective but others like the Abilify, Resperdal, and Paxil took time to develop negative side effects. The last medicine we tried was the Celexa. He was on it for 2 days in December and had a severe negative reaction. To put it bluntly, he "flipped out" on the medication. We stopped giving it to him immediately but the negative effects lingered with Sam for weeks. At that point we took Sam off all medication. His doctors recommended we try Depakote next. At this point, we were fearful that we would be able to manage him at home either with or without medication.
Decision to Use Medical Cannabis
At this point it was clear that the medications being prescribed by his doctors were not only failing to help Sam but they were harming him. He had gained significant weight, had an increase of aggressive and unpredictable behaviors and, most alarmingly to us, became very distant to those he had always loved so much. He began hitting his grandmothers and sister, and did not engage with his parents as he once did. He even became distant to me, his dad, the one person whom he had always had the most attachment. It was heartbreaking to watch him slip away. It was like the Sammy we had known was disappearing and we feared that he would steadily slip into greater isolation. There were several episodes that were so bad that we considered taking him to the hospital.
My wife came to me with the suggestion that we consider treating Sam with Medical Cannabis. She had found information on the Internet that documented another parents success in treating her son who had similar characteristics to Sam with Medical Cannabis. I researched the subject myself and found an article written by Dr. Bernard Rimland from the Autism Research Institute that authenticated the parents story and stated the he would be more in favor of trying MC before he would more toxic pharmaceuticals. The article can be found at the following address (http://www.autism.org/marijuana.html).
After discussing it with my wife and Sams grandparents, we decided to pursue it further. I knew very little about getting a recommendation from a doctor but was able to contact a doctor in my local area who recommends MC to patients. We had no idea how to obtain marijuana and we didnt want to do anything illegal. We made an appointment with the MC doctor and gathered up all Sams medical and school records The doctor reviewed the case, examined Sam, and educated us on Medical Cannabis. He also made it clear that we would need to share information with Sams primary pediatrician. Additionally, we discussed the sensitivity of the issue and the risk that we were taking. As a team, we decided to maintain a need to know policy regarding Sams new medication. It was decided that school personnel did not need to know. Sams mom and I learned that in California a physician can recommend MC. It is not called a prescription but a recommendation. We also discovered that we would be able to obtain the MC locally through a Cooperative.
Using Medical Cannabis to Treat Sam
I have been keeping a journal since the trial began. The entries were daily to begin. After the first three weeks I reported every three to four days. I am not including every journal entry in this paper because it would be too long.
January 8<sup>th</sup>, 2008
Today was the first day we gave Sam MC. We obtained the medicine around 3:00 PM. Because Sam is such a finicky eater we were very concerned about putting the medicine in baked goods. We wanted to give him the same amount of medicine at the same times each day and we knew that the baked goods could be problematic. Sam doesnt like to eat breakfast before school and has an almost uncanny ability to detect anything that we place in his food. Often, he smells food before eating. Due to these considerations, we decided to give him the MC orally, in the form of Hashish.
At 4:00 PM we administered his first dose. We gave him an amount that was about the size of a BB. We rolled the dose into a tight ball and buried it in a spoonful of yogurt. We told him he was taking a new medicine. He chewed the MC when he discovered it in the yogurt. He complained of the taste. We wanted to start out with a very small dose.
Sam had been having another horrible day before the dose. After 30 minutes we could see the MC was beginning to have an effect. Sams eyes got a little red and got a bit droopy. His behavior became relaxed and far less anxious than he had been at the time we gave him the MC. He started laughing for the first time in weeks. My wife and I were astonished with the effect. It was as if all the anxiety, rage and hostility that had been haunting him melted away. That afternoon and evening his behavior was steady and calm. He started talking to us and interacting with us again. Sams was physically more relaxed and began initiating physical contact with the motivation being affection instead of aggression. It was amazing! He went to sleep that night with no problem and slept through the night.
