Has anyone heard about this or done any research on it? It's pretty scary, but I don't even know if it's true.

Thanks,
Andrea

That said, I think Jayme makes a good point: if your doctor offers vaccinations that are mercury-free (some of them contain the preservative thimerosal, a mercury derivative), it seems reasonable that you might want to request them - even if autism isn't linked to them. Why introduce additional mercury into your child's body?

Anyway, there's a LOT of info on the web about this - type "autism vaccination" into a search engine and you'll get lots of hits. (Be cautious of the sources, though - this is a heated issue that sometimes generates strong but irrational or unfounded arguments.)

Another example where it's relatively easy to see developmental brain and functional differences is pre and post puberty.

Babies grow into noticing 'others' over time. They grow into being 'interactive' over time. By the time they are about 2 they've usually learned the word and concept 'mine' and how to express their anger and they still will sometimes have overemotional meltdowns and tantrums. Between the ages of 2 and 3 and getting older it's easier to see if developmental lags are undeniable. At any time during all the early developmental stages, different vaccinations might be given or might be standard. It is a normal human sort of tendency, when there appears to be a huge shift in 'normal' or the behavior of an infant that there must be a cause. Vaccines are blamed probably because that seems, to the concerned parent like it was the only difference their baby had between 'before' and 'after.' In that context it makes sense.

In the context of brain function and development, it makes less sense. This introduces other variables including genetic underpinnings, and any kind of unrecognized ongoing process which might be causing symptoms. Rett syndrome is a known genetic condition which causes the symptom of apparent and diagnosable Austism. Fragile X syndrome is also a known genetic condition which causes the symptom of apparent and diagnosable Autism. William's syndrome is also a known genetic condition which can cause the symptom of apparent and diagnosable Autism. That's just off the top, there are probably many more. Most of these are not routinely tested for and maybe won't be tested for until there is a lawsuit blaming a vaccine, or until there are symptoms and a parent requests or orders such gene testing.

It's probably extremely difficult to realize a very young child, one's own baby in fact has autism. It can be very overwhelming, completely so perhaps and people will do what they need to do to cope. It's not really surprising that lawyers would build a case and sue. It is something they can _do_ and something they can have some modicum of control over. People cannot (yet?, should people even be able to?) control development or alter genes at will.

Given that lead exists in so many different dusts and soils and product, it may be difficult to prove that as a cause. It may also be difficult to prove that the symptoms of autism result mainly/only from any such lead.

These two site address have readable vaccine info and have good links.
http://www.immunizationinfo.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2
http://www.ama-assn.org/med-sci/immunize/vacautism.htm

These next addresses are about autism. The first two are to an advocacy site. They offer a view of autism as primarily a disorder of movement, and explain that view in good readable detail. The third is to a page of 'symptoms' for early recognition, and there are links to the left about what is required for a reasonable 'diagnosis.'
http://www.autcom.org/
http://www.autcom.org/relationship.html
http://www.neurologychannel.com/autism/symptoms.shtml

This last site address has information about lead poisoning. It has links to preventions and common, and not so common but likely sources of lead exposures.
http://www.leadpoisoninginfocenter.com/

it's a somewhat 'hopeful' position people can have that symptoms of a pervasive disorder of development is caused by some namable problem which seemingly can be 'cured' by some antidote; hopefully they have already gotten all the picky requirements met for a clinical diagnosis and ruled out the more likely causes conclusively

P.S. The main problem of diagnosing autism is that it requires noticing extreme subtlties usually, in movements and interactions and the way an infant interacts (or not). Some infants are contented and quiet and just that way temperamentally, and are just normal. Some don't always like being touched or held the way the adults around them want to touch or hold them, and are just normal. It's very complicated getting to an accurate, early diagnosis because for most of the traits, to an untrained eye it really seems to be the case that the symptoms can be normal.

Here's the thing: there's a difference between correlation and causation. Correlation means that two things happen in a similar time frame (so x comes before y). BUT simple correlation does not prove causation (x causes y).

So, yes, there is a correlation between vaccinations (x) and autism (y), but, as was pointed out above, it is confounded by age. The symptoms of autism are generally first noticed about 18mo, which is generally within the same time frame as the MMR vaccination. The vaccination is likely incidental; if a child is going to develop autism s/he will do it whether or not the vaccine is administrated.

Most kids at 18mo are still bonking their heads, starting to speak, learning colors, etc. Based on the logic applied in the British study that caused the MMR uproar you could make the argument that any one of those things causes autism.

There is no evidence that vaccinations cause autism. However, there can adverse reactions to vaccinations. We did have DS vaccinated with the MMR; however, we didn't do prevnar (or varciella) because it we determined that it was largely unncessary (risks to benefits) and because the incidence of side effects, ranging from fever/illness to more severe conditions, is larger than in other vaccines. We also talked it over with our doctor, which is what you should do if you have questions about vaccines.

most ped. our pro-vaccine and it is rare that you find one that will tell you in advance about them.

good luck to you and if you have any other questions please feel free to e-mail me.

jayme:)

http://www.avn.org.au./
http://whale.to/ (click on the vaccination page at the top left hand corner)
http://www.909shot.com/

Hope that helps!

My research into the ill, but little publicized, effects of certain drugs began when my husband had an unexpected, but very scary, experience with Ambien. I am like a dog with a bone when I research a subject and later, when I researched the family of antibiotics called Fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin) which are often given to children with ear infections, I became alarmed at the harmful effects that medications could have not only on adults, but children as well.

With the impending birth of our first grandchild, I became interested in the concerns of parents to protect their infants from the harmful effects of chemicals. It is at this point I learned about thimerosal in vaccines.

I can only say that, when I was raising my daughter in the 70's, autism was practically unheard of. Now it isn't. There must be a reason.

With the upcoming flu season, and the fact that flu vaccines will contain thimerosal, I would like to share the following links with you in hopes that you can come to your own conclusion about this issue.

http://www.pandemicfluonline.com/?p=510
http://www.jpands.org/vol8no1/geier.pdf
http://www.informedchoice.info/cocktail.html
http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/

I found the first and last links above to be especially troubling.

I can only hope that the concerns of parents and grandparents will be heard and both our government and large drug companies will once again make the health and well-being of our children, rather than monetary gain, a priority.

I cannot emphasize enough, when either you or your child is prescribed a new medicine, the importance of first researching it on the web. Go beyond the drug company sites and Google "side effects of drug" and also search for forums in which actual patients report their experiences with taking a particular drug. Yes, there will be a few nuts out there, but you will gain a general consensus which will greatly aid you in your decision about whether to use a particular medication.

Please forgive this lengthy response, but it is my deep concern for our children that prompts me to bump this subject up a notch.