Un-scent-sored: essential oils for ADHD?

When I first entered the kindergarten room today, all was as normal. I left to do my “car-opening” duty (charter school) and when I returned there was a very distinct – not so pleasant – odor in the room. Remembering a recent classroom where a teacher had left some kind of incense burner hooked up – which I unplugged because it was making me nauseous – I asked the parapro if she knew the source of the scent. She did not.

During the next hour I noticed that it was stronger at times, and concluded that it must be related to a particular student. Sure enough, after awhile I was working with N. on his reading, and I asked him if he was wearing cologne. “No,” he replied. “It’s oil.”

“What kind of oil?” I asked.

“Frankincense,” he replied. “It keeps me from going crazy.” He added that sometimes his mom uses another kind of oil, but I wasn’t able to decipher the name of it.

N. is a very “antsy” boy – sweet, but not happy about staying still or quiet – a lot of which is required in this particular Kindergarten class. Essential oils to the rescue? I can’t say that I noticed any difference between Friday’s behavior and today’s that couldn’t be chalked up to our removal of his friend K. from the classroom due to continual hitting of other students on Friday.  Maybe it helps? I do wonder if they could lessen the amount though. When an entire classroom smells of frankincense – well, it’s just not very pleasant. I’d hate to be the kid who sits next to him.