January 9<sup>th</sup>, 2008
Gave Sam about dose (1/2 BB) of MC at 7:00 AM. He was not attending his new school yet so spent the day with Grandparent while we were at work. He had rough morning. Hitting, yelling, non-compliance, trying to jump in their freezing cold pool, and running out the front door.
Re-dosed Sam at 3:30 PM when I got home from work. I gave him a BB sized dose, as I had the previous day. I feared that our experience was an anomaly and that, like all the other meds, it was just false hope.
After 30 minute of giving Sam the dose his behavior deescalated to the levels it was the previous night. He was calm, happy, affectionate, more verbal, more compliant, and much more predictable. I noticed that he was open to conversation and even receptive to some short reading instruction. His reduced anxiety level made his behavior manageable and even agreeable. He was perseverating about certain things far less and we were able to redirect him far more quickly and effectively when he did get upset or need correction.
January 10<sup>th</sup>, 2008
Gave him BB sized dose at 7:00 AM. He was staying with his Grandparents again for the day because he was not in school and we had to work. Before 8:00 AM he had a few episodes of acting out. He was becoming agitating and anxious and then around 8:20 my mom noticed that the MC was beginning to take effect. She described it to me as follows. It was like a wave of calmness just swept over him and he changed from being a monster into a loveable, little boy.
When I got home from work he was still doing great. I didnt give him an afternoon dose and he was fine for the rest of the day. Slept fine that night.
January 11<sup>th</sup>, 2008
BB sized dose at 7:00 AM. Spent day with his mom. Had one blow out on walk when he wanted to jump in a small creek. No PM dose was necessary. Improved cooperative play with his sister. His sister came to me in disbelief when Sam was playing with her. She said Sam is acting like a regular brother today. When she told me that I just cried because here was this little girl who had lived in such fear, for so long, finally getting a brother she could love. Sam laughed and played. Again, the results we were getting far exceeded anything we could have imagined.
January 12<sup>th</sup>, 2008
BB sized dose at 8:00 AM. It is a Saturday. Did Ok up to 2:00 PM and started to get agitated and anxious for an hour or so. Re-dosed him at 3:00 PM with size BB and within 1 hour he has calm again. That afternoon around 4:00 PM he lay down on our bed and took a nap. He rarely naps but fell asleep for an hour. Woke up happy and had a good evening.
January 13<sup>th</sup>, 2008
8:00 AM dose; 1 BB size; Sunday; plans to go to Boat and RV show. Sam did great at the boat show. No running off, easily redirected, no yelling, and happy. Its like he is a bit elevated and tipsy. He does look a bit high to us but it would never be noticeable to anyone else. His speech is clear (no slurring) and his gross or fine motor coordination are normal. In fact, his speech is moderately improved on the medication (both expressively and receptively). His anxiety level is greatly reduced and it just seems that he can concentrate better for longer stretches of time. This may contribute to the improved language skills we are noticing. If I scaled his anxiety from 1-10, (10 being extreme anxiety and 1 being no anxiety at all) I would place him at a 3 for today. Prior to the MC trial that began Jan. 8<sup>th</sup>, I would have placed him at a 10. No aggressive behaviors. No hitting, kicking, or threatening to do so. Sam is displaying much greater affection and is more compliant and social. He still has deficits in these social areas but far less pronounced than before the MC trial.
January 18<sup>th</sup>, 2008
The following dosage is what we give Sam. The form of MC is hashish.
BB size dose of MC at 7:00 AM
BB size dose of MC at 3:00-4:00 PM (if necessary)
The MC continues to be a very effective medication. Sam aggression has decrease dramatically. Prior to the medication trial, Sam was averaging 4-5 major outbursts per hour at home and an even greater frequency at school (see Functional Analysis Data Summary). An outburst could last minutes or hours. The behaviors included hitting, threatening to hit, kicking, throwing things, knocking things over, destroying property, yelling, crying, running off, and doing other unsafe acts like climbing over fences and leaving the house without supervision at night. Once Sam got into an agitated state it was extremely difficult to redirect him or get him to move on to something more positive.
