A Guide to Various Medical Problems

Posted on: 25 October 2017

Parenting an autistic child has many challenges, and one of the more difficult ones is when your child becomes ill. It's sometimes hard for a child with autism to understand what's happening when they feel unwell, and a big part of that is the changes that are necessary for them to get better.

Medicine is particularly challenging for parents of autistic children, and getting them to take medication that will help them isn't always easy. A useful solution is to find a pharmacist who can perform compounding services, which can make the whole experience easier for your child. Here are the ways compounding can be beneficial.

Changing the form

One of the major issues parents of autistic children face when they need to give their child medicine is the child's reluctance to consume something unpleasant or unfamiliar. Autistic children can be particularly sensitive to textures, which often makes swallowing pills quite traumatic for them.

A compounding pharmacist can transform pills into a liquid medicine, which is much easier to swallow. If that doesn't work, they can even turn some medicines into fizzy drinks or lollipops, which are far more recognisable forms for children.

Talk to a pharmacist about your child's particular needs and preferences, and they'll be able to suggest something suitable that will help.

Changing the flavour

Autistic children can be very particular about the tastes they like and dislike, largely because things can taste stronger to them. Medicines aren't always known for their pleasant taste, but compounding pharmacists have a range of flavours at their disposal that they can use to make new medicines with.

The selection is quite vast, including sweet flavours like chocolate and vanilla, a large range of different fruits, and even some savoury options. If you discuss your child's likes and dislikes with a pharmacist, you should have little trouble coming up with something far more palatable that will help the child accept their medicine.

Removing allergens

Research shows a link between autism and food intolerances, even suggesting exposure to certain foods can exacerbate autistic traits. On top of this, consuming allergens can add to the stress of suffering an illness, so it's extremely important to ensure your child doesn't come into contact with things that can cause a stomach upset or other problems.

Since some medicines contain allergens, it can be difficult to work around what your child is able to consume, but a compounding pharmacist can help. They can reformulate medicine to be free of substances your child isn't able to have so their medicine can be made safe.