Medicinal cannabis in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review
Title
Medicinal cannabis in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review
Creator
Fletcher S; Pawliuk C; Ip A; Huh L; Rassekh SR; Oberlander TF; Siden H
Identifier
Publisher
Child
Date
2021
Subject
adolescent; cannabis; children; anxiety; autism spectrum disorder; behaviour; communication; hyperactivity
Description
Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition estimated to affect 1 in 66 children in Canada and 1 in 270 individuals worldwide. As effective therapies for the management of ASD core and associated symptoms are limited, parents are increasingly turning to clinicians for advice regarding the use of medicinal cannabis to manage behavioural disturbances. Objective The objective of this scoping review was to identify and map symptoms, outcomes and adverse events related to medicinal cannabis treatment for ASD-related behaviours. Methods Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Web of Science Core Collection, Google Scholar and grey literature sources were searched up to 5 January 2020 for studies. Included studies met the following criteria: (1) investigate the use of medicinal cannabis, (2) at least 50% participants had ASD, (3) at least 50% of the study population was 0–18 years old and (4) any study design (published or unpublished). Results We identified eight completed and five ongoing studies meeting the inclusion criteria. All studies reported substantial behaviour and symptom improvement on medicinal cannabis, with 61% to 93% of subjects showing benefit. In the three studies reporting on concomitant psychotropic medication usage and with cannabis use, up to 80% of participants observed a reduction in concurrent medication use. Adverse events related to cannabis use were reported in up to 27% of participants related, and two participants had psychotic events. Conclusions Early reports regarding medicinal cannabis in paediatric ASD symptom management are presented as positive; the evidence, however, is limited to very few retrospective cohort and observational studies. Evidence of safety and efficacy from prospective clinical trials is needed.
Rights
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Citation List Month
October 2021 List
URL Address
Collection
Citation
Fletcher S; Pawliuk C; Ip A; Huh L; Rassekh SR; Oberlander TF; Siden H, “Medicinal cannabis in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed February 18, 2025, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/17679.