When a child is diagnosed with modern medicine, there always follows the question "is there a medicine that can help?". In the case of autism, the answer is both yes and no. There are medications that can help with some of the symptoms of autism, but there is no medicine for autism.
Some of the symptoms people look to address in autism are aggression, anxiety, hyperactivity, inattention, sleep problems, depression and impulse control. There are medicines that can help with these.
Whether you choose to medicate your child is a decision you alone have to make as a family. Your child's needs are individual. Your family's needs are unique.
We personally have chosen to not medicate. That is not a decision that will change for us. But, we are not you or your family. I have friends who have chosen the medication route with their child and I don't judge them for it. If your 7 yr old child has such anxiety that they are expressing suicidal thoughts, frankly, you need to do whatever you can to help them and if medication does that, go for it.
I would say though, before you consider medication, try other things that are less harmful. Consider melatonin, lavender, bed time routines before sleep medications. Look to the source of the problem. If your child has anxiety, could it be related to sensory difficulties? If so, work with your child's occupational therapist to design sensory strategies to address this, such as a weighted blanket or compression clothing.
If your child has aggression problems, work with an ABA therapist to determine what might be triggering the behaviour - could it be frustration? Where does that frustration come from? Maybe it's something as simple as your child not being able to communicate their needs.
There are many therapeutic professionals that can be a lifeline and address the core problem of a behaviour without ever needing to resort to medication. They might be able to remediate the deficit to where there is not a behaviour anymore, or teach the child to work around or cope with the issue.
If you've exhausted the options out there though and you and your doctor feel it could help, be open to the possibility, but be very mindful about the side effects that could come with medication.
Remember autism is not diagnosed using biomarkers, ie, levels within the body's chemical makeup. You are treating with chemicals that alter those biomarkers with no way to measure what else they might affect. Always educate yourself.
There are a couple of big red flags for me with medication and they should be for you too.
- If a doctor tries to prescribe medication before therapy. ABA is proven to help with autism symptoms and it doesn't have side effects (at least biological ones). If a doctor suggests risperdone before considering what the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends, run - do not walk, away from that office.
- If a school suggests your child needs medication. Schools are in the education business, not the medication one. It is beyond their professional scope to suggest ANY medication intervention for your child. A great comeback if ever faced with this in an IEP meeting is to simply ask where that person earned their MD. If they state they don't have one, remind them that they are therefore not qualified to comment on medical issues and that any decision regarding medication is made between yourself and your child's doctor. Schools often like medicated children, they are easier to manage and there is less they will need to do to meet their needs. The cost of course is to the child, if they have long-term irreversible side effects.
Again, the take away from all of this is that your child is an individual - treat their needs, not someone else's.....
No comments:
Post a Comment