Autism and Shots

My nephew is Autistic and for as much as I know about autism it is a genetic defect. Along the same lines of down syndrome but they have not isolated the gene or chromosone that causes it. They have not pinpointed an exact cause for it period. With most things I am sure there are environmental factors, pregnancy factors and gene factors. I would still get the recommended immunizations on schedule. At this point Most children are fine after getting the shots. The benefits out weigh the risks in this situation. How would you feel if your son got sick and ended up being handicapped severely or dead because a disease could have been prevented. Only you can make that decision that is right for your children but consider this, looking at history the average lifespan of a person was 35 without all of these immunizations and now the average lifespan of an individual is around 80. Hope this helps. You should talk to your doctor too and get all the information you can. Good Luck!

I am a special education teacher who has worked with children who have Autism since I was 17 years old. When my first was born, I did a lot of research on vaccinations and debated with my pediatrician about getting my son all the shots (the only ones really in question are the MMR due to the thimerisol content). In the past I had worked with parents who were convinced that their child's Autism was attributed to the vaccine. In addition, I had a friend (who is a massage therapist and I would consider a naturalist) who did not vaccinate her two youngest, but did her oldest. She swears up and down that her oldest is sick way more than her younger two and attributes that also to their vaccinations. My pediatrician warned me about all the risks if I DIDN'T get my son the vaccinations. Ultimately he said that he respected my decision but couldn't be my pediatrician if I decided against vaccinations. I absolutely adored him (and still do!) and so I decided to go ahead with everything - including the MMR (which no longer contains thimerisol anyway!)

Since then I have completed my Master's degree and have taken several courses specifically on Autism and done a lot of research on the disorder. There are really no known causes for Autism, which is what makes the disorder so perplexing. Maybe vaccinations have a hand in it for some, but those are children who were probably already prone to the disorder. If they were not exposed to some element in the vaccinations, it could have come from another source. Some children do not develop symtoms until a little later in life, and some have it from birth - so some cases (or maybe all and it just doesn't present itself until later) may be genetic afterall and we just don't know what genetic component to look at yet. It is also a disorder where children fall on a wide spectrum of severity, so other environmental factors may also play a part and severity depends on exposure. Right now in the Autism community, it is just understood that there are MANY possibilities for causes and it may be different in every single case. More research is being done every day and I think the best efforts are being put forth into the treatment for children after they have been diagnosed. As with Jenny Mc Carthy's son, some children have made miraculous advancements using the treatment that is right for them (again, different in almost every case!!)

I hope this was helpful. I wanted to give you a little background on the disorder as well as my own personal experience. Ultimately, you need to decide what is right for you and your child. For my friend, her decision was not to vaccinate, and I did. Whatever you decide, just make sure you have done enough research that you feel comfortable with your decision for the long haul!!

If you don't immunize your child, your not only putting them at risk but everyone else your child comes in contact with. Autism is something i feel, that the child is born with. it is unfortunate that it happens, and they are doing great things in research to learn more about it and make it more manageable. I know there are people who differ in opinions about getting their kids immunized, but i think that people who dont get their children immunized are selfish and they are hurting more people than just their child. have a real sit down with your doctor and talk to her about everything you are concerned with. have a great day!!!

D.,

Hi! I can answer this one from experience. I have 4 children, 2 boys, 2 girls. My younger son and older daughter (children #3 & 4) both were diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, which is High Functioning Autism. No one seems to know what causes it, could be vaccines, could be environmental, could be genetic. No one knows.

My opinion on this one is I would rather have a child with Autism than a child that dies or ends up severly handicapped because He/she got a disease I could have pretected him from.

Anyway, that's my opinion. Your chances are good that he won't have autism. But Autism is a very broad spectrum. Some children, like mine almost are 100% "normal" but with a few differences. The thing is, this is a decision only you can make. It's a tough one I know. But if I had it to do all over again, I would still get them their shots.

I hope this helps!

L. Cusick

Your son does not need to get the Hep vaccination until he is much older...they try to give it to newborns right after they are born...when it is time for his MMR vaccinations...you can special order them and have each one given seperately rather than in one dose...measles, mumps and rubella...it is too much on their system to give at once...main thing to remember is to make sure the vaccinations do not contain any mercury...
good luck...

mommy of a 4 month old

Read up on all shot info, but it is important to immunize.
If you have read her book she is not against the shots, she is trying to make parents informed. Autism, I beleive has not increased, but we are just learning more about it and that is why it has gathered so much attention. Not to mention when a celebrity brings it to the public eye. Do your own research. Don't just choose a side. Each side will have strong opinions. YOur the one who has to do what is right for your children.

