 |
Planning Aromatherapy activities with your child:
autism and communication disorders
By Jane Ellwood
A multi-sensory approach to learning,
Smell memory, Conditioned relaxation,
Developing communication, Body awareness and physical development,
Social skills, The sense of touch,
Planning a sensory-massage
After the shock of diagnosis, many parents will go through the process of seeking a treatment or 'cure' for their child. Many will look at alternative and fringe therapies; many will experiment with complementary therapies such as aromatherapy, relexology or homeopathy. Most will go away disappointed after spending lots of money. Some of these interventions may work but not enough for them to be offered more widely as an established treatment. I would never advocate aromatherapy as a cure for autism, however, the use of essential oils, massage, and other sensory techniques can be valuable tools to enable our children to learn and communicate. This is not a new idea - speech and language therapist have long since realised the importance of stimulating all the senses in order to help a child with learning difficulties learn intentional communication.
To
use essential oils safely with the person you care for, you must first seek the
advice of a qualified Aromatherapist. They will offer a consultation and
help you to get started and can prepare you a blend of oils with guidance on their
proper use.
People with severe autism are often not yet at the stage of intention or reciprocal communication, and due to the isolating nature of their disorder, are not able to learn from environmental experiences in the same way that others do. As engagement in self-stimulating behaviour increases, opportunities to learn and develop decrease, so forming an increasing spiral of self-stimulation and dysfunctional learning. Because autistic people choose to restrict their interests and activities, they loose out on the 'normal' everyday learning experiences we get from interacting with the environment. Interaction with the environment and with other people is the way in which all children learn from birth onwards. They learn by touching, tasting, crying, smelling, manipulating and exploring to get an overall picture of the people they live with and the world they live in. Autistic people do not learn in the same way because they cannot process all the incoming sensory information efficiently or appropriately.
A multi-sensory approach to learning
Autism has often been described as a disorder of the senses (Hatch-Rasmussen 1995). Normal learning relies on the integration of information gathered by our senses, which gives us the 'greater' picture, each sense reinforcing and consolidating our learning experiences. Most of us have the ability to recall simultaneously visual, auditory and fragrant memories associated with one particular memory. Neural cross-connections in the brain enables us to do this without effort. The neural connections are often so strong that a smell can trigger a whole series of associated visual images. The following shows just how important a multi-sensory approach is for learning:
10% of what we
read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we
see
50% of what we see and hear
80% of what we
say
90% of what we say, do, and hear at the same time
Because the integration of the senses in people with autism is dysfunctional, the more stimulation the senses receive, the more likely the senses are to develop. Aromatherapy can play an important part in helping to develop the senses by stimulating the sense of smell, which can be then linked to feelings of relaxation and well-being.
How smell works
Fragrances are detected in smell receptors in our nose. Each smell receptor conveys the information via the olfactory nerve into the limbic system of the brain. The limbic system is also the part of the brain responsible for our 'sense' of emotion. Because the two 'senses' are processed in the same part of the brain, the more likely they are to be able to communicate or 'connect' with each other. This is a process called
smell-memory, where a special fragrance triggers an emotion previously associated with that particular smell.
Conditioned relaxation
The repeated association of a particular fragrance with feeling calm and relaxed during a sensory-massage session can 'teach' relaxation (Longhorn 1993). If the same fragrance is used during each session to promote relaxation, eventually, the fragrance can be used without the massage to promote relaxation during other times of anxiety. This method can also be used with music association or the use of 'cue' words - the same word or phrase repeated softly during relaxation sessions which can be then used at a later time to help calm a person down when distressed. All offer opportunities to focus the mind on something familiar during periods of anxiety or sensory overload.
Developing communication
Features of autism include communication difficulties, sensory overload, the inability to process information appropriately, reluctance to initiate interaction, excessive self stimulating behaviour, and often a resistance to touch and personal contact. Sensory-massage can help by offering quality one-to-one time in order to help build up a relationship; develop tolerance to touch; offer the exploration of different sensory experiences; and give appropriate opportunities to interact. For those severely affected by autism, aromatherapy can offer sensory experiences to link with the 'real' world, to engage and promote participation, to encourage non-verbal expression, eye contact and gestures, all of which are necessary pre-requisites to communication and acquiring language skills (Coupe et al. 1985).
Body awareness and physical development
Massage offers the first steps towards body awareness and the awareness of others. A hand massage can help a person become more aware of their hands for signing; a face massage to be more aware of muscles involved in speech and swallowing. Massage and other tactile stimulation can also increase motor awareness for those with cerebral palsy, co-ordination problems, or
dyspraxia.
Social skills
Social skills can be developed through learning to dress and undress; tie shoelaces; increased tolerance to touch - including hair, finger and toe-nail cutting. It can be a time to enjoy being with each other, turn-taking, tolerance, increasing
attention skills, making choices and developing trust. Also, by increasing a purposeful activity, self-engaging behaviour can be significantly reduced (McCray 1978).
The sense of touch
Touch is a way of connecting, exchanging information and building a relationship - this forms the basis of all communication. Communication has to be central to all our work with people with autism and those with learning disabilities.
