Autism, or autism spectrum disorder is a developmental issue that does prove to involve challenges with social situations, nonverbal communications, speech issues, and repetitive and restricted behaviors, with the effects varying. This is something that’s risen quite a lot in the last few decades for no reason, and right now, there is no cure for the condition too, but there are therapies and medications to make life as manageable as possible for the person. Some scientists are still looking at the different treatments, but one of the ways people treat autism conditions is CBD, which we’ll go over here.
The Study
There are some studies that show that CBD may be useful for this. That’s because it lowers their anxiety, helps with memories that are overstimulating, and aids with sleep, a common problem that many with autism struggle with. When compared to the conventional treatments for this, it could be really helpful, as there isn’t’ really many good therapies for this. It’s something that has been studied too, and for some studies, it’s been found that for the 18 participants that tried this, there were positive results. CBD can help different autism conditions in a similar way that epilepsy patients benefit from this, and non-epileptic autism definitely benefits from this too. It can definitely be something that could help.
The Improvements
The study that involved 18 different patients with autism who utilized CBD products that were 3/.4 CBD and just a part of THC, and they were given capsules with this. It was found that in the patients it helped with a lot of other conditions typically associated with autism. Some of them include:
Motor problems
Communication problems
Sleep disorders along with seizures
Behavioral problems
Issues with autonomy
Cognitive issues
The biggest improvements definitely were in the sleep problems, social issues, and the seizures in these patients. Most of them did see improvement in at least one of the categories that were listed above. For a lot of people, these treatments may be a lot better than normal treatments. For a lot of people with autism, there are conventional treatments, and they come with huge side effects. It was also found that a lot of them did show benefit and a little bit less symptoms than normal.
What About THC Though?
This is another thing that some people wonder, since THC is psychoactive. This is the other cannabinoid that a lot of people look at. This actually can help, as it does bind to the same receptors, and also the anandamide that is there for those with ASD do have issues with behavior, and it can impact control. But THC can also help with this, and it could be a potential therapeutic benefit for those with autism.
While it does work potentially, there is the anxiety factors to consider, as cannabis with THC in it can be a bit too overstimulating for those who suffer from ASD and have anxiety symptoms. But it may be a good thing. Is it a valid treatment? Both CBD and THC can be, and the studies are slowly coming forward on the benefits of both.
For a lot of people, THC and CBD is something that can help with other effects, but for a lot with autism, it’s still something many struggle with. Because it’s such a diverse condition, it can be a bit hard to pinpoint whether or not it benefits a person with it. But, with more studies being done, we may see gross changes in autism treatment that help many people.
