Vaccinations and autism/ Developmental disabilities

[whomper]

We have given my kids all of the usual vaccinations that they get each year and my little one is due for the last rd of Measles , Mumps ,rubella when she turns 5. We have heard that that last round is sometimes focused on as the round that causes issues. I know there is a debate as to the link. I was just curious as to your thoughts on vaccinations for your kids. My oldest daughter is 7 and she has had them all. I plan on letting my little one get that last round. The schools now dont see the last rd as mandatory now and will accept a letter from the kids doctor. What are you thoughts on this in general not just in regards to that last round ?

[KevinL]

I don't know that much about it, but I did read Jenny McCarthy's book and she's pretty convinced that there is a link between vaccinations & autism.

[The Irish Doggy]

A recent article from Scientific American Magazine

 

Its actually a pretty popular subject in the science mags. Personally, I wouldn't be concerned about it, but I don't have a kid about to get a shot either.

[Savage Beatings]

Two of my closest friends have each had boys with Autism.

 

We did some research for my son and then gave our Pediatrician a different schedule for receiving all of the same vaccinations. They key is to ask them to split them up instead of giving them all together in one shot. You don't have to decline the vaccinations, just ask them politely to do them one at a time over a period of a few months or so. They will do it, even if reluctantly. Don't take any chances with your children.

[isleseeya]

one of my best friends has a son that has autism ..he is very much involved in Charities as well as investigating about the link between vaccinations and autism

 

He is very sure that their was a link between the two and not a big fan of vaccinations

 

not sure i am either at this pt

[Yukon Cornelius]

not true

[Azazello1313]

A recent article from Scientific American Magazine

 

Its actually a pretty popular subject in the science mags. Personally, I wouldn't be concerned about it, but I don't have a kid about to get a shot either.

 

quote from that article:

Yet recently published research has not been kind to this much ballyhooed link. The results of several large American, European and Japanese studies demonstrate that although the rate of MMR vaccinations has remained constant or declined, the rate of autism diagnoses has soared. In addition, after the Danish government stopped administering thimerosal-bearing vaccines, the rates of autism continued to rise. These studies and others summarized by the Institute of Medicine suggest there is little evidence that vaccines cause autism. It is possible that vaccines trigger autism in a small subset of children, but if so that subset has yet to be identified.

sounds to me like the supposed link is a falsifiable hypothesis which has been falsified.

 

it may not be a bad thing to do as savage described, with the different schedule or whatever. but those parents who don't vaccinate at all kind of piss me off. they say well nobody gets those diseases anymore, my kid doesn't need to be vaccinated. well, those diseases aren't around because a very high percentage of people are vaccinated against them. if that percentage falls below a certain threshold, the diseases could easily start to spread again. some might say, well if you're worried about that you can vaccinate your kid. problem is, the vaccines don't work in everyone. a certain percentage of vaccinated individuals (i want to say 10-20%) are still susceptible to a particular diseases. so when you fail to have your kid vaccinated, you are putting them AND everyone else's kids at risk. which, combined with the lack of evidence behind the claims of autism risk, is why the vast majority of doctors adamantly recommend a full vaccination schedule.

 

this article was an interesting read

[Savage Beatings]

Also make sure that you specifically request vaccinations that contain absolutely no heavy metals. They say that the vaccinations that are produced these days no longer contain heavy metals, but what they don't tell you is that many of the vaccinations that had previously been produced with heavy metals are still on the shelves and still being used. Some have been filtered to try to get rid of most of the heavy metals, but it is admitted that the filtered vaccinations still will contain trace amounts.

[Savage Beatings]

The one vaccination that we completely decline was for Hepatitis. We were actually kind of surprised that this was even offered for children (it wasn't when I was a kid). We basically told them that if we decide to take a trip to Africa, or to send our son to Nursing school, that then we would give him the Hepatits vaccination.

[Double Agent]

This is a very scary topic. My best friend's daughter is autistic. He also believes that the vaccination can trigger Autism. He remembers his daughter going downhill specifically after receiving a vaccination. I think spreading the shots out is a very good idea and also never inoculate when the children are sick.

[fingfootball]

My wife and I agonized over the decision on vaccinations. We decided to go ahead with them. The proof that they cause autism is not there, but the evidence of the benefits of vaccines is immeasurable. Polio, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza these where all big time killers in there day.

[The Irish Doggy]

This is a very scary topic. My best friend's daughter is autistic. He also believes that the vaccination can trigger Autism. He remembers his daughter going downhill specifically after receiving a vaccination. I think spreading the shots out is a very good idea and also never inoculate when the children are sick.

 

from Az's article:

 

 

LAST YEAR, MIT PROFESSOR Josh Tenenbaum told Psychology Today: "Coincidences drive so many of the inferences our minds make. Our neural circuitry is set up to notice these anomalies and use them to drive new learning. There is an old saying that neurons that fire together wire together. So you could say that coincidence operates at the level of the synapse, whenever neurons fire at the same time."

 

This "neural circuitry" explains why some parents believe the rise in autism over the past years has been linked to the higher number of childhood vaccines. (The same circuitry could also relate the increasing use of cellphones, popularity of reality television, or consumption of fast food to autism.) Consider that almost 90 percent of children receive vaccines at 15 months of age, the same time that many cases of autism are diagnosed. Inevitably, many autistic children will be diagnosed immediately after receiving vaccines - and, like the Hansens, parents will suspect a causal connection.

 

This is a very real part of our human existence. Combine it with our society's litigation-happy insistence on someone or something to blame. I remain skeptical.

[Savage Beatings]

My wife and I agonized over the decision on vaccinations. We decided to go ahead with them. The proof that they cause autism is not there, but the evidence of the benefits of vaccines is immeasurable. Polio, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza these where all big time killers in there day.

 

I would never suggest that someone not get vaccinations for their children. That would be insane, and negligent enough to possibly warrant intervention. Yes, get them done... but do so in a smart and cautious way.

[Egret]

There's a great debate going on with it now in the scientific community. Many behaviors associated with autism surface at the same time as vaccinations. It could be a coincidence. I might not be.

 

I have a twelve-year-old brother in law. I also have a three-year-old son. My wife and I talked about it, but the benefits outweighed the risks to have the vaccinations. I could go into more detail, but don't have the time right now. If you want more info PM me. I have it by the bucket.

[Czarina]

This debate was really starting to rage about 10 years ago when my oldest had had some but not all of his shots yet. And did I mention that I felt like he'd said a word or two around 12 months old and then NOTHING. Soon after his first MMR. I could tell he understood me, because he'd respond to things we said, but not a word did he say. He was 20 months old when he finally said "on" for me to turn the Christmas tree lights on. We marked down a list on the fridge of every word as it trickled out. By 26 months we were getting short sentences, but nobody could understand him because he couldn't say most of the consonant sounds. It was SO frightening given all the talk about the mercury and stuff. He's 13 now and I wish he'd shut up most of the time.

 

On the other hand, when my second child came along, I put off that MMR until he was a little older. And I shuddered when he got it.

 

I don't know what to make of it all, but I can't imagine that stretching the whole schedule out a bit is going to hurt anything. So many shots in such a short span of time. Blech.

[Chargerz]

The proof that they cause autism is not there, but the evidence of the benefits of vaccines is immeasurable. Polio, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza these where all big time killers in there day.

Good info here.

[muck]

In my opinion and in my research:

 

1) Spreading them out inconveniences the doctor. Other than that, there is NO downside.

2) Get vaccines that are in single doses, not multi-serving-sized jars. Preservatives in vaccines are bad.

3) Implied causality between vaccines and autism is high and may not be warranted.

4) If everyone elses kids are immunized and yours are not, your kid is effectively immunized because the population around is immunized, and therefore the propsect of catching something really bad is nearly the same as if they had been immunized.

4) Parent your kids as you see fit. You'll have to answer for your actions, attitudes and decisions later.

[Yukon Cornelius]

Scientology is for kooks ... u people do know that right??

[Czarina]

It's psych drugs the Scientologists don't like...do they have a problem with vaccination too?

 

Anyhow, pulled from today's news:

Link

 

Story Highlights

Government: Vaccines worsened a disorder that led to a girl's autism-like symptoms

 

Attorney: The government "has not conceded that vaccines cause autism"

 

Parents and advocates for autistic children see the case as a victory

 

Studies repeatedly have discounted any link between thimerosal and autism

[Yukon Cornelius]

It's psych drugs the Scientologists don't like...do they have a problem with vaccination too?

 

Anyhow, pulled from today's news:

Link

 

Story Highlights

Government: Vaccines worsened a disorder that led to a girl's autism-like symptoms

 

Attorney: The government "has not conceded that vaccines cause autism"

 

Parents and advocates for autistic children see the case as a victory

 

Studies repeatedly have discounted any link between thimerosal and autism

yup and in MN a colony of Hittites had an out brake of polio ... they dont get there kids immunized

[zmanzzzz]

I did read Jenny McCarthy's book

 

did you read it for the pictures?

[Egret]

did you read it for the pictures?

You have no idea what you're talking about. Her book is wonderful for parents of children with autism.

[The Irish Doggy]

Studies repeatedly have discounted any link between thimerosal and autism, but legal challenges continue. The issue even cropped up in the presidential campaign, with Republican John McCain asserting on Friday that "there's strong evidence" autism is connected to the preservative.

 

:assfinger:

[Sturphy]

I think spreading the shots out is a very good idea and also never inoculate when the children are sick.

This is our strategy. I have a 2 1/2 yr old and 4 month old. We've spread them out quite a bit and started much later than normal. They pack a lot into those shots and give them way too young, IMHO. It's all pretty scary, but the bottom line is that many of the inoculations are really only necessary if you're traveling with the child to a part of the world where it's a problem. Not, living on the north side of Los Angeles, like us.

 

What always concerns me, is that drug companies are selling vaccines and the like to doctors. Doctors are sold on them. I'm not saying doctors are bad, but they're human. I'm just not buying that my kids need chicken pox vaccines, you know what I mean?

 

The last thing I read about Autism and a link to any one thing was a study that found that people that lived near farms with a specific pesticide showed a much higher rate of Autism. I don't recall the name, but the study also said that pesticide was already on its way out of use in the US. It would be interesting to see if the Autism rate slows or lowers based on that. Just something I read somewhere.

 

It is all scary stuff for sure.

Edited March 6, 2008 by Sturphy

[Yukon Cornelius]

This is our strategy. I have a 2 1/2 yr old and 4 month old. We've spread them out quite a bit and started much later than normal. They pack a lot into those shots and give them way too young, IMHO. It's all pretty scary, but the bottom line is that many of the inoculations are really only necessary if you're traveling with the child to a part of the world where it's a problem. Not, living on the north side of Los Angeles, like us.

 

What always concerns me, is that drug companies are selling vaccines and the like to doctors. Doctors are sold on them. I'm not saying doctors are bad, but they're human. I'm just not buying that my kids need chicken pox vaccines, you know what I mean?

 

The last thing I read about Autism and a link to any one thing was a study that found that people that lived near farms with a specific pesticide showed a much higher rate of Autism. I don't recall the name, but the study also said that pesticide was already on its way out of use in the US. It would be interesting to see if the Autism rate slows or lowers based on that. Just something I read somewhere.

 

It is all scary stuff for sure.

Atrazine