How CBD Completely Stopped My Autistic Son's Meltdowns in Just 2 Weeks

If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the same spot my husband and I were in just over a year ago. Our 8-year-old child with autism was struggling much more than he had in the past. We were used to his meltdowns – after all, meltdowns and autism go hand in hand – but they were becoming increasingly more frequent, self-harming, and violent towards others. 

While my son’s usual meltdowns consisted of him crying, rolling on the floor, and screaming for about 45 minutes to an hour at a time about three times a week, they had recently taken a new, very dangerous twist. He would hurt himself, my husband, his little brother, and myself during his meltdowns. Sometimes it was just hitting or kicking, which we could usually intervene to stop by simply distancing ourselves from him while he was melting down. 

But I knew I needed to do something when once, during a meltdown, he tried to strangle his 5-year-old neurotypical brother. After this particular meltdown, we made the most difficult decision we ever have as parents and took our autistic son to the children’s hospital ER for a psychiatric evaluation to see if he needed to be institutionalized (the hospital said he didn’t need to be). We were clearly at the lowest of lows and knew we needed to do something to support our son with autism, keep his younger brother safe, and find peace for our family.

My Research About Using CBD for Autism

From the social media groups I’m in for autism and special needs parents, I’d heard several stories about parents of children with autism giving their kids CBD. But I was still nervous and wanted to do my own research. After all, as moms and dads of kids with autism, our lives require us to be more worried and more cautious than parents of typically developing children. If you’re like me, you’re constantly questioning – and worrying – about everything. What can I do to best support my child with autism? How can I keep my autistic child safe when he has a meltdown in public? What will my child’s future look like? Will he be employable? Who will take care of my autistic son when I’m gone?

As I started researching CBD for autism, I became more and more convinced that giving my autistic son CBD was the right decision. I learned that the CBD products that are on the market are either 100% THC free or contain no more than 0.3% THC, which means they won’t ever cause hallucinogenic effects. I also discovered that, while there’s no FDA backing of using CBD for autism, there is a TON of anecdotal evidence from parents of autistic kids who say it helps dramatically. I even found studies online that showed that 50% of parents of children with autism reported they had given their kids CBD to help with their meltdowns and other side effects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and had seen improvements.

Our Journey Giving Our Autistic Son CBD

After a lot of research, we learned that the general recommendation from parents of autistic kids is to start off with a single dose of CBD and to gradually work up until you find the right number of edibles for your child. Every autistic kid will have different needs, but parents who’ve been down this road before recommend titrating up to find your child’s sweet spot.

In January 2020, we started giving my autistic son CBD. Over the course of two weeks, we found that giving him CBD first thing in the morning, at lunchtime, and around 4:00 pm in the afternoon worked wonders. Based on the research we had down, we had learned that it typically takes at least one month for a person, including a child, to ingest CBD for his or her brain’s cannabinoid receptors to respond, and to see improvement in the behavior or ailment you’re wanting to remedy. 

For us, the results were even faster-acting.

After just two weeks of giving my autistic son CBD three times per day, his meltdowns completely stopped, as did his violent behavior. I’m writing this blog post in January 2021. It’s been a year since we started giving him CBD, and he hasn’t had a single meltdown since! CBD has been nothing short of miraculous for our autistic son.  It’s as if someone has flipped a switch in my son’s brain, and suddenly he feels calmer, is better able to regulate his emotions, and no longer has violent tendencies. I have my sweet boy back, and he isn’t experiencing the struggles that he was before taking CBD. And thankfully my younger son – who used to hide behind my husband’s reading chair in our bedroom when my autistic son had meltdowns – feels safe and secure in our home.

Simply put, using CBD for autism has been a godsend for our family. Not only is my family experiencing the peace we once thought we’d never get back, but my child with autism also isn’t struggling with controlling his emotions anymore, and his little brother is no longer afraid of him. I also have hope for his future that by staying on CBD he’ll be employable and able to lead as independent of a life as possible.