Medical Cannabis and Autism: Month Two Update

I promised I would give a weekly update on our journey with medical cannabis for our severely autistic son. We are just over two months in! We’ve seen amazing, huge, gigantic, breakthroughs. I am so excited to tell you all of them. But with that, we’ve also seen a huge increase in behaviors. We’ve learned that while awareness is an AMAZING thing, it can bring issues that we’ve never had before.

In week one we saw a reduction in anxiety. In week two we saw improved engagement with his surroundings. In week three Cooper began joining our family in the living room, during meals and in the evenings. Jamie and I learned what it was like to sit down. To not constantly worry and chase.

In week four we saw a combination of everything. He started sleeping better, sitting, interacting, noticing kids, ‘singing’ songs, relaxing, etc. I could go on and on. Week five was all about awareness. He was aware of his brother, his toys, forts, kids, who has the ‘better’ iPad, even Pokemon cards. We even visited a store for the first time in years. It was amazing.

In the last month since I updated, we had huge changes at home. We had a baby! And while Cooper is doing better than I had thought he would with the baby, he seems to be spiraling in other areas. Screaming, pacing, hoarding, and an increase in anxiety to name a few.

Here are a few examples of things we’ve seen over the last month:

• Cooper is doing so great with his new baby brother. He has shown no aggression towards him or jealousy. For the first few days he covered his ears when he cried and laughed when he sneezed or coughed. We offered noise canceling headphones every chance we could. Cooper mostly declined. Now that Harbor is a month old, Cooper doesn’t even react when he cries. I am so happy the noise doesn’t bother him anymore.
• We have done very few car rides with all three kids. Mostly because Cooper gets very stressed in the car. But the few car rides we have done have all been successful.
• Cooper is showing hilarious awareness around his dad. Cooper’s hoarding bothers Dad a lot more than me. I watched Cooper hoarding items that Dad would not want him to have. Mostly photos. When Dad came in the room, Cooper hid them immediately. I know that sounds like such an odd positive. Well, in our world it IS HUGE. For Cooper to be aware that his Dad is entering the room is huge. Acknowledging people is actually a goal of his in therapy. And then to hide the items he should not have. Even huger. This mama is proud!
• Like I mention in the video, Cooper’s hoarding is out of control. I think he is pouring all of his stress of the new baby into his treasures. We are talking hundreds of photos, coasters, DVD’s, books, color books, UNO card, Pokemon cards, etc. I could go on and on. Mail, bills, magazines, CD’s. He finds whatever he can and makes a nest around himself. As his mom, I know he is self soothing and comforting himself. So that is a priority. But the mess is a lot for our family to handle. It feels like we’ve lost control at home.
• Cooper’s screaming is at a max. He is so loud right now. If we tell him something he doesn’t want to do or hear, he protests by screaming. At max volume.
• He is waking up earlier and earlier. We are back to 4 AM’s.

When I filmed this video a few days ago, Cooper was in the middle of a pretty big regression. On Monday, November 5th, we changed Cooper’s dose of Medical Cannabis to a stronger blend. We also cut out all gluten and dairy again and limited sugar. Since then, we have seen HUGE improvements again. The mystery continues.

For more information, here is the initial post I did about cannabis, our decision to start, and how we went about getting our son approved. If you have questions start with these. You can also find out if medical cannabis is legal in your state: Click HERE.

Here is a high level overview of the results we’ve seen over the last week. As always, I encourage you to watch the video. I go into greater detail. Also, to here are links to videos from WEEK ONE, WEEK TWO, WEEK THREE, WEEK FOUR and WEEK FIVE.

I share so much more in the video!

https://www.facebook.com/findingcoopersvoice/videos/320013395260994/

I plan to update weekly on Cooper’s progress. Check back!

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Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter.