This Speech Was What Added Pediatric Autism To The Freaking “Medical Marijuana” Program. In 2018.

Audio retrieved from https://www.iowamedicalmarijuana.org/Iowa/MCAB_2018_11_02_1

This speech was given on November 2nd, 2018 at the final Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Advisory Board hearing in Ankeny Iowa at DMACC’s Ankeny campus.

Alright first up is Lindsey Gaunt? Miss Gaunt we’re going to try to put the microphone over here for the people, you’re kind of soft spoken so if you could speak up that’d be great.

(Baby cries)

Lindsey Gaunt:  Alright. If you’ve met one child with autism you have met one child with autism. (Baby cries) It’s very (unintelligible). For what they now share (unintelligible; baby cries).

Audience member: I can’t hear anything.

Lindsey Gaunt: There are states that recognize autism.

Captain Mike: Miss Gaunt? I think, um, if you wanna come up by the microphone, we can hardly hear you.

Lindsey Gaunt: Ok. (Baby keeps crying)…Autism from states across the US recognize autism as a debilitating condition. The states are Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Oregon, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Oklahoma Massachusetts and Washington D.C. Aubrey was diagnosed with autism at two and a half. Since then we have done AEA and the home speech therapy and OT therapy as well as OT and speech therapy at the hospital. She’s had two and a half years of preschool both public and private, and special ed. She’s been additionally homeschooled since she was two.

Regular appointments with her specialty doctor, SCL and respite services, we have installed security systems with alarms and recording cameras for outside and inside our home for her safety. We have locks, covered drawers, and fridges all locked, doors all lock with multiple locks, dressers, wardrobes, anything that could be tipped has been secured.

The only foods Aubrey will eat or drink are chicken nuggets, pancakes, hot dogs, Go-Gurt from a tube, fruit snacks, Hawaiian Punch, and sun juice boxes. They have to be certain brands, and they have to be microwaved. Aubrey’s communication, she received a device from the company Talk To Me Technologies that’s helping her communicate. And she’s also learning sign language at home and doing speech therapy at the hospital. Aubrey’s other disorders that go along with her non-verbal autism are sensory processing disorder, mixed receptive language disorder, an intellectual learning disability, behavior disorder, PIKA, ADHD, and severe anxiety.

Over the course of two years we have tried several medications, Lavanz, Folklon, Quatru, Clonidine and Risperidone. Some of the side effects we’ve had have been nose bleeds, severe physical aggressive behavior, drowsiness, insomnia, refusal of food and drink for up to three days. Physically making herself throw up after given medication, and excessive weight gain, 20 pounds in one year.

Back in February — Aubrey had attended public and private school since she was about two. In February, her regular (unintelligible) was absent from school that day and I had sent her and they had put her with a substitute. Aubrey was on medication then and was up at two in the morning and, all day, um. So, she would attempt to fall asleep. She fell asleep outside at recess and they were too afraid to awake her. Some of Aubrey’s behaviors include stripping furniture of cushions, pillows and wall décor and pictures. She strips all the beds in the house of bedding and pillows, sometimes going to the extreme of flipping the box spring mattress off of the frame. She headbutts, bangs head into floors or tables, hits punches, smacks kicks and bites herself and others. Resists throws up, including herself at people, or other objects. Destroys objects and other people’s property. Attempts to run away while in public or outside including while in public school. Screams, holds breath, makes herself gag, sometimes putting all four fingers down her throat to make herself throw up if a meltdown is too severe. She has peeled apart the seam of her boxspring and tore apart the insides. Just as if you –

Cory and I were both born and raised in Iowa. We both have a very strong support system within our family and our community and within our village that we have built for our family. The last thing that we want to do is have to uproot her life and move her somewhere else which is why I’m here in front of you today. It’s heartbreaking to have to hold your daughter down three four, or five times a day in the middle of the room. And I hate to give her medicine, which consists of, because we have literally tried everything else, we have to crush up the medicine, mix it with a little bit of water or juice, put it on a syringe, and then we have to straddle her chest, put our knees on the sides of her head, and put it all the way back on the side of her cheek while someone else plugs her nose. That way she takes her medicine. And it’s heartbreaking because she can’t form words and I know if she could she would be screaming no. She has tried to give us her little sister when we tell her it’s medicine time because she doesn’t want to take her medicine.

Captain Mike: (Softly) About thirty seconds.

Lindsey Gaunt: I wouldn’t trade Aubrey for the world no matter how hard our lives are but I would change the world for Aubrey. Autism is a debilitating condition for many and we can’t change that. But we can put the ability and disability by helping those who suffer from autism and ADHD with your help.

I have a short one minute video –

Captain Mike: Miss Gaunt? Your time is up, I have to call the next speaker ok? We may recall you though, we have talked about this specific petition if there are any questions from the board.

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List of current board members retrieved 12-29-2018 at 8:06 PM from https://openup.iowa.gov/board/222/

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