I really like the flexibility we have with the MC. There have been afternoons where a dose hasnt been necessary. We dont want to give him any medication unless we see symptoms that justify it. The AM dose is consistent because he is going to school but the PM dose can be eliminated. We have been giving him the PM dose 4 out of 5 days on average. Another convenience of the MC is that we can adjust his dose slightly depending on certain variables. If we something special planned, we can adjust the dose. For example, last night our daughter was given a Student of the Month award. There was a ceremony at the school board meeting that lasted 45 minutes or so. Sam was able attend and sit throughout the ceremony without incident. He was able to enjoy it and obviously, for us as parents, it was great that we were both able to be there for our daughter. This is in complete contrast to what usually happened to us when we had to take Sam somewhere like this. Before Christmas and prior to him being on MC, our daughter performed in a school musical. Within 10 minutes, I had to leave with Sam because he would not sit down and he began yelling when we tried to get him to stay and watch. This incident pretty much illustrates what life was like for us before this medication. I am not saying that this wouldnt happen again but now we feel we have a chance for Sam to be successful in situations where we had little hope before.
January 20<sup>th</sup>, 2008
Since the MC trial began, Sam has not had one act of hitting, kicking or threatening to hit. This includes school and home. SAM HASNT GONE THIS LONG WITHOUT AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS IN YEARS. Additionally, the following improvements have occurred. I have classified these behavioral improvements into the three categories; Reduced Behaviors, Significant Improvements, and Mild Improvements.
Reduced Behaviors
Sam continues to do great! He is getting great reports from school. His teachers write daily in a school journal. There has not been one negative entry and they are considering placing him in a more typical setting. Here are a few entries.
2-7-08
Sam had another great day. He is such a joy to be around. His all day smiles and giggles are contagious.
2-8-08
John and I are so proud of Sam. He had a great day! He earned a trip to the barn this afternoon.
2-20-08
Sam did great! Today was the Safety Fair. Sam was awesome. He participated at each booth.
2-21-08
Another great day. We are currently working with Judith to develop a reading program that meets his needs. He always seems so excited to do his work and does great transitioning.
2-27-08
Sam did great today! He was so awesome at the talent show. We won 3<sup>rd</sup> place!
Removing the Medical Cannabis
After discussing the matter with Sams MC doctor, we decided to not give Sam any Medical Cannabis before school for a week or so to see if some of the negative behaviors returned. I concluded there were three main variables that could have accounted for Sams major improvement. One was the medical cannabis, two was his new school, and three was that he was no longer on any kind of prescription pharmaceuticals. On February 28<sup>th</sup> and February 29<sup>th</sup> (Thursday and Friday) Sam went to his new school for the first time without MC.
On both days Sam had acting out behavior that his teachers had not previously seen. He didnt hit but he did knock things over in his classroom and did a lot of negative self-talk. The staff was able to get him turned around pretty quickly but they were concerned that he was acting out at all. They had not seen any of this behavior since he started there.
Conclusions
May 21 (Bloomberg) -- The World War II generation may have passed down to their grandchildren the effects of chemical exposure in the 1940s, possibly explaining current rates of obesity, autism and mental illness, according to one researcher.
David Crews, professor of psychology and zoology at the University of Texas at Austin, theorized that the rise in these diseases may be linked to environmental effects passed on through generations. His research showed that descendants of rats exposed to a crop fungicide were less sociable, more obese and more anxious than offspring of the unexposed.
The results, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are part of a growing field of study that suggests environmental damage to cells can cause inherited changes and susceptibility to disease. Crews said his findings are applicable to humans.
"We should be very careful about overstating what looks like basic science with public health implications," Feinberg said in an interview. "Currently we don't have enough evidence showing that these fungicides are causing common human disease through an epigenetic mechanism. It's research that's well worth doing, but it's clear that that hasn't been shown."
