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E.O. - ADHD Children

 
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PostPosted: Dec Sat 16, 2006 11:16 am    Post subject: E.O. - ADHD Children Reply with quote

E.O. - ADHD Children

I need some help in recommending an essential oil for my mom to use in an ADHD public school classroom. Last year during school the kids were allowed to drink coffee (my mom was against this practice) in the hopes that it would calm them down and help keep the kids focused and behaved. She is wanting to use something in a spritzer. I thought about recommending Lavender or Focus Attention but don't know if they would be the best ones to use in this type of classroom. Thanks. -Dawn Pfaff
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I would think you'd have to have permission to do this. I know the schools here would never allow that but be sure you check first before you spray anything!!!! Word WILL get out and I'd hate to see your Mom in trouble. -Annie
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Lavender is wonderful for hyperactivity, Ylang Ylang another. I try to stay away from Chamomile because it's in the rag weed family and so many children have allergies today. -Gale Gravois
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As a retired teacher (for over 33 years) of LD, ADD and ADHD children, I have to caution you about using essential oils, even as a spritzer, in the classroom. Many children with ADD and ADHD, as well as many other children in the vicinity, may be sensitive to or even highly allergic to any number of the oils. Just because they are natural doesn't mean they are safe for everyone. ADD and ADHD children very often have sensitivities that are manifested in behavior. Their condition, by its very nature, reduces their self-control. A food or environmental sensitivity, even a mild one, can cause behaviors to spiral out of control. What seems like the child having a bad day, could actually be the teacher's fault! For this reason it is also necessary for teachers and adults in Special Education to be very careful about wearing any perfumes or scents. The bottom line is--no essential oils in the classroom, under any circumstances. -Dorothy Turner
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Lavender is not a good choice in fact it will send the ADHD in the other direction oppose to relaxation.

You could try Peppermint or Lemon they have a uplifting effect it may go in the oppose direction to relax with the over stimulate kids. Also Clary Sage but kids don't like that smell I am sure, so I would reframe. Focus Attention has Lavender, but it has other oils so their maybe a neutral effect on the Lavender making okay for hyper children.

I have adult ADD and hyperactivity. However, if I use Lavender I am bouncing off the walls.

Pure essential oils are not perfume. Perfume is synthetic and would have negative effects. I am not sure I really agree with one poster about EO's and children with HD. They are therapeutic. However, I do know that my cats are hypersensitive to them, but they are animals. However, I know Larissa Jones has used them with children with success as well as many other. -Darcy
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In an educational setting where you are dealing with other people's children, you do not use alternate forms of therapy, even essential oils, without the express written permission of each parent. I love and use a wide variety of essential oils personally and in my practice with my clients. I would never have done so while in the classroom, for my previously stated reasons, and also because of the legal and ethical ramifications of dealing with children who are placed in your care for education, not for alternative modes of therapy that are not recognized or approved by the Board of Education. -Dorothy Turner
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Dorothy, you are giving the most sound advice I've heard regarding this post. What we do at home is one thing, but heaven help us if we use things in a classroom or office or anywhere else, especially if people were unaware we had an intention of using them. We don't have medical degrees and anything that isn't medical is NOT ALLOWED in schools. -Annie
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I would just like to clarify that I have discussed this reasoning with my mom (because of the legal ramifications) and she wants to use the spritzer ONLY on herself (kind of like a perfume) with the hopes that the scent might drift a little from her body to be of some benefit to the kids but not fill the whole room. I don't know of any school regulation that bands perfume. -Dawn Pfaff
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In my many years traveling the province of Ontario giving workshops and teaching teachers, I have heard horror stories about good teachers with great intentions get into "hot water" with both parents and school authorities for overstepping their roles.

Now that's an inventive suggestion/solution with which I can find no fault. Just watch carefully (like an experiment) to see if there is any resulting pattern to behaviors that might be linked back to the new "scent". Remember, the behavior might only exhibit itself once the child gets home, since home is often less-stressful and children often will "let it all out" in that environment. Therefore, comments from parents must also be noted, if they occur. Also, the new perfume must be very mild. Any child who comments about an "awful" smell may actually be reacting to it negatively, and its use should be discontinued.

As a consultant, I was often in my office and not working directly with children. On these days I would use a blend of oils to create a tranquil setting in which I could focus, get reports written, and ward off the "sapping" energy of a few negative colleagues. I soon realized that total peace was unattainable, since, in fact, a few sensitive individuals discovered the "atmosphere" in my room and ended up gravitating to it, bringing their own work with them...

However, having said what I said, I still have a problem with the whole idea of introducing oils into the classroom, in any way, in order to try to modify a child's behavior, without parental permission. I worked in a special school where ALL the children were LD, ADD and /or ADHD, and NO ONE was allowed to wear perfume or scented hair spray, etc at school. I have also visited a number of schools that were "scent free", and signs were posted on the entry doors asking anyone wearing any kind of scent, not to enter. We need to keep in mind, as well, the previous comments by others that what works for one child (or adult) may have the opposite effect on another, as still a truism that cannot be ignored. Best err on the side of caution... -Dorothy Turner
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