Can Essential Oils Help With Autism

What Is Charlottes Web And Why Do Many Parents Use It

The production process of Charlottes Web whole-plant hemp extract provides CBD, CBC, CBG, and other beneficial phytocompounds. Its production is overseen from seed to bottle to ensure the highest quality product. Not only do they extract using only flowers and stems, but the soils are tested and cleared of heavy metals and contaminants before planting. Charlottes Web is named after a young girl named Charlotte Figi with epilepsy who reduced hundreds of weekly seizures to only a few per month with the oil.

Essential Oils For Enhancing Qol In Asd

• Study Details

Essential oils are routinely used by the public and are available on the market. Investigators are conducting this study because it is unknown whether the essential oils formulations will be safe and effective for improving quality of life in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder by helping them relax and sleep.

Children invited to participate in this study must be between 3-9 years of age and have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Twenty eight children and their families will be enrolled in the study.

Participants will try two different fragrant oils in a double-blind randomized order. Each child will receive each treatment for 3 months, with a 1-month “washout” period in between during which no oil is used.

Nine Essential Oils For Adults With Autism And Adhd

Before we begin, its a good idea to keep in mind that anything can be a trigger for any person, whether they are a person with autism, ADHD, or none of the above. These are useful, but each individual will react differently. The best suggestion is to start with one and add one more at a time if needed. Later, once youve found the best combination, you can create synergistic blends to target or enhance different emotions.

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Calming Homemade Bubble Bath With Essential Oils

autismhomemadelavender essential oilThis post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Looking for a gentle way to help your kids relax before bedtime? This calming homemade bubble bath has simple natural ingredients, including 2 relaxing essential oils. This is the perfect way to wind down after a busy day for both kids AND parents!

Plus, its incredibly easy to put together too! You can whip up a bottle of Calming Homemade Bubble Bath in just a couple of minutes. Ive made this at the end of the day when Im tired. Just breathing in the relaxing essential oils helps ME wind down for the night too!

This can be great for children who are on the autism spectrum too as they may be particularly prone to difficulty sleeping at night.

Erika Bragdon is a Certified Essential Oil Coach from the Essential Oil Institute.

Essential Oils For Appeasement And Relaxation

Among the appeasing essential oils, lavender oil brings benefits that will appease and will help with falling asleep. Cedar wood essential oil helps boost and motivate the spirit and relax the body at the same time. On the psycho-emotional level, helichrysum and bergamot oil allow an improvement in mood and fights against depression cinnamon essential oil is also part of the essential oils that are the most accepted among children affected by autism peppermint essential oil allow to calm nerves and brings a sense of security ylang-ylang oil allow to calm fears and geranium oils as well as marjoram reduce anxiety, soothe and help with environmental stress. Vetiver essential oil shows positive results on hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders, as well as on anxiety and stress.

We must not forget that essential oils are to be used with an exact dosage and strict mixtures are to be respected. We must also not neglect the age of the child.

These suggestions do not replace your doctors advices.

The use of essential oils is not recommended in the following cases: pregnant or breastfeeding women, children younger than 6 years old, respiratory allergies. If in doubt, consult your doctor.

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How To Make This Diy Calm And Collected Essential Oil Blend:

You will need:

• carrier blend I recommend fractionated coconut oil
• roller bottles this is what I use

Add 2-4 drops of Frankincense and 2-4 drops of Blood Orange essential oils to your roller bottle.

Fill the remainder of the bottle with your carrier oil. Make sure you leave enough room to put the roller cap on.Push the roller cap on tightly and roll the bottle in your hands to blend the oils together.

You are now ready to use your DIY Calm and Collected essential oil blend!

A note on the amount of essential oils in this blend: if youre not seeing benefits, you may choose to increase the number of drops gradually. Remember that essential oils are very potent and a little goes a long way.

I have found that 7 drops of each oil seems to be the magic number for my children, from ages 7-14.

You can apply this roller blend to your childs neck, wrists, arms, chest, & /or the bottom of their feet.

I prefer to roll this DIY blend on the back of my childs neck. In my experience, it works quickly and is easy to apply there.

A Note on Essential Oil Brands:

The saying you get what you pay for is very true when it comes to essential oil brands.

High-quality brands, such as Edens Garden and Rocky Mountain Oils are far more likely to give you the therapeutic results you are looking for. While the term therapeutic is not regulated, these oils do tend to be higher quality than non-therapeutic labeled oils.

Rocky Mountain Oils is one of my favorite essential oil brands.