Read more: http://www.sfgate.co...L#ixzz1vYC5xs9j
KTLA 5 news Los Angeles has reported on a family in southern California who, after a series of worsening autism symptoms exhibited by their son, resorted to medical marijuana. The results have been wonderful, according to the boy's parents.
Ten-year -old Sam's father told reporter Cher Calvin that his son had been hurting other children at school, pulling the television down, destroying furniture, etc .He would have to put the boy in a hold for an hour, while he had spasms, until he eventually calmed down.
The parents had consulted the conventional 'experts'; doctors who put Sam on prescription drugs, which resulted in the boy gaining twenty pounds. "He was getting more dangerous, bigger, stronger", recalled Sam's mom.
Within 20 minutes effects were clear, recalls the reporter who spent some time with the family.
He was "calm, relaxed and social" after taking his "spec of hash" in front of the news crew.
"The more I tell people the more comfortable I am", says the mother when asked how she explains this treatment to others. A Dr. Tolcher, consulted by KTLA, says this is intriguing, but needs more research.
Read the full article here...
Sams Story: Using Medical Cannabis to Treat Autism Spectrum Disorder
Background on Sam
Sam is an eight-year-old male. He was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Delay- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) when he was two and one-half years old by a pediatric psychiatrist at the M.I.N.D. Institute, UC Davis Medical Center. He was re-diagnosed at the M.I.N.D. Institute in October of 2007 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As the psychiatrist told Sams mom and I, Sam is a poster child for ASD. Sam has lowered cognitive abilities and lowered verbal skills. Sam lives with his mom, dad and his younger sister who is six years of age. She is a typical child with no physical or mental health issues.
Sam was adopted at birth. He had no prenatal issues and was a healthy infant. At around 18 months of age he began exhibiting ASD like behaviors and after six months of reassurances by his primary doctors that he was fine Sam was diagnosed with ASD. Since his diagnoses he has received special education services, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and behavioral therapy. He had been on the Gluten-Casein Free Diet (GCFD). He has been treated by a doctor (supposedly one of the best in the country) who treats ASD patients following the Defeat Autism Now (DAN) protocol which emphasizes a BioMedical approach established by Dr. Rimland the founder of Autism Society of America and the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, CA.
As a family we have spent tens of thousands of dollars trying to help Sam. Even though as a teacher I have full coverage insurance, many of the services and doctors Sam has seen are not covered under my plan. Blue Cross of California still categorizes ASD as a mental illness instead of an organic disorder which precludes it from receiving the coverage a typical physical illness would be granted. I only mention this because since Sam was diagnosed with ASD we have devoted ourselves to helping him. This devotion has been in the forms of time, effort, education, therapy cost, medical costs, conferences, parent support groups, and most importantly love.
Sams Strengths
Sam loves people and he loves to be on the go. He has been to Disneyland four times, been camping many times, and has been to San Diego to visit the zoo, Wild Animal Park and Sea World. Sam loves to go to San Francisco Giant and Sacramento Kings games and loves to travel to San Francisco. Sam is our gift from God and we love him just as he is. Many tears have been shed from worry and from the joy of watching Sam achieve things parents of typical children take for granted. There have many moments of laughter and warmth given to us by our quirky, sweet, lovable, little boy.
Purpose of this Journal
I write this journal for Sam and other children like him. We almost lost our little boy to ASD and pharmaceuticals. By the grace of God and the help of a little Medical Cannabis (MC) we have him back. Maybe this journal can give other parents hope when all else seems dark and hopeless. Maybe this journal can prompt others to tell their stories if they have treated their ASD child with Medical Cannabis (MC). Even more important would be some legitimate scientific studies conducted to determine the effectiveness of MC to treat symptoms of Autism.
