Neurodiversity & Down Syndrome

My son’s journey on the cannabinoids path began four and a half years ago, when his special education teacher told me that the biggest obstacle in his path was impulsivity. She recommended that we look into drug therapy to help get my son feeling more in control of himself, and therefore, more able to access the world.

My son is delightful, humorous, kind and bright, and also has Down Syndrome, is on the autism spectrum and has an ADHD diagnosis. He also has epilepsy and reflux and has been on meds for many years. The very last thing I wanted to do was to break his spirit in any way, and I was terrified that introducing more meds would literally do just that.

I had a friend whose child was using CBD on top of his other meds, and his family was seeing positive results in his behavior and happiness. I wondered if it might be an alternative to the psychotropic meds I so wanted to avoid.

I had in-depth conversations with my son’s pediatrician and his neurologist, who were both wholly on board. Our neurologist was the biggest surprise, as he had cringed at other alternative therapies we’d used over the years, from cranio-sacral manipulation to hippotherapy, but he believed in the power of cannabis.

Because my son is a minor, he was required to get a medical card and we began seeing a wonderful nurse practitioner in a cannabis-oriented practice. We started the journey of finding therapeutic balance, and knew we’d hit it early on, when my son randomly but meaningfully said one morning, early on—’I feel good.’

From there, for a few years, my son stayed on CBD, with no THC, because I was still leery of the high effect I thought might occur. I should clarify that in my gut, I believed in the science of cannabis, but until I really saw him start to benefit, I stayed watchful. What I saw, in not too long a time, was a kid who finally got his insides calm enough to focus on what was going on outside of his body. Prior to CBD, I think huge amounts of his energy and focus went into just trying to solidly exist, which limited his ability to fully participate in simply living. He had to go at it with a battle plan.

About a year into our journey, Angel came into our lives. Our previous provider had briefly met my son, and for the most part supplied only the product, while we relied on our nurse practitioner for dosing advice. That all changed with Angel’s arrival.

Angel met with my son and me on a winter-y evening and observed us with an incredibly clear eye. She asked hard, direct questions. She made honest and accurate observations. There was something extremely intense about her ability to see us, and to get at what we were really seeking in using CBD therapeutically with my son.

For the past few years, Angel has worked with us to continue to find balance and stability for my son. She, and Moby Botanicals, have become an integral part of his team. As a provider, not only does she supply his cannabinoids, but she also provides us great peace of mind. Our connection with Angel is profound. She has been able to help us through various challenges not only by changing doses or delivery methods (and even adding the dreaded but actually miraculous THC) but by thorough discussion. When another practitioner might be quick to simply increase doses when trouble pops up, Angel has holistically talked us through my son’s complete environment to get at the root cause. The behavior is not always resolved with a cannabinoid change, but sometimes with a change or awareness of his surroundings.

Our family’s trust and respect for Angel have increased over the years as my son thrives and maintains a much more focused persona. Her influence in our family affects us all. I am a better parent because of her clear eyes and ears and ability to guide us without judgment. Finding CBD/THC and a provider who is so intuitively and scientifically astute has been one of the cornerstones of my son’s health and happiness.