AUTISM AND CANNABIS

by Tatiana Melendez

Autism has been on the books for more than seventy years, and our thinking about the condition has changed dramatically. During college, I had a professor who looked after her autistic son.

She shared stories, struggles, and daily hardships, such as taking her child to get a haircut. One of the big projects we had to complete to pass the class was a minimum of a fifteen-page research paper on autism. It could be anything I wanted it to be as long as it was about autism, and I learned a lot, such as how intelligent autistic.

In the early 1900s, the word autism was first used to describe a subset of schizophrenic patients who were especially withdrawn and selfabsorbed. Then came psychiatrist Kanner who studied autistic children, published a paper describing eleven children who were highly intelligent but displayed a powerful desire for aloneness and an obsessive insistence on persistent sameness and labeled their condition "early infantile autism."

By 1944, a German scientist Hans Asperger described a milder form of autism known as Asperger's Syndrome. The cases he reported were all highly intelligent boys but had trouble with social interactions and specific obsessive interests.

In 1980 "Infantile autism" was listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) for the first time; the condition is also officially separated from childhood schizophrenia. Several years later, the DSM replaced "infantile autism" with a more expansive definition of "autism disorder" and included a diagnostic criteria checklist. UCLA psychologist Ivar Lovaas, Ph.D., publishes the first study showing how intensive behavior therapy can help children with autism.

By the '90s, the federal government made autism a particular education category. Public schools begin identifying children on the spectrum and offering them exceptional services. In 2013, The DSM-5 comprised all subcategories of the condition into one umbrella diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Asperger's Syndrome is no longer considered a separate condition, and ASD is defined by two categories: 1) Impaired social communication and interaction. 2) Restricted and repetitive behaviors.

Now 2022, autism is recognized as a spectrum disorder; each person with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges. How people with autism learn, think, and problemsolve can range from highly skilled to severely challenged.

As a result, some people with ASD may require significant support in their daily lives, while others may need less help and, in some cases, live entirely independently.

Research has proven several factors influencing the development of autism. It is often accompanied by sensory sensitivities and medical issues such as gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, seizures, sleep disorders, and mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, and attention deficit. People with ASD also have a higher-than-average risk of having epilepsy.

According to a systematic review done by PubMed, children whose language skills regress early in life appear to have a risk of developing epilepsy or seizurelike brain activity. Recent studies demonstrate that twenty to thirty percent of children with ASD develop epilepsy by reaching adulthood. Additionally, people with both ASD and intellectual disability have the most significant risk of developing a seizure disorder.

As if it cannot worsen, there are no "cures" for ASD. Instead, for some autistic patients, supportive therapies and other considerations can help them feel better or alleviate specific symptoms.

Some of those approaches involve treatments such as:

behavioral therapy

play therapy

occupational therapy

physical therapy

speech therapy

However, results will vary. Some people may respond well to specific approaches, while others may not.

Other caregivers are turning a new leaf when choosing natural remedies; however, parents and caregivers should weigh the research and financial costs against any possible benefits before investing in any alternative treatment.

There are a handful of natural remedies available. Some being high doses of vitamins, Epsom salt, melatonin, and now medical cannabis.

Medical marijuana has been a solution in alleviating outbursts of rage, seizures, and temper tantrums among autism patients.

Cannabis and cannabis-based products such as concentrates and tinctures can be responsible for lessening any erratic actions that may have occurred in the past. In addition, research demonstrates that patients who use medical marijuana to treat their symptoms become incredibly relaxed and very attentive to what they are doing.

In other words, consuming cannabis serves as an exceptional behavioral modification, which can protect both the health and safety of an autistic patient.

In many studies published by the National Library of Medicine, medical cannabis is being researched to treat seizures, communication problems, the tendency to self-harm, inability to sleep, and much more.

The patients who received medical marijuana daily saw improvement in at least one of ASD's core symptoms, including repetitive behaviors, social communication, and language. In addition, things like food acceptance, sensory difficulties, seizures, sleep, and feeding disorders also improved in most cases.

There is no one right way to treat autism; however, more research will be concluded in the following years. One recent finding from ASD animal models indicates a possible dysregulation of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) signaling behaviors.

This dysregulation was suggested to be also present in ASD patients. Therefore, the mechanism of action for the effect of cannabis on ASD may involve GABA and glutamate transmission regulation.

ASD is characterized by an excitation and inhibition imbalance of GABA and glutamatergic signaling in different brain structures. The ECS is involved in modulating imbalanced GABA and glutamatergic transmission. Another mechanism of action can be through oxytocin and vasopressin, neurotransmitters that act as essential modulators of social behaviors.

Cannabidiol enhanced oxytocin and vasopressin release during activities involving social interaction. Always consult with your doctor before consuming.