Can Essential Oils Help Children With Autism

The children in Ohio State’s essential oils study wear an actigraph to track movement Shannon applies essential oil to her son Sam.

For children with autism, getting to sleep can be a challenge.

In fact, it’s estimated that as many as 3 out of 4 children with autism experience trouble sleeping and there are currently no FDA-approved medications for pediatric sleep problems.

But what if essential oils could help?

That’s the question researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are asking. In particular, they’re looking at the growing trend of using essential oils to calm children with autism and help them sleep.

All over the country, parents claim theyve seen improvements in the quality of life and in the behavior of their children by using essential oils, but all those claims are anecdotal, said Jill Hollway, PhD, who is leading the study at OSU Wexner Medical Centers Nisonger Center. We want to see if there is any science behind it.”

Review the eligibility criteria and contact information for this study. If you would like your child to be considered for the study, call 614-685-3219.

In particular, essential oils like lavender, sandalwood and frankincense have been said to help children with autism better handle transitional periods, like going to school or to bed.

The study will follow two dozen children over the course of the next two years with the goal of helping children and parents alike.

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Understanding How Essential Oils Are Obtained

Essential oils are obtained through the process of distillation of the plants. Manufacturers use a combined technique of steaming while blending with other processes such as solvent extractions, absolute oil level extractions, tapping important resins and finally cold pressing.

An interesting side-note about essential oils is that they are not what many perceive. The first thing that comes to mind when the word oil is mentioned is something sticky and greasy essential oils are neither of those things.

The oils come in various colors. Some of these are:

• Lemon Grass
• Amber
• Orange

Although essential oils tend to be aromatic, they are not an alternative to perfumes or fragrances. Essential oils, as their name suggests, are the true essences of the plant they are derived from.

It should be noted that one should not get confused between essential oils and fragrance oils. Fragrance oils are something that has artificially manufactured ingredients added to them to appeal to the senses of the end-user. Subsequently, fragrance oils do not have the therapeutic properties and benefits of essential oils.

Essential oils do not have any artificially added ingredients which emphasizes their many benefits.

Ways To Apply Essential Oils For Autism

The application of essential oils for autistic children will depend on each child. Although most oils can be rubbed onto the skin, such as the back of the neck, some childrens skin might be sensitive or get an allergic reaction. In this case, using an essential oil diffuser might work better.

It is important to note that childrens skin is more sensitive than adults, so diluting the oil before applying it to the skin is a great idea. Diluting oils involves adding a carrier oil like coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or avocado oil to the essential oil. You can refer to a dilution chart to ensure you are using the right amount of oils.

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How Should Essential Oils Be Used

There are 3 ways to use essential oils, although ingestion is rarely advised unless it is under the recommendation and supervision of a trained medical professional.

Inhalation. Diffusion is perhaps one of the easiest ways to use essential oils. Whether you choose to use a diffuser , inhale oils applied to a piece of cloth, or mix them into a spray bottle to mist onto your clothing or furniture, the act of inhalation will activate your limbic system by way of your olfactory nerve, and the effects can be pretty powerful. Some oils can create a sense of calm, whereas others can leave you feeling energized. The possibilities are endless!

Absorption. When applying essential oils topically to the skin, a carrier oil such as coconut oil or grape seed oil must be used to dilute the oil , which helps decrease skin sensitivities and increase absorption. A persons height, weight, and age should be taken into consideration when applying oils to the skin, and aromatherapists recommend starting at the lowest dose and then increasing over time based on individual reactions.

Ingestion. To avoid toxicity, ingestion of essential oils should only be done under the direction of a qualified professional.

Reducing The Symptoms Of Autism

In addition to behavioral interventions, there are other ways to reduce the more distressing symptoms of autism. Keeping the body healthy provides the energy needed to work and deal with the symptoms and encourages the development of the nervous system. Ensure that a healthy diet, drinking water, enough sleep and regular exercise is part of the daily routine. Detoxify the body if feelings of sluggishness are present. It is believed that if the build up of toxins gets into the brain, the results could be nerve damage.

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How Can Kids With Asd And Adhd Benefit From Essential Oils

You can find hundreds of online blogs and articles brimming with testimonials on the use of essential oils to help people diagnosed with autism and/or ADHD. Relaxing essential oil blends for autism have been effective in helping children manage certain symptoms, such as hyperactivity, stress, sensory overload, and anger. Essential oils may also be used to help kids who have a hard time transitioning throughout the day or at bedtime when going to sleep, which is a common concern among kids on the autism spectrum.

