MMR and autism link? Is the sceintific research wrong?

Question

I've been following the headlines about people going to court of vaccine damage from MMR, and I don't completely follow the situation: supposedly scientists have found no link between autism and the MMR vaccine, and yet there are currently 5,000 some people bringing accounts of their children damaged from this vaccine to court. So what exactly is going on? Were all of the scientific studies flawed?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-06-11-court-autism_N.htm?csp=34

Answer 1

Thank you Rob, it indeed is a great question!
Before I begin, I'd like to ask you if you have heard of the term "refrigerator mother"? [please see my ref. at the bottom]
The term refrigerator mother was coined in the 1940s as a label for mothers of autistic children. These mothers were often blamed [by researchers and theorists] for their children's atypical behaviours. Thank goodness, researches on autism have advanced since then.

I am a mother of a 5-year-old child with autism. I am also a professional ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) therapist.
I have contacts with many parents of children who are on the autistic spectrum.

Hmmm...not sure what is the best way to communicate my thoughts to you. Please allow me to make an *emphasis* on a point that a mother's gut feeling/ intuition about her child is one of the most powerful diagnostic tools in the universe. We know our newborn babies more than we know our own selves. It is a blessing from God/ mother nature [whatever you may call it] in order to protect the planet's future progeny. I hope I don't sound too emotional.

As for my own child, I believe she was born with autism. B-U-T, I know of parents - first hand -- whose children were *perfectly* neurotypical [meaning "normal"] until the day before getting the vaccination and *suddenly* regressed [lost all the skills already acquired] significantly within a very short period of receiving the vaccination. Please note, these children usually have severe allergic reactions to food, medication, several environmental elements etc. There do exist alternative ways to alter this tragedy. For an instance, it is *not* a vaccination which is directly linked to autism. Some vaccines are cultured in egg protein, some contain "thimesoral" [that is 50% mercury by weight], and it is *possible* to prepare vaccines without these components. Newborn babies are not generally tested for allergies to egg etc. and those vaccines may very well damage their yet developing and vulnerable brain tissues [biological fact].

To cut a long story short, think about this. Just less than 10 years ago, autism was found in 1 in 2000 children. Last year, the ratio was 1 in 166 children. This year it is 1 in 150 children. Like it or not, autism is on epidemic rise. Why? Only improvement in diagnosis techniques cannot reasonably account for this strange sky-rocketing phenomenon.

Think about this. Diagnoses of autism within two years of introducing of this special type of MMR vaccination increased to a high of 27.3 cases per 100,000 children compared with just 1.45 cases per 100,000 in non-vaccinated children. The children who had had that special type of MMR vaccination were 45% more likely to have developed autism than the children who had not had the MMR vaccination. None of the above won any mainstream media attention.

Last but far from least, today's science is not an absolute/ final word about anything. The official symbol of autism is "an unfinished puzzle" -- denoting that the causes of this condition is not yet fully known. Scientific findings are changing all the time. Do you know that about half of Sir Isaac Newton's theories have now been proven wrong? Science has just discovered what "the mother nature" knew ages ago -- that breast milk is the best milk for the newborn babies, just to cite an example. This fact was *not* known even in 1970s. So, a mother's intuition about her child should *never* be underestimated. I feel dismayed to notice how people like to label a parent as someone lacking in common sense, a hatemonger ready to blame things on the doctors, vaccinations etc. It is not quite the case.

Hope this helps a little. Your feedback to my answer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for listening to me.

Answer 2

I just wanted to let you know of another option-- you CAN get the MMR components each separately. Some think this helps, because it's less taxing on the immune system if you spread it out. So you could get Measles at 1 year, Mumps at 2 years, Rubella at 3 years (or every 6 months, or whatever). Talk to your doctor to see if they have the individual doses, or if they're willing to order them. I read The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears, and I found it really made me feel better about vaccines in general-- knowledge is powerful, and I have a much better understanding now of how the vaccines work. Plus, I now know what the vaccines are made of, and the risks and benefits of each vaccine. I really recommend seeing if your local library has a copy, and checking it out. Otherwise, go to a bookstore, and just read the chapter on MMR. Whatever you decide to do, best wishes to you!

Answer 3

the research into MMR was at first suggesting a link, but then after a few more tests they discovered there wasn't really one. However once a link is discovered it creates something new for parents to blame autism on, (autism can be very difficult to cope with). added to this, if there is a link, the risks are very low, and the child is much more likely to get measles by not having the vaccination. also although autism CAN be difficult, it is much better than the child dieing from the measles.

Answer 4

I get frustrated when the media and the public try to blame autism on immunizations. There is no proven link from MMR to autism and even if there WAS, the effects of measles mumps or rubella could potentially be so much worse. What the public needs to realize is that there are side effects from all meds and immunizations and the reason that we take them at all is because NOT taking them is detrimental to our health and to controlling epidemics of serious diseases.

Answer 5

The parents who went to court might feel strongly that it was the vaccines that caused it, but that doesn't make it a fact.

I think heredity is a big part of the cause of autism. Another cause seems to be brain damage at birth.

I work for a mental health agency. In the family histories of 60 to 70 % of our clients with autism, they have a relative with a major mental disorder such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. I'm not sure how scientific this is, but it's just something I noticed.

Answer 6

There is no hardcore evidence to suggest that vaccinations cause autism. Most children are finishing up the bulk of their childhood immunizations around 18-24mos...about the same time that autism spectrum disorders become apparent because of lack of social and language skills. The timing is coincidence, I personally think. I am a nurse and mother of three and would never recommend that someone NOT vaccinate their children. It's a personal choice, but the benefits greatly outweigh the risks.

Answer 7

My cousin is autistic and he did not have an MMR shot it is a genetic disease passed on through a carrier parent usually the mother... I studied autism for my senior project there is no known link.

Answer 8

Research is not flawed. To echo previous answerer's, what you have is a bunch of parents who cannot accept that their children may have always been autistic. Not all but many are looking for some sort of payday from litigation. These are the most vocal of the group and get the most pub.