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3rd Trimester
MrsDe2008
member
Vaccinations and Autism
MrsDe2008
member
My 13 yo nephew was diagnosed with autism at a very young age and of course I am worried about my LO. For a long time it was said that vaccinations and autism were linked, but there is a lot of skepticism with that...nothing was ever proven. Do you know anyone with autism? If so, is that effecting your decision on vaccinating LO? I'm very up in the air about it. My sis's daughter (my nephews sister), who is 9, thankfully is fine. My sis did wait about 5 or so years to vaccinate her with anything and I don't know if I should do the same. =/ What's your thoughts? TIA...
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Re: Vaccinations and Autism
Life with Blog
Even if it was true that they may cause Autism I would still vaccinate my kids. I would rather them have Autism then get really sick and die because I decided not to prevent it. My friend has a brother with Autism and he is a bright boy and brings so much joy to their family... they didn't vaccinate and he still has it.
I believe there is no link. I also believe that parents should do as much research as possible and be 100% sure on their choice. I am confident that my choice to vaccinate is the best route for my children.
There are many valid reasons to delay vaccines if that is what is best for you and your family. But the autism link to vaccines has been disproven and is unfounded.
Dr. Wakefield (who published the one study that claimed a link between vax and autism) had to retract his study and was recently stripped of his medical license.
The latest autism research points to genetics.
My opinion? There is no way I am not vaccinating my kids. And no way do I want them associating with kids whose parents didn't vaccinate them. Why take the risk?
There isn't conclusive evidence linking vaccines to autism to not vaccinate for this fear alone.
I have 2 neighbors with sons with asbergers.
BOTH have said they saw signs at birth, before they even started vaccinations at 1-2 months.
I do not believe they are related. Both have said they have family members who they suspect are on the spectrum due to social issues. I think it is genetics.
I don't directly have family with autism... but babysat for a boy with autism for 8 years, and have had many children on the spectrum in my classroom throughout the years.
It hasn't effected my decision on vaccinations, and how strongly I feel in vaccinating my children. I would feel far worse having my child get sick with something they could have been vaccinated against, than the unknown risk of that vaccination itself (if there even is one). That is just the way I feel.
I totally understand your concern, and I don't really have an answer... do what you feel is right... no matter what that decision is, it will be the right one for your child!
Why? She sounds genuinely concerned, and it's a fair question. I don't know anyone with autism, but if I had a family member with it I would consider delaying vaccines knowing that there's no link just because it made me feel better. Not fail to vaccinate altogether, but think about a delayed schedule.
My late older brother had severe/profound Autism. My younger brother has some mild Autistic traits/tendencies. My sister vaccinated both of her children and I will be vaccinating my LO.
I'm much more worrried about what's in my genes than what's in the vaccines. And the research backs me up on that.
I doubt she intended it to be rude. This topic gets brought up alot. So much that I think instead of a pampers board they should make one where parents can go and talk about vaccines and maybe have a pediatrician or expert answer their concerns.
I wasn't trying to be like that about it. My niece actually has aspergers. I just can see this becoming a huge debate on here. that's all. I'm am pro-vaccine, and so are my brother and SIL, they say the same thing as alot of PP's on here, they still would have vaccinated even if they would have known it would cause it. Its better than the baby getting horribly sick.
Vaccines do NOT cause autism. They tried to replicate his "study" and could not find any link. Unfortunately, the damage had been done.
Some celebs jumped in on the hysteria (again: WhyTF is their opinion given more credence than a medical professional?!!!) and have now backtracked to say their kid was cured with a specific diet to even their kid never had it in the first place.
https://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/feb/02/lancet-retracts-mmr-paper
https://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/world/medical-journal-retracts-article-linking-autism-with-mmr-444573.html
Discuss vaccination schedule (normal or delayed) with your doc.
My 14yo SS has Aspergers which is a form of Autism. My DH and his ex wife do not believe that vaccinations had anything to do with it.
We will be vaccinated our LO right on schedule as there are worse illnesses and stuff that can happen to your child when not vaccinated then a slight chance of Autism.
Thanks for the input ladies. DH and I will discuss our options and then take it from there. I don't think we will not vaccinate our children, but will possibly vaccinate on a delayed schedule.
As for "Geback"s comment, I can see how vaccinations and autism are controversial subjects, but I wasn't asking if anyone thought they were linked, just wanted to know what your plan of action is for your LO's. Nothing to argue about there.
Wait...you mean former Playboy bunnies aren't qualified to give medical advice???
sorry if I came off wrong. I agree.
No problem.
I was going to post this as well!
There's a reason diseases are starting to spread around again that haven't been seen in a while. B/C Jenny McCarthy scared everyone to not vaccinate their kids... uggghhh.
I think there's "more autism now" b/c they are better at diagnosis, diagnosing younger, and the "spectrum" covers a lot of kids- not just the severely disabled ones like it used to.
My Mom worked with Autistic kids for a long time and we've had a lot of discussions about this. DS got all his vaccs at the normal times and has had no problems, FWIW!
I definitely agree with what you're saying. DH and I were just talking about whether or not LO needs the Hepatitis B shot the day she is born. I definitely want her to be vaccinated, but I don't think she needs them all within the 1st year of her life. I'm going to discuss a schedule with my pediatrician and see what they can recommend.