I have also become more concerned about autism and just the long term helath of my children. I only recently have heard more about autism. With my son now 3 (who is not autistic) I hadn't heard anything about a shot being a possible cause. But now since my daughter is almost 18 months and will be recieving the 18 month shot I am concerned. I have read many stories of kids reaching every development mark until after they recieve the 15 or 18 month shot.

But as you know there is no proof that the shot is what causes it. I have heard that you can ask your doctor to spread out the three shots. Which is what I have been debating about. Especially since schools require children to have all of their shots. It makes this issue a difficult one.

I also recently read somewhere that 90% of autistic children are A bloodtype. Which alarmed me b/c I am type A so my daughter could as well. Although I have a son that is now 3 and has no mental health issues it is still something to worry about.

If you are concerned about your childs health and well being with autism perhaps you should also consider raising your child on organic food, chemical free toiletries and safe household cleaning products. B/c there are only theories on autism in my eyes it is better to be safe than sorry. And why should we be eating foods with pesticedes in it anyway (a known carcinogen), and toiletries with chemicals that our body can't process such as propolyn glycol (the main active ingredient in antifreeze that is known to cause death). Hope I helped in some way.

Good luck and hope you make the right choice for you and your child. :)

This is a very controversial issue anymore. You really need to read up on all of the pros and cons of vaccinations and follow your heart. And vaccinations definantly do have pros and cons. First, there is no proof that vaccinations may contribute to autism. But there is also no evidence that vaccines DON'T contribute to autism. there very well may be other factors. I also definantly do not agree with some of the others here who feel only "selfish" parents would refuse to vaccinate. If anything I feel those are the parents who may care even more, because they're so concerned that they're actually doing their own homework, researching, and coming to a conclusion on what they feel is best for their own child. And as for the person who gave remarks about longer lifespan, it isn't even scientifically due to vaccinations. There are charts you can look up that show a total decline in almost all fatal diseases/epidemics before vaccinations were even mandatory. Lifespan has increased due to many factors including the ease of getting to a doctor, all of the healthy food and information so easily available to us now, and cleanliness. And remember, just because you vaccinate your child doesn't mean he's 100% guaranteed free of those illnesses. Actually up to 40% of children who do get immunized are still easily capable of catching those same diseases. It all depends on each persons body, and how the immunization works within them. And most vaccinations only last for 5-10 yrs, so it's not a lifetime immunity as it would be,if you were to say, get the chicken pox.So if healthy children were to get the chicken pox, they would be fine except for some uncomfortable symptoms. But then they'd be immune for the rest of their lives. And we all know that the chickenpox can do more harm and can even be fatal if you were to get it later in life, which is possible if you were to recieve the vaccination. There's also many kids who got very ill, hospitalized, and even died within days of the vaccinations.If they were totally safe,Vaccine Adverse Event Report System (VAERS)would not exist. Not all of it has to do with autism. So not to sound so negative on the issue, but I had to put it out there so people are aware. There is a very good place for certain vaccinations, but you should do your research, pick and choose. Some vaccinations even my doctor admitted were unneccessary. I myself have chosen some and rejected quite a few others. And there are waivers, by law, that you could sign, on religious beliefs or have your doctor sign so you're child can still attend public school.Some states even have it just on personal belief. If an "epidemic" were to arise in the school systems they would just call you, and have you keep your child home for a few days until things clear. And last of all, I do fully believe that whether you are or aren't going to immunize, you should be eating a very clean diet of many fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seed, legumes, and small amounts of fish and meat, and lay off processed sugar and junk foods.There's a way to make anything and everything a healthier option. Local and organic, if at all possible,is best. After all, diet and lifestyle does play a huge role in health and disease. And whether we vaccinate or not, we should feed our children the best possible foods, so they can get the vitamins,minerals, and nutrients needed to build there immune system and immune response if they were to catch something. Hope this helped.

I completely agree with Gwen C. This is really something that you need to do the research on. Research what the diseases are and how they could be treated if your child would get it. Like Gwen said, even if you do vaccinate, that does not mean that your child can't get the disease. Vaccinations are not 100%. Most wear off over time. And sometimes they don't work at all.

AND there are other risks besides Autism. Both of my boys are fully vaccinated. I honestly didn't know that I had the option to NOT vaccinate them. Now I know better. All you have to do is sign a waiver.

My oldest, Benjamin, got shingles from the chicken pox vaccine. It was absolutely horrible. He was in excruciating pain. He screamed all night long from migraines that he got. I would have much rather he had the chicken pox than shingles.

I know several people in the last couple of years that have gotten whooping cough. They were vaccinated and got it anyway.

I honestly don't know for sure what I would do if I had more kids. I highly doubt that I would fully vaccinate them.

Good luck to you!