I never wanted to be an advocate for Medical Cannabis (MC). I do not drink alcohol, take marijuana, or any other psychoactive drug. However, this experience has been so profound and dramatic that I feel no choice but to speak out on the issue. I understand the political and legal sensitivity of giving an eight-year-old child medical cannabis but if one child and family can be helped from my disclosure any risk to myself is acceptable. As a parent, I only want to help my son. No one ever questioned our decision to give our son the potpourri of pharmaceuticals prescribed by his doctors that, in my opinion, almost destroyed him.
My wife and I both have very conservative parents and families who are very much opposed to any type of illegal drug use. We have their complete support. They witnessed Sams deterioration over the last year and they saw his almost miraculous turn around once we started using the MC. We have only disclosed treating Sam with MC to our closest family. We have shared the information with Sams primary pediatrician on the recommendation of Sams MC Doctor. The pediatrician has been supportive in an off the record manner. He has been Sams pediatrician since birth and he knows that we are responsible parents.
Sams Educational Background
Sam has had significant difficulty in school. He did well in preschool but began having constant problems once he entered Kindergarten. After a few months in a Kindergarten Special Day Class (SDC) Sam was removed from his neighborhood school and placed in a more specialized program for children with ASD. In 1<sup>st</sup> grade he was removed from that program and placed in a very restrictive setting that deals only with ASD kids (also public school). The population of that program was much lower than Sam, i.e., he was the only verbal child out of 12. Throughout this time Sam continued to have severe behavioral problems. To begin the 2007-08 school year he was placed back at his home school. His negative acting out became so intense and frequent that he was only able to attend school for 3 hours each day and was getting sent home at least 2 days each week. He was extremely unhappy at school and this unhappiness seemed to compound the increasing difficulty he was having at home.
In December of 2007 Sam was placed in a Non Public School setting due to his aggressive, destructive, unsafe and antisocial behaviors. Data from a Functional Analysis Assessment done over a month period of time by a Behavioral Intervention Specialists (BIP) showed that Sam was having anywhere from 10-20 hitting, pushing, knocking things over, running off incidents per each 3 hour day. In summary, school was a disaster. Sam wasnt learning anything and the teacher and his one-on-one aide were just trying to prevent him from hurting himself, them, or other children.
Medical Intervention with Pharmaceuticals
Throughout this time we were encouraged by school personnel and his doctors to keep trying different medications until we found one that would help him. We were told that this could be a long process because kids with ASD were extremely sensitive to medications in general and that there was no one drug that worked for every kid. We were constantly reminded of the success stories of other children. Unfortunately, taking any of the medications prescribed by his doctors never helped Sam.
On the contrary, Sams mom and I were seeing a dramatic escalation of his anti social behaviors at school and at home. We had never had such intense problems at home. Sams condition imminently threatened the safety of our six-year-old daughter whom he began hitting on a regular basis. There were times when I would have to physically restrain Sam because he was in such a rage. He would go around the house yelling and knocking things over as if he were going crazy. He would try to run out of the house at 10 PM in the rain with no shoes on. Our home became a lock down facility. We were all miserable and Sam just kept getting worse. The future looked bleak.
All this time we were going through a litany of medications to "help" him. Over a two-year period we did trials with Respirdol and Abilify (atypical antipsychotics), Ritalin and Adderall (amphetamines), Prosac, Paxil and Celexa (serotonin reuptake meds), and Tenex (Guanfacine), which is a blood pressure medication. We have a cupboard full of prescriptions for Sam. We tried different versions of the same type medications. We were encouraged to keep trying a medication until we knew for sure it worked or didn't work. The problem was he was having significant negative reactions to each medication he would try. He gained 10 pounds in 6 weeks on the Respirdol. Some of the meds, like the amphetamines, were obviously ineffective but others like the Abilify, Resperdal, and Paxil took time to develop negative side effects. The last medicine we tried was the Celexa. He was on it for 2 days in December and had a severe negative reaction. To put it bluntly, he "flipped out" on the medication. We stopped giving it to him immediately but the negative effects lingered with Sam for weeks. At that point we took Sam off all medication. His doctors recommended we try Depakote next. At this point, we were fearful that we would be able to manage him at home either with or without medication.