As previously mentioned, some essential oils can be applied directly to the skin. In the case of children with autism, the oils should be applied to the soles of the feet, the neck, the top of the head, the chest, the forehead, the abdomen, the arms, and the legs. According to parents who have found success with essential oils, it works right away, as oils can enter the bloodstream within 30 seconds. Within 30 minutes, the oils can circulate through the entire body. Its important to note some oils need to be diluted with carrier oils for safety, which will be explained later in this article.

To ensure efficiency, it is recommended that essential oils are used two to three times a day at the start. Then, the frequency should be gradually reduced to once a day. Always confirm use with a medical professional.

What My Families Do:

Families I work with either use the essential oil in a diffuser over night, or include a foot massage in the night time routine.

Diffusers are safe to use and leave on in childrens bedrooms because they have automatic shut offs and diffuse the oil into the air using cold water.

Incorporating oils into a foot massage before bed can be a great way to help you both relax because as youre rubbing the oil into their feet youre also getting a dose of the relaxing oil! Its also a great way to build up a bond with your child.

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Does Cbd Oil Work For Autism Can Cbd Help Manage Autism

Since CBD oil is hemp-derived and only contains trace amounts of psychoactive THC, it is not psychoactive, and your child will not feel high after using the oil, unlike patients who use THC-containing medical marijuana.

The role of CBD for autism with anxiety is twofold. Firstly, some children with autism find that using CBD oil for anxiety alleviates not only stress but also aggression, self-injurious behaviors, and trouble with social interactions. Secondly, CBD oil can help children with co-occurring seizures. Of course, each childs experience is unique, but in states where medical marijuana is illegal, parents are reporting positive CBD oil benefits for autism and epilepsy. Because cannabidiol cbd is not psychoactive, it is the option most parents prefer for their children over medical marijuana.

Many children with epilepsy find the same relief from their symptoms as they do with traditional anti-anxiety and anticonvulsant medications with the added bonus of fewer side effects. Researchers are still working to identify how CBD oil can help anxiety in autism, but for many families, the anecdotal evidence is enough for now.

How Can Essential Oils Help Children With Autism And Sensory Disorders

Essential oils for autism and sensory processing disorder can have so many positive effects for children and their families. The calming effects of lavender oil can help kids sleep better, bergamot oil is a powerful relaxant and can reduce nervous tension, anxiety, and stress, roman chamomile oil can reduce mental anxiety, paranoia, and hostility, and is also a great stress-buster that has been found to help with insomnia and muscle tension, and jasmine oil works to regulate feelings of stress, anxiety, and over-excitement in the brain.

And thats just breaking the surface!

There are HEAPS of different autism oils and blends you can experiment with to help your child with her specific needs, and were sharing our favorites below.

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Treatment Options For Autism

There is no one set way to treat someone with autism. It depends on what type of disorder they have and whether its mild or severe. It will also depend on if they have any other major health issue that youll need to consider. Another thing that makes it hard to treat autism is that it changes over time, so its important to re-evaluate often.

Some of the most common ways to treat autism include:

• Medications treats depression, hyperactivity, anxiety and similar problems associated with autism
• Speech therapy improves language and social skills
• Behavioral training and management uses a variety of techniques to improve communication and behavior
• Physical therapy improves motor skills and coordination
• Occupational therapy helps patients understand and process the information received by the senses in a more productive manner.

A structured treatment plan will help parents learn how to communicate better with their autistic child so you can understand and give them the support they need. You can learn more about these treatment options for autism and how they can help at WebMD. In addition to these treatment plans, using an essential oil for autism can make a big difference for the whole family.

Beginners Guide To Essential Oils For Autism And Sensory Processing

This post may contain affiliate links.

I am not a doctor, naturopath, or aromatherapist, and this post is based on my own research and personal experience using essential oils. Essential oils are not a cure for autism, sensory processing disorder, or any other developmental or mental health disorder, and the information provided in this post is not intended to replace the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.

While essential oils have been used therapeutically for thousands of years to ward off illnesses, improve immunity, promote proper digestion, and alleviate pain, essential oils for autism are only just gaining popularity as an alternative way to support children on the autism spectrum as well as those with sensory processing challenges.

One in every 68 children is diagnosed with autism each year , and more and more parents are turning to more natural approaches to treat the symptoms of their childs disorder. From dietary changes and supplementation, to homeopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are so many different approaches you can take to help your child naturally.

For the purposes of this post, were going to take a deeper look at essential oils for autism and how they can be used to help manage and alleviate some of the negative symptoms and behaviors associated with autism spectrum and sensory processing disorders.

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