Cannabis as treatment for Autism

amother

Turquoise

Tue, Jan 30 2018, 9:53 am

southernbubby wrote:

He is in constant motion so even if cranial sacral therapy helps to relieve tension, first the therapist would have to capture him, then get him to lie down, etc. I do see a listing on the autism speaks website of a cranial sacral therapist so people in the autism community are using it but I haven't found much info on how long the effects last from each treatment.

Taking him to any doctor or dentist is a challenge because he resists being handled.

The Craniosacral therapists who work with children with autism are used to the children moving around and adapt their work accordingly. The client does not have to be lying down for it to work.
working with children is a whole skill set of its own, because they won't sit still for the work to be done.

relish

Tue, Jan 30 2018, 10:03 am

debsey wrote:

Or, you know, because you don't have a logical response to offer.

Sorry for hijacking this thread, it just boils my blood when people offer "treatments" to parents of vulnerable children, who are usually very overstretched both for time and money.

If a treatment is validated and proven and accepted by the majority of legitimate professionals, offer it. If not, don't offer an overstressed family false hope or take money from people who are already overburdened. It's just not right.

Just one question for you debsey, have you ever tried it, or spoken to someone who is trained in Craniosacral therapy?
I am trained in it, and I see it working. Yes, insurance recognizes cst as a valid modality of treatment. No, one can not accomplish an entire hour of treatment in a 15 minute billing code.

Most csts are not willing to spend all that time combing through insurance paperwork to figure out how to create their sessions to follow strict insurance rules, while still providing the most beneficial session to the client.

But, I'm not most csts, and I intend to create a way to bring cst at low, to no cost to everyone. Perhaps you can help me, as you seem knowledgeable in this area. I intend to do this properly, and I know that my project will take a long time to get off the ground, but it is definitely possible to bill insurance for cst. Look up the modalities of treatment that they cover, cst is listed. (At least on united healthcare).

So, if you are being honest about your indignation, perhaps it's time to create change. I would love your input!

debsey

Tue, Jan 30 2018, 10:43 am

relish wrote:

A couple of things. Yes, I know a few craniosacral practitioners, because I work with a lot of different organizations and programs for kids with disabilities. Sorry, I have not yet found anyone tell me it made a difference, and I've spoken to practitioners and have not been even slightly impressed. I've also spoken to neurologists and psychiatrists and developmental pediatricians, all of whom deem it junk science.

As a mom of a special needs kid myself, I just hate it when unproven ideas are sold to parents as validated treatment.

And yes, there's a code on all insurances for craniosacral therapy, by which they mean helmeting babies whose soft spots didn't close, whose soft bone structures are growing deformed (such as babies with heart defects who lay very still, and therefore the back of their heads are flat) There is a treatment known as "craniosacral helmeting" which is molding a helmet to their heads to encourage the skull to reform itself as round instead of flat. Some kids with birth defects are also treated by helmets, which gently encourage the bone to move to the place it's meant to be.

So, yeah, I'm all for that form of craniosacral therapy. But not for any other therapy called by that name that has no scientific validity.

Have you ever been the mom of a special needs child? Do you know how much time and effort and money goes into every hour of their day? Unless you're sure you know that you can help that child, it's a crying shame to offer a "therapy" that does not have any proof.

southernbubby

Tue, Jan 30 2018, 11:00 am

relish wrote:

but what does it actually treat and what results do you actually see? for example, he has an attention span of nanoseconds and seems to never tire out of his constant motion

southernbubby

Tue, Jan 30 2018, 11:04 am

debsey wrote:

I'm concerned about that aspect of everything, the fact that mothers of special needs children have to expend so much effort. DIL is quaking in her Nikes because the school mentioned that if she would change his diet, he might not be constantly stooling all day long. Making and
buying separate food for him is a lot of extra work for a mother of a keneinahora large family. I am not sure how she would manage to take him to a therapist on a routine basis, but several of her kids had torticollis and had to go to a physical therapist in Ramat Alef and she managed to do it but the government insurance paid for that.

relish

Tue, Jan 30 2018, 1:17 pm

debsey wrote:

Thank you for sharing. I'm wondering how it can be that we have such different experiences.

I got into craniosacral therapy because I see how much it actually helped when other things did not. I wonder how it got such a bad rap with the people you work with.

The doctors (MDs) I work with here in NYC are open to it. I know one who actually treats her patients (with stomach conditions) using mostly craniosacral therapy. I know another who refers people to Craniosacral therapists.

I do have children with varying special needs, and treating them makes a big difference in their symptoms. My children get a quick Craniosacral session as part of their bedtime routine, addressing whichever issues are most needed to be addressed that night.

It's funny that you mention helmets, because the research I have done seems to show a relatively small percentage of improvement, when compared to control groups. Also, why would helmetting a baby be referred to as Craniosacral therapy? Do they also brace the pelvic area?

relish

Tue, Jan 30 2018, 1:23 pm

southernbubby wrote:

but what does it actually treat and what results do you actually see? for example, he has an attention span of nanoseconds and seems to never tire out of his constant motion

Craniosacral therapy releases tension stored in the fascia of our body. The fascia is the connective tissue that runs throughout our body, connecting all of the organs and body parts.

Because tension spots held in the body manifest with different symptoms, it's hard for me to know without doing a full evaluation.

Based on the symptoms you describe, I may postulate that he can benefit from a frontal bone and an occipital based release. These releases would help release the tension in the fascia, allowing for the bones to compress less on his brain, giving his brain the space it needs to function better.

Please excuse my clumsy explanation of a beautiful subject. I haven't yet had the chance to explain this conversationally to enough people, to learn how to say things in a way that is easy to understand.