In this post I would like to tell you about how a child with autism regresses after anaesthetic and how I support him with homeopathy. William is an autistic boy with whom I have worked for some time. He comes for homeopathic treatment as and when challenges arise for him and his family. He can need help with managing anxiety, anger and physical health problems. His parents have found that he generally responds well to homeopathic remedies.
Regression after anaesthetic
A few years ago, William needed an unexpected operation and a general anaesthetic. Following this, he experienced prolonged fits of extreme and violent anger. He told me that during these he was a “monster man”. Along with the rage came a marked regression in other autistic symptoms. His hands were jittery. He would only eat a narrow range of foods again and he reverted to baby talk.
Hospitalisation for Autistic children
A hospital stay can be particularly stressful for autistic children. The National Autistic Society website contains some useful autism guidance for health professionals and there are many tips here that are helpful for parents too. If you know your child will need to stay in hospital, consider a homeopathic consultation beforehand. Homeopathic remedies can then be selected in advance to try and ease anxiety and other difficulties that can be anticipated. However, in the case of an emergency admission, this is not usually possible.
Homeopathic treatment
In prescribing for William, I bore in mind the stress that this event had caused him and also the more physical effects that the anaesthetic had had. Over the next few weeks, William took remedies aimed at helping him clear the effects of the anaesthetic and at re-balancing his emotional state. He gradually became calmer and his other regressive symptoms settled. Anyone can have a reaction to an anaesthetic or other medication and homeopathy may help to alleviate such undesirable effects. In particular, I see sensitivity to medications quite often in children with autism. These children may therefore benefit from homeopathic treatment to help them handle these, as well as the emotional stress of a hospital stay.
If you are interested in learning more about how I support autistic children, please visit my main website.