Marijuana?
By TheRealDawn
@dawnald (85135)
Shingle Springs, California
October 1, 2010 4:13pm CST
Ok I know this is just a TV show. I was watching Private Practice last night. There was a single mother with an autistic son. He looked to be about 13. He was severely autistic and had fits of head banging and screaming and thrashing about. She had tried everything that was recommended, from behavior therapy to drugs, and nothing had helped. She had her own prescription for medical marijuana, and ended up giving it to her son as a last resort. It seemed to help better than anything else did.
So, my son has autism, but it's not severe, and he doesn't have the kind of issues that this kid has. I know some of you on here have autistic children also. Can any of you conceive of using drugs to control some aspect of your child's autism? And could you see yourself using a drug such as marijuana to treat your child?
8 people like this
4 responses
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
1 Oct 10
Not having an Austic child, I don't know what I would do. I do know that most Mothers would do almost anything for their child. A client of the company where I work gives her Autistic daughter tranquilizers to help her maintain. It would be extremely hard to watch a child beat their head against a wall...not knowing when they'd cause serious damage to themselves. So, I wouldn't judge a parent who used unorthodox methods to protect their child!!!
2 people like this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Oct 10
Me too. Every day I am thankful that my son is only moderately autistic, that he can communicate, that he doesn't head bang or have fits or do crazy things that are scary or dangerous.
@bardgirl (362)
• United States
10 Oct 10
I saw this episode. I don't have kids and never plan on having them but I think in this instance she was just very desperate. She was a single mother taking care of this kid who ends up pushing her down while he was having a fit. I just don't know if anyone could really answer this since you really don't know what you'd do unless you were in a situation where this is an option.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
11 Oct 10
this was definitely a very extreme situation
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
2 Oct 10
No. I would be more inclined it stick with what the medical people tell me to do....unless there were proof positive that it would help. Then I might test the waters a bit. If it relieved his anxiouity and the head banging etc....then it might be the answer. But it would be the very last thing I would try.
1 person likes this
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
2 Oct 10
Hi dawn,
Well, I don't have a child with autism so I can't fairly say just how far I'd go to help him if I were in that spot. As a mom, I have to say that my first reaction is that it doesn't sound like something I would want to try with my child especially at that age. I have nothing against pot at all but I do know that it affects kids very differently than it does adults. Ya know, I really don't know. I was thinking about teens and then I had to kick back and think...no...we are talking an autistic teen. I would not want to judge this mother. I am sure she is at a point where she'll try almost anything to help her child. You said that it actually helped so who am I to judge her?
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
4 Oct 10
Yeah, it supposedly helped, but she got in trouble when the doc discontinued the prescription (which was actually for her, not the child), and went out and bought some stuff off the street.