Although only one of our five major senses, touch can be broken down further into different categories:
Sensations: Hot, cold, wet, pressure, stroking, rubbing, kneading.
Sprays - water, scented.
Textures: Fabrics, silky, furry, textured, smooth.
Objects: Massagers, bath tools - hand mitts, back rubs, bottles, shakers, brushes, balls - soft, hard, squeaky.
Creams: Oils, talc, lotions.
Use your imagination and always be on the lookout for new and interesting massage tools, materials and 'props' to use during the sessions.
Hot and cold packs can be made by filling toilet bags with dried cracked wheat available from any large supermarket. Take the cord out of the top and sew the tops up and heat in the microwave or put in the freezer to chill. The BodyShop usually stock a good selection of wooden hand-held massagers guaranteed to intrigue the most inquisitive autistic child, also recently Asda have been selling more reasonably priced ones in their seasonal gift selections
Planning a sensory-massage
Even with people intolerant to touch can benefit from carefully planned sensory-massage sessions. Initially there will be resistance, but as tolerance increases, so will the participation and enjoyment
(McInnes et al. 1982). If a person initially resists, stop the activity and go on to something else, returning to the activity later. Gradually resistance will turn into tolerance, then acceptance. As sessions progress, the sensory activities can develop along with trust and active participation and enjoyment. The idea is to offer an enjoyable activity to initiate a positive response such as offering a hand to be massaged; taking shoes off for a foot massage; bringing a bottle of oil or photo to instigate a session. It may be difficult at first but persevere - remember that autistic people are often hypersensitive and are easily overloaded by the confusion of excessive sensory stimulation.
 | Plan for a time when you will not be interrupted. Try and make it the same time each day to quickly establish a routine which will become familiar, and as a result, less threatening. |
| Remove any distractions from the room (people and objects, turn TV off etc.) and change the lighting - this helps to signify the start of a new activity. |
| Use a coloured night light to subdue some of the visual distractions. |
| Use the same music to accompany each session. Again this will help to signify the start of the activity and can also be used later as an aid to relaxation in different environments (try keeping a copy of the same tape/CD in your car, or to take on holidays). |
| You may wish to use the same phrase while you massage such as "Relax James" or "It's OK". Once established, you can use these phrases later on to help calm them during outbursts of anxiety. |
| Take things slowly and always work within their attention span to make the sessions positive, not ending in conflict. You cannot expect them to meet your demands straight away - you must go to them first, then slowly, as confidence and familiarity develops, bring them outwards. |
Getting their attention
Starting something new is always difficult with autistic people. Ideally you need them to be feeling as comfortable and safe as possible. This may mean allowing them to hold on to a favourite object until they are more familiar with the routine and feel less threatened. Start slowly, the first few sessions with just music and an essential oil in a burner or diffuser, allowing them to get used to the environment without any other demands. After a few sessions, start to gently stroke the back of their hands to get them used to physical contact. For the hyperactive person who can only sit still for short periods, get their attention by using their favourite video to enable you to sit beside them long enough to start a hand massage. Or, try the first session when they are in the bath - a captive audience.
Getting started
| Set up the room you will be using. |
| Start with something you know they will like - those who like water will find carrier oil on their hands or feet fascinating. |
| Allow them to wrap themselves up in a towel if they want, or let them take off their shoes. |
| Adapt their favourite objects and fascinations into the routine. |
| As the sessions develop, slowly incorporate new sensory experiences. |
| Stroke the back of their hands or feet with your hand or an object they like (you may need to purchase two, one for them to cling on to for security while you use the other). |
| Place some drops of carrier oil into their hand and watch what they do. |
| Rub the oil into their hands. |
| Watch their expressions and read their body language - are they enjoying it? - what do they like best? |
| Put some oil on your hand and offer it to them to rub in. |
| If still developing language skills, offer plenty of exaggerated non-verbal and gestural communication - get them to reach out and make choices. |
| Gently physically prompt or gesture for them to do the same to you to develop a reciprocal relationship - laugh and praise them when they do. |
| Use different experiences of warm and cold. Spray water onto their arms and watch what they do. |
| Use different textured materials to stroke over their arms and face, or allow them to explore textures and lotions with their hands. |
| Remember the experiences that they are interested in to use again to develop into further opportunities to interact. |
Conclusion
What better to stimulate the senses than to experience the powerful fragrances associated with essential oils, tactile stimulation through massage, auditory stimulation with accompanying music, and light stimulation through coloured but subtle lighting to promote relaxation and comfort. Aromatherapy can offer a multi-sensory experience and offer valuable insight in to how your child learns to process information form the environment. People with autism often do not actively seek out new experiences, as a result their learning opportunities become very restricted. Touching, feeling, creams and oils, hot and cold, sounds, and smells all help to offer the child new sensory experiences and the opportunity to explore the environment in a controlled and non-threatening way. Sessions with your child create opportunities to develop relationships, trust and communication, and also give you the opportunity to relax and enjoy time together.
Useful links
Family Friendly Fun with Special Needs - Mind, body and spirit-enriching resources to enhances the quality and enjoyment of family life with special needs
Therapeutic Recreation Directory Resources for Therapeutic Recreation Professionals