I just wanted to add, I didn’t crush the tablet as I was told not to do this. I placed a whole tablet sandwiched inside a pop tart. So it was hidden completely. 

I just wanted to add, I didn’t crush the tablet as I was told not to do this. I placed a whole tablet sandwiched inside a pop tart. So it was hidden completely. 

Did they tell you to put it in the food? Because if she’s unaware its in there and is chewing her food regularly, she is probably breaking the tablet while chewing, hence why she describes it as tasting so bad, and if she’s accidently chewing it, doesn't that defeat the purpose of hiding it whole in the first place?

I assume what the instruction was is to simply take it with a meal (after you’ve had a few bites, and some food is in the stomach)

instructions for taking medicine are very specific for a reason. Eating food first as a requirement typically correlates to the medicine being strong on (and negatively impacting) the stomach lining.

and some medicines shouldn't be crushed up because that affects the time it takes for the body to absorb it or if it even absorbs it properly at all. You can get some serious side affects from opening/crushing tablets that arent meant to be consumed that way

^ medications affect the body, thats how they work, so its important not to mess with that process as you dont know what will be altered. Thats part of the reason why i find it concerning that your daughter is unaware. That throws a lot of unknown variables into the equation. I used to have an eatting disorder. A lot of autistic girls do actually. As an example, what if your daughter starts throwing up her food, behind your back. Now she’s not taken her medicine at all, and neither she, nor you are aware of that fact. Thats an extreme variable as it was the easiest to demonstrate, but their are plenty of smaller ones as well that can have an affect. Or the fact that if she’s experiencing certain side effects, she might not think to come to you and tell you as shes unaware there is a medicine influencing her body to have those affects.

there is also the moral aspect. If your daughter doesn't have an severe intellectual disability that makes her truely *incapable* of understanding medicine, then she should definitely know what medicines are going into her body. If she’s anxious then thats an emotion she may want to confront herself in order to eventually feel comfortable taking a medicine that will help her sleep. Thats her own growth to go through. But it makes me very uncomfortable that you have decided for the sake of her anxiousness to go behind her back about what you will sneak into her diet. The medical ethics of that are......dark grey at best.

anxiousness is a very low bar to set for when you start lying to your daughter about important things...and the ease with which you state that decision isnt good. Its problematic in and of itself, but it also sets a bad precedent for future decisions.

Would you deceive and alter the bodily reactions of a neurotypical child, simply because you felt they would show some confusion or apprehension? Probably not, you'd take it as an opportunity to teach them and help them grow.

the bar for when people start violating the human rights of autistic individuals is a lot lower , than their neurotypical counterparts unfortunately 

i know you said to be gentle, and im trying to be, i hope my words read as serious, not abusive. Because im sure your intentions are good, but that doesn't change the impact these decisions could have nor can you simply ignore the depth of the ethical, debate, this inquiry brings into question. In the future however, i think you should ask yourself “how would i feel if this was done to me”. If i started experiencing changes in my body without knowing why, If i learned that my medical autonomy was being taken away from me....and then make decisions based on that.

That sounds like a lot! and I bet you lost sleep. But I had thought less is more with this - 1mg is typically more effective than 3 according to research. Hopefully you have a doctor monitoring the use since it effects their hormones? As a parent, I probably wouldn't have my kid take anything at the weekend or holidays either. But also possibly alternate with other herbal remedies. Micro-dosing CBD can be useful once a week, but everything has a side effect. CBD can affect the immune system just as melatonin affects hormone balance (heart regulation, thyroid, etc.).