Essential oils, Essential life

     In searching for some sort of sanity during the "twin meltdowns of 2016", I was desperate for any relief. Knowing my boys loved smelling things, I thought essential oils could help them. One of my closest friends sells essential oils and was trying to get me to try them for over a year. I texted her and asked if she knew of any oils that could help with sensory processing. She recommended lavender and was going to ask her essential oil consultant if she had ideas. Thankfully my friend delivered the lavender and gave me a diffuser to see if it would help. Needless to say, I commensed in lavendering them anytime I could. I lavendered their wrists, diffused it in the living room, used the diffuser in my classroom, lavendered the twins (and myself) at recess, and lavendered them when they slept. My students were a wild bunch and I began noticing similar sensory issues in multiple children. The lavender smell was a great calming tool and the diffuser lit up so all of the kids thought it was neat! During this time, Google became my research tool. I Googled essential oils for sensory processing and found a mom who created her own oil blend to help her son who has Autisim. Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a part of the Austisim spectrum and I learned some great things from her blog.

WHY ESSENTIAL OILS?

There are many reasons why you might be considering using essential oils with your child, including:

• Looking for practical solutions to use on a daily basis and without a big time commitment 
• Interested in trying more natural and/or alternative treatments
• Prefer to use natural methods
• Want to avoid prescription medications
• Hoping to find something that will help your child sleep better
• Tired of other treatments not working or having little impact
• Hoping to find something that will help with your child's anxiety
• Finding a less expensive treatment to try
• An on the go tool that you can use anytime, anywhere 

WHICH ESSENTIAL OILS ARE GOOD FOR AUTISM/SPD?

                                                                                                                  

This list of essential oils for autism is not exhaustive and may be added to as I find new favorites. There are plenty of essential oils that may be beneficial to kids who have autism and sensory processing issues, but these are our absolute go-to oils! These essential oils are what I have found to be the most helpful and effective for the twins.

Vetiver - Of all the oils on this list, vetiver is my favorite and the most important. Vetiver has a sedative quality that can help sedate emotional outbursts such as anger, anxiety, and hysteria. It calms the nervous system and stabilizes emotions. I like to apply vetiver, diluted with a carrier oil, to the base of the neck and the base of the spine. 
 Cedarwood - This oil has a soothing and calming effect on the mind, helps with sleep, and helps to balance emotions.

Frankincense - An effective sedative, frankincense lowers anxiety, anger, and stress. It promotes deep breathing, relaxation, and a sense of peace and calm.
Lavender - Lavender is great for promoting sleep and for reducing anxiety and stress. A must have oil!
Mandarin Orange - Most kids enjoy the scent of citrus fruits. Mandarin orange balances emotions, provides stress relief, and calms the nervous system.
Common Sense Blend  Common sense is a blend from Young Living that I found researching SPD. It is stated that it enhances rational decision-making abilities leading to increased wellness, purpose and abundance.  Common Sense has a blend of these oils: frankincense, ylang ylang, ocotea, goldenrod, ruta, dorado azul, and lime. I just bought it and am excited to see its results! 

There are lots of other essential oils that may be good for autism/SPD/ADHD  including the following:
Ylang Ylang - This essential oil strengthens the nervous system, making it great for relieving stress, anger, and anxiety.
Bergamot - This essential oil relaxes nerves and muscles. It also reduces anxiety and stress. It would be a lovely oil for kids with autism.
For further information on any of these oils, you can read more at the Organic Facts Essential Oils database.

HOW TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS

Incorporating essential oils into your day can be super easy to do! You can:

• Add a few drops (lavender is wonderful for this!) to the bathtub (add some Epsom salt and coconut oil to do a detox bath once a week!)
• Diffuse the oils using an essential oil diffuser
• Incorporate them into sensory activities, such as: lavender scented beans, rainbow scent 
• matching game, lemon soap foam
• Make lotions/rubs by whipping up some coconut oil with your favorite essential oils
• Make calming sprays like our DIY calm and focused child or DIY bedtime blen
• Diffuse it in the car while traveling using an aromatherapy car diffuser
• Make a diffuser necklace or bracelet scented with your favorite essential oils for your child to wear

Essential oils have become a huge part of our daily routine in dealing with sensory issues, anxiety, and attention issues. After some reseesch from other sensory moms, I found a blend to help. She calls it the calm and focused child essential oil blend because it does exactly that. It calms sensory responses, balances their emotions, and keeps them calm and focused. 

A FEW SAFETY NOTES ABOUT USING ESSENTIAL OILS WITH KIDS

When we first started using essential oils about 6 months ago, we saw a huge impact in our daily lives. It has been a huge part of how we manage SPD (as well as illnesses, tummy aches, PMS and allergies). I want to mention important safety concerns. So here are just a couple of important reminders:

• I am not an aromatherapist. I am just sharing a blend of oils that has worked well for our family.
• This blend is meant to be diffused and/or mixed with a carrier oil before applying to skin. Never apply this blend to the skin without a carrier oil.
• If you haven't already educated yourself on the safe use of essential oils with children, then please read up on their safety first. I recommend these books: The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy and Aromatherapy for the Healthy Child

I should also note that this blend does wonders on both children, autism or not. So it is great for all kids.

HOW TO MAKE THE CALM & FOCUSED CHILD ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND

Here's what you'll need to make this essential oil blend:

• 1-2 drops of lavender
• 1-2 drops of mandarin orange
• 1 drop of frankincense
• 2 drops of texas cedarwood
• 1 drop of vetiver