Decision to Use Medical Cannabis
At this point it was clear that the medications being prescribed by his doctors were not only failing to help Sam but they were harming him. He had gained significant weight, had an increase of aggressive and unpredictable behaviors and, most alarmingly to us, became very distant to those he had always loved so much. He began hitting his grandmothers and sister, and did not engage with his parents as he once did. He even became distant to me, his dad, the one person whom he had always had the most attachment. It was heartbreaking to watch him slip away. It was like the Sammy we had known was disappearing and we feared that he would steadily slip into greater isolation. There were several episodes that were so bad that we considered taking him to the hospital.
My wife came to me with the suggestion that we consider treating Sam with Medical Cannabis. She had found information on the Internet that documented another parents success in treating her son who had similar characteristics to Sam with Medical Cannabis. I researched the subject myself and found an article written by Dr. Bernard Rimland from the Autism Research Institute that authenticated the parents story and stated the he would be more in favor of trying MC before he would more toxic pharmaceuticals. The article can be found at the following address (http://www.autism.org/marijuana.html).
After discussing it with my wife and Sams grandparents, we decided to pursue it further. I knew very little about getting a recommendation from a doctor but was able to contact a doctor in my local area who recommends MC to patients. We had no idea how to obtain marijuana and we didnt want to do anything illegal. We made an appointment with the MC doctor and gathered up all Sams medical and school records The doctor reviewed the case, examined Sam, and educated us on Medical Cannabis. He also made it clear that we would need to share information with Sams primary pediatrician. Additionally, we discussed the sensitivity of the issue and the risk that we were taking. As a team, we decided to maintain a need to know policy regarding Sams new medication. It was decided that school personnel did not need to know. Sams mom and I learned that in California a physician can recommend MC. It is not called a prescription but a recommendation. We also discovered that we would be able to obtain the MC locally through a Cooperative.
Using Medical Cannabis to Treat Sam
I have been keeping a journal since the trial began. The entries were daily to begin. After the first three weeks I reported every three to four days. I am not including every journal entry in this paper because it would be too long.
January 8<sup>th</sup>, 2008
Today was the first day we gave Sam MC. We obtained the medicine around 3:00 PM. Because Sam is such a finicky eater we were very concerned about putting the medicine in baked goods. We wanted to give him the same amount of medicine at the same times each day and we knew that the baked goods could be problematic. Sam doesnt like to eat breakfast before school and has an almost uncanny ability to detect anything that we place in his food. Often, he smells food before eating. Due to these considerations, we decided to give him the MC orally, in the form of Hashish.
At 4:00 PM we administered his first dose. We gave him an amount that was about the size of a BB. We rolled the dose into a tight ball and buried it in a spoonful of yogurt. We told him he was taking a new medicine. He chewed the MC when he discovered it in the yogurt. He complained of the taste. We wanted to start out with a very small dose.
Sam had been having another horrible day before the dose. After 30 minutes we could see the MC was beginning to have an effect. Sams eyes got a little red and got a bit droopy. His behavior became relaxed and far less anxious than he had been at the time we gave him the MC. He started laughing for the first time in weeks. My wife and I were astonished with the effect. It was as if all the anxiety, rage and hostility that had been haunting him melted away. That afternoon and evening his behavior was steady and calm. He started talking to us and interacting with us again. Sams was physically more relaxed and began initiating physical contact with the motivation being affection instead of aggression. It was amazing! He went to sleep that night with no problem and slept through the night.
January 9<sup>th</sup>, 2008
Gave Sam about dose (1/2 BB) of MC at 7:00 AM. He was not attending his new school yet so spent the day with Grandparent while we were at work. He had rough morning. Hitting, yelling, non-compliance, trying to jump in their freezing cold pool, and running out the front door.
Re-dosed Sam at 3:30 PM when I got home from work. I gave him a BB sized dose, as I had the previous day. I feared that our experience was an anomaly and that, like all the other meds, it was just false hope.
