Bravo!
Let's spend less time cursing vaccine manufacturers, and more time enriching our children and accepting them.
I am the parent of an autistic child. And a non-autistic child, both of whom were vaccinated and both of whom are delightful.
I find it sad that so many parents spend endless hours searching for the answer to WHY their child has autism. Or searching for a "cure" in the diet, lifestyle or theapeutic fad of the day. The energy spent blaming others or flailing around trying every proposed "cure" could be spent so much better in working on therapies and teaching tools to help our kids get along in the world.
Of course if there was a proven cure I would pursue it for my son. But I am not going to experiment on him with fad diets or questionable science. I believe that is counterproductive, and I have no reason to think that any of these approaches (such as a "gluten-free" diet, chelation therapy or horse therapy) are going to cure him. In fact for all I know these are harmful. They are backed up with nothing more than anecdotal evidence and the claims of their promoters.
American culture supports a victim mentality and this debate is no different. Why must there always be someone to blame? Is it possible that autism just happens, like Downs Syndrome or a high IQ or nearsightedness? Must we find a bad guy in thimerisol? If the vaccine causes autism then why does autism still occur in children who get a thimerisol-free vaccine? Why does autism show up in non-vaccinated populations? Why don't equal numbers of boys and girls get autism? Why isn't it diagnosed evenly across the vaccinated world?
There is a reason that the 1998 study was discredited. And I hope all the charlatans who push their bogus therapies on desperate parents get discredited also. Parents of autistic children have enough going on without being exploited by people who want to profit from their desperation and guilt.
Now I am going to go home and hug my autistic child.
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
I can testify to what you have said. When I first began thinking about autism, because a friend of mine has a child with the condition, I would read some article and online information and saw glimpses of the strong controversy taking place between those who believed the vaccine caused autism and those who did not. Many more were just plain confused, having just had their own child diagnosed, parents were struggling just to find out information about autism and ran headlong into the loud debate. I was even seeing all vaccinations being blamed. As often happens, information is distorted as it is passed.
I know feelings are so strong on the issue that either camp will unlikely be swayed from their beliefs. It is an issue to be looked into, just as so many other possible causes need investigated. Because if there is a chief factor to blame, e.g., environmental, genetic, the sooner it is identified, the better for all children.
But I agree strongly with you, from the very day a parent suspects their child has autism they are cast in the immediate, never ending need to find resources and help for their child, the bureaucratic fight of their lives . They have little energy left, emotional or physical, after self saturating about all things autism and taking care of their child. Because it stays, and life is measured in tiny steps with a child whose full time needs dwarfs those most parents could never imagine. To posit such a parent that something is said to have caused autism, is to completely miss what that parent is doing.
Thanks Paul for your insightful comment!
You can be sure that this controversy is far from being over. I am already getting letters from certain organizations disputing the retraction. Not sure where all this will lead.
I just want to help my son to the best of my capcity and searching for causes is not high on my list right now. I hope they do find out some day...the answers to these things. But in the meantime...you have to just live life one day at a time.
Thank you again for your comment...it is much appreciated.