In my last post, I talked about how we worry our autistic son won't be potty trained before Kindergarten. Matter of fact, I've suggested in another post that there are lots of things we worry about with our kids living with autism; behavior, speech, stimming in public, muscle tone --- they are each things we and they struggle with daily. As parents, we'll go to practically any length to support our kids.
You can believe in cures or not, or you can subscribe to the thought that they simply are who they are. When we say we are willing to advocate for our kids, what do we really mean?
Well, a Rhode Island mom has chosen to go to what others might consider extreme lengths to manage her child's condition. Marie Myung-Ok Lee has helped her son to become the youngest recipient of a medical marijuana license. She first purchased THC-infused olive oil to make cookies for her son, in an effort to stave off his biting and pervasive violent behavior.
Myung-Ok Lee swears this is helping her son and that this is just the intervention he needed.
What is your take on this mother and her radical approach? Is this curing or simply sedating?To what extreme lengths would you go, have you gone or are you considering?
Please share your thoughts and feelings.
~Jon
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4 hours ago
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7 comments:
Wow! It makes me wonder if she bothered to try any other medications first? We resisted meds for six years. Then our trusted psychologist articulated a good reason why we should consider. As I described Jonathan's behavior over the phone, the doctor said, "Mrs. Howe, can you learn Spanish when your house is on fire? Of course not!You're only thinking about getting out of the house alive. What you are describing to me is that Jonathan is in survival mode."
We started an anti-anxiety med. It has made a HUGE difference. Everyone has noticed, friends, parents, teachers, etc.
Joelle, this is a family blog that my kids even read. I don't apprecaite your tone or language, I wasn't challenging anyone and my post is neutral. I encourage thoughtful discussion, but do not allow offensive language, trolls or flaming.
Please do not return to this blogsite. I appreciate the consideration. You've inspired me to now moderate all comments.
Have a nice day.
~Jon
Corrie,
Thanks for your comments and suggesting what has worked for you.
BTW, yours is the last unmoderated post that will appear on my site. Due to a crude blogger who could not keep his/her comments thoughtful and respectful, they have been blocked and all comments will now be moderated.
This was great food for thought so thanks for sharing. Once I got over my initial shock this seems like a pretty great option for self-injurious and violent kids.
Watching my son hurt himself is one of the hardest things to watch and he is only 3 and a 45 lb-big-and-strong-for- his-age kind of 3. I too would be hesitant to let my son take anti-psychotics which has not been tested on children and has serious side effects for the adults who take them.
We are an alternative medicine type of family and I also would rather my son take a herb than medication, any medication. So marijuana oil in food seems like a good option. It isn't the herb that is the problem but what people do with it. Because face it, wherever people are there is the potential to abuse anything, including medication.
Tendai,
Thanks for the honest opinion and keeping the discussion going. I think we as parents do whatever it is we have to do in order to make our kids' lives bearable.
Thanks for sharing.
~Jon
Jon, I'm so sorry some idiot stopped by and used such crude language, (but glad I didn't get the chance to see it).
As you probably know without my even saying so, I've quite an extended opinion on this issue. :) I'll try not to take up an entire page though. In short, with proper testing, I would be willing to try medical marijuana for Jimmy. I honestly fail to see why we, as a society, haven't explored the many benefits of the herb. It just makes so much more sense, at least to me, to use something God has given us in abundance to help us with our medical conditions, rather than create synthetic drugs that can be so much worse for us. Where in the world did this woman purchase the olive oil? I imagine she had to order it from outside the US, but how does one get that sort of thing past customs? These are rhetorical questions by the way - I'm not looking to buy it. :)
I'm hopeful that, for the benefit of our children, our "experts" will research the benefits of medical marijuana, for autism and many other illnesses, and that maybe by the time our children are grown it will be used for the good that God intended.
Thanks for a thought-provoking post!
Deanna,
Thanks for your honest viewpoint. All points are valid, if they are presented well. I'm also finding that, there may not be a right or wrong answer to many of these questions. As long as no one is presenting an option as the know-all/end-all, I think we have to do what we feel is right for our kids. It's amazing what folks will try in order to reach a comfortable solution for their kids. Granted, there are many truly dangerous options that could be tried, and I would rail against those. But aside from that lot, I can't say how I would react if I were faced with this as a last resort.
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