After 30 minute of giving Sam the dose his behavior deescalated to the levels it was the previous night. He was calm, happy, affectionate, more verbal, more compliant, and much more predictable. I noticed that he was open to conversation and even receptive to some short reading instruction. His reduced anxiety level made his behavior manageable and even agreeable. He was perseverating about certain things far less and we were able to redirect him far more quickly and effectively when he did get upset or need correction.
January 10<sup>th</sup>, 2008
Gave him BB sized dose at 7:00 AM. He was staying with his Grandparents again for the day because he was not in school and we had to work. Before 8:00 AM he had a few episodes of acting out. He was becoming agitating and anxious and then around 8:20 my mom noticed that the MC was beginning to take effect. She described it to me as follows. It was like a wave of calmness just swept over him and he changed from being a monster into a loveable, little boy.
When I got home from work he was still doing great. I didnt give him an afternoon dose and he was fine for the rest of the day. Slept fine that night.
January 11<sup>th</sup>, 2008
BB sized dose at 7:00 AM. Spent day with his mom. Had one blow out on walk when he wanted to jump in a small creek. No PM dose was necessary. Improved cooperative play with his sister. His sister came to me in disbelief when Sam was playing with her. She said Sam is acting like a regular brother today. When she told me that I just cried because here was this little girl who had lived in such fear, for so long, finally getting a brother she could love. Sam laughed and played. Again, the results we were getting far exceeded anything we could have imagined.
January 12<sup>th</sup>, 2008
BB sized dose at 8:00 AM. It is a Saturday. Did Ok up to 2:00 PM and started to get agitated and anxious for an hour or so. Re-dosed him at 3:00 PM with size BB and within 1 hour he has calm again. That afternoon around 4:00 PM he lay down on our bed and took a nap. He rarely naps but fell asleep for an hour. Woke up happy and had a good evening.
January 13<sup>th</sup>, 2008
8:00 AM dose; 1 BB size; Sunday; plans to go to Boat and RV show. Sam did great at the boat show. No running off, easily redirected, no yelling, and happy. Its like he is a bit elevated and tipsy. He does look a bit high to us but it would never be noticeable to anyone else. His speech is clear (no slurring) and his gross or fine motor coordination are normal. In fact, his speech is moderately improved on the medication (both expressively and receptively). His anxiety level is greatly reduced and it just seems that he can concentrate better for longer stretches of time. This may contribute to the improved language skills we are noticing. If I scaled his anxiety from 1-10, (10 being extreme anxiety and 1 being no anxiety at all) I would place him at a 3 for today. Prior to the MC trial that began Jan. 8<sup>th</sup>, I would have placed him at a 10. No aggressive behaviors. No hitting, kicking, or threatening to do so. Sam is displaying much greater affection and is more compliant and social. He still has deficits in these social areas but far less pronounced than before the MC trial.
January 18<sup>th</sup>, 2008
The following dosage is what we give Sam. The form of MC is hashish.
BB size dose of MC at 7:00 AM
BB size dose of MC at 3:00-4:00 PM (if necessary)
The MC continues to be a very effective medication. Sam aggression has decrease dramatically. Prior to the medication trial, Sam was averaging 4-5 major outbursts per hour at home and an even greater frequency at school (see Functional Analysis Data Summary). An outburst could last minutes or hours. The behaviors included hitting, threatening to hit, kicking, throwing things, knocking things over, destroying property, yelling, crying, running off, and doing other unsafe acts like climbing over fences and leaving the house without supervision at night. Once Sam got into an agitated state it was extremely difficult to redirect him or get him to move on to something more positive.