I really liked "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears, it explains all the ingredients in each vaccine and which vaccines are most important early on. Contrary to what I've heard some people say- the book is very pro-vaccine- just looks at doing it in the safest way possible. Definitely talk with your ped. about it!! My cousin's son has asperger's syndrome- while there is no current research to prove that vaccines cause autism, many drs. specializing in autism spectrum disorders will admit there "May" be some link to vaccinations, and how children with autism process vaccines.
So just out of curiosity, how exactly do you think you can control this? Are you going to ask for vaccinations records for every kid your kid comes in contact with? I'm sure you're surrounded by people all day that either aren't vaccinated or haven't had some of their vaccinations. And contrary to popular belief, most states can't keep unvaccinated children out of the school system.
This. though I do NOT believe that autism is linked with the vacs, after some research I am now questioning them for other reasons. we probably will be delaying, with skipping some altogether. (i.e-hep B vac. learned that one can only get it through sex, sharing needles, or from mommy. since I don't have it, and LO won't be having sex or shooting up any time soon, I don't understand why its given at such a young, developmentally vulnerable age.)
also ask for a list of the ingredients that are in the vac they are giving. ingredients like formaldehyde are poisonous to the body, especially considering how many shots an infant receives by 18 mo.
Parents that do not vaccinate (for something other than severe medical reasons, under instruction from their ped) do not deserve to be parents.
They are endangering MY child, and every other child that isn't completely vaccinated.
Diseases that we thought were irradicated are now coming back with a vengance. Why? Because of DAMN DIRTY HIPPIES not vaccinating their children!!!
Please vaccinate your babies. Autism is treatable and survivable. Whooping cough and frickin' polio are often not.
OP: Thank you for talking about it and asking for info instead of just making a haphazard decision.
The doctor who "determined" that autism and vaccines were linked was wrong. It was discovered that he fudged the results. (If I'm not mistaken, he lost his medical license.)
IMO, there is no excuse for not vaccinating your kids. I refuse to allow my daughter (who hasn't had all of her vaccines) around a friend's child who has not been vacicnated. A playdate is not worth my daughter's life.
*starts slow clap*
What I have read is that it is giving them all the vaccinations at one time. Instead of allowing the Drs to do so many at once, tell them you only want one administered at a time and go back every other week to get all of the vaccines.
I have more research to do before I make my final decision!
BTW, my baby will for sure recieve the vaccinations, it will just be a matter of whether or not we space them out rather then her getting them all at once!
I'm not sure how the OP missed the huge s***storm of news that followed the retraction of the vaccination study. There was literally nothing else in the papers that week.
The entire time I've been pregnant, I've read countless articles saying "x is linked to autism" "y is linked to autism" -- for quantities of x and y that are labor medicines, retinol, lipstick, formula feeding, off gassing from non-organic mattresses, chemicals in plastic bottles, wall paint, increased maternal age, better prenatal care saving the lives of fetuses that might otherwise have died, genetics... you name it.
The truth is, a lot of really upset parents of autistic kids are understandably desperate to discover why this has happened to their children -- but no one knows. There are definitive conclusions that the vaccine study a lot of people were going on is wrong, but no definitive study on what is RIGHT.
I feel that whatever else it is (and there has to be something given the increased rates of autism), there has to be a genetic element as well. Almost everyone I know with autistic children has more than one.
THIS. There absolutely no foundation between autism and vaccines.
DH and I know (acquaintance-level) three couples with kids with autism.
Family 1 has one child (son) with aspergers, a normal child, and then a girl with relatively severe autism (still in diapers at 4, plays with feces, is rarely communicative). Both mother and father were recreational drug users, mostly pot, but sometimes some other stuff in their late teens/early 20's.
Family 2 has two children, both with autism. Firstborn son is similar to daughter in Family 1. Daughter has similar issues. Mother smoked pot during early pregnancy with the son and went right back to it post-partum. Mother's parents are addicts or otherwise affected with mental problems.
Family 3 has three children by two different mothers, same father. Son, by mother #1, is in his mid-20s and is still in diapers and cannot communicate. Requires 24-hour care. Two remaining children by mother #2 are perfectly fine and actually ahead of schedule in learning. Father was diagnosed with Parkinsons at 35 years old. Mother #1 was a health nut, but had mental problems.
So from my extremely small sample size here, I tend to believe that autism is genetic. I also can't help but wonder whether prolonged drug use results in some genetic changes to egg and sperm cells.
I should also add that Family 1 and 2 are pretty much white trash. They are crude and obnoxious, keep filthy homes, all four parents have a hard time keeping a job, they never have money but can afford booze, etc. This leads me to wonder whether stress in the home and lack of nurturing attention contribute to the severity of autism.
So yeah--
Before I'd blame vaccines, I'd look at the lifestyles, health history (genetics), family health history, and competence of the parents as contributing factors.
As for me, I'm actually scared of the genetic link. My father is an engineer, and while he's in his 60's, and autism spectrum diagnosis is rather new, I'm pretty sure that if he were tested, he'd be diagnosed as having aspergers. My sister has other mental illness issues-- paranoias and delusions, along with aspergers-like issues with relating to people.
I've checked out fine, and DH and his huge family are all clinically normal, but still... I worry that there's a genetic component and although it hasn't manifested in me, it might in DD. I'm more scared of my contributing to her issues than any vaccine or medical intervention available.