I really like the flexibility we have with the MC. There have been afternoons where a dose hasnt been necessary. We dont want to give him any medication unless we see symptoms that justify it. The AM dose is consistent because he is going to school but the PM dose can be eliminated. We have been giving him the PM dose 4 out of 5 days on average. Another convenience of the MC is that we can adjust his dose slightly depending on certain variables. If we something special planned, we can adjust the dose. For example, last night our daughter was given a Student of the Month award. There was a ceremony at the school board meeting that lasted 45 minutes or so. Sam was able attend and sit throughout the ceremony without incident. He was able to enjoy it and obviously, for us as parents, it was great that we were both able to be there for our daughter. This is in complete contrast to what usually happened to us when we had to take Sam somewhere like this. Before Christmas and prior to him being on MC, our daughter performed in a school musical. Within 10 minutes, I had to leave with Sam because he would not sit down and he began yelling when we tried to get him to stay and watch. This incident pretty much illustrates what life was like for us before this medication. I am not saying that this wouldnt happen again but now we feel we have a chance for Sam to be successful in situations where we had little hope before.
January 20<sup>th</sup>, 2008
Since the MC trial began, Sam has not had one act of hitting, kicking or threatening to hit. This includes school and home. SAM HASNT GONE THIS LONG WITHOUT AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS IN YEARS. Additionally, the following improvements have occurred. I have classified these behavioral improvements into the three categories; Reduced Behaviors, Significant Improvements, and Mild Improvements.
Reduced Behaviors
- Reduced aggression
- Reduced anxiety
- Reduced mood swings
- Reduced crying for no reason
- Reduced negative self talk
- Reduced obsessive/compulsive behavior
- Reduced non compliance
- Reduced running off and escape behaviors
- Improved attitude and happier. Shares happiness with others appropriately. (Before the MC trial, the only time Sam laughed was when others were angry, crying or hurt)
- Increased flexibility to changes in routine or plans
- Quicker transition from being upset to being OK
- Improved affection to others
- Improved concentration and on task behavior at school
- Improved physical well-being. Far less complaining of stomachaches (probably because of being off other prescriptions) and more typical diet (the pharmaceuticals either made him habitually starving (Respirdol and Abilify) not hungry at all (Adderall, Ritalin) or caused him to have stomach irritation (Paxil, and Celexa). As Ive stated, we feel much better about giving Sam MC that we did giving him the pharmaceuticals.
- Improved language (receptive and expressive)
- Reduced self stimulation with finger play and fingers to mouth
- Reduced hyperactivity
- Increased ability to learn new information
- Improved sociability with peers
Sam continues to do great! He is getting great reports from school. His teachers write daily in a school journal. There has not been one negative entry and they are considering placing him in a more typical setting. Here are a few entries.
2-7-08
Sam had another great day. He is such a joy to be around. His all day smiles and giggles are contagious.
2-8-08
John and I are so proud of Sam. He had a great day! He earned a trip to the barn this afternoon.
2-20-08
Sam did great! Today was the Safety Fair. Sam was awesome. He participated at each booth.
2-21-08
Another great day. We are currently working with Judith to develop a reading program that meets his needs. He always seems so excited to do his work and does great transitioning.
2-27-08
Sam did great today! He was so awesome at the talent show. We won 3<sup>rd</sup> place!
Removing the Medical Cannabis
After discussing the matter with Sams MC doctor, we decided to not give Sam any Medical Cannabis before school for a week or so to see if some of the negative behaviors returned. I concluded there were three main variables that could have accounted for Sams major improvement. One was the medical cannabis, two was his new school, and three was that he was no longer on any kind of prescription pharmaceuticals. On February 28<sup>th</sup> and February 29<sup>th</sup> (Thursday and Friday) Sam went to his new school for the first time without MC.
On both days Sam had acting out behavior that his teachers had not previously seen. He didnt hit but he did knock things over in his classroom and did a lot of negative self-talk. The staff was able to get him turned around pretty quickly but they were concerned that he was acting out at all. They had not seen any of this behavior since he started there.
Conclusions
![[Image: r-MARIJUANA-AUTISM-large570.jpg]](http://i.huffpost.com/gen/792049/thumbs/r-MARIJUANA-AUTISM-large570.jpg)
