The
Shot Felt Round the World
New research linking immunizations to autism has reopened the debate
on whether or not immunizations have triggered autism in a significant
portion of the autistic community. The data is pouring in that
there is indeed an epidemic of autism, with incidence throughout the
U.S. ranging from 1 in 250 climbing yearly towards 1 in 100
children. (For more information on these studies, please click here.)
Because of the renewal of the immunization/autism debate, fueled by
these new studies, I decided
to take an email poll of Autism Coach's customers by emailing everyone
in the Autism Coach email database. The poll asked parents
respond in an email, "Yes" (I believe an immunization triggered my child's autism) or
"No" (I don't believe an immunization triggered my child's autism) in an
email. Parents were invited to submit comments about their
thoughts on the cause of their children's autism. Some parents
chose to respond "Partially" or "I Don't Know" so
these categories were added when compiling the results.
As of October 14, 2004, the total number of
respondents was 53 and the percentage for each response
is given, followed by the number of respondents:
Yes - 70% (37), Partially -
5.5% (3), Don't Know - 12% (6) No - 12.5% (7)
I want to thank all parents and other family members who have generously shared their thoughts and
feelings concerning this most sensitive and heart-rending of
subjects. To view all respondents' comments, as compiled in a
Microsoft Word document, please click here.
Many parents have been told that there is no relationship
between an immunization and autism, even when the child suffered a
seizure at the time of an immunization. Yet 72% of respondents, as
indicated in the respondents' comments, observed their children developing
normally until they were immunized. An additional 4% of respondents felt the immunizations were partially
responsible, and 12% just were not sure - although many had their
suspicions. Even amongst those 12% of respondents who answered
"No", one parent had
been immunized while pregnant and wondered whether this immunization could have had an effect on
her unborn child.
A typical reported scenario for vaccine-induced autism is for a child
to have an immediate reaction to an immunization, followed in the weeks
and months after the immunization by changes in behavior and regression
in developmental milestones. Typical immediate reactions to
immunizations were fever, seizure and infections. Most frequently
the vaccines cited as triggering autism were the MMR, DPT and when the
physician decided to catch up with a child behind on the vaccination
schedule by giving a child several immunizations at once. Typical
changes in behavior include becoming more unhappy, losing eye contact
and becoming withdrawn. A typical regression in devolopmental
milestones is for the child to lose some or all language acquired prior
to immunization. Sometimes an initial reaction to immunization was
not as pronounced, but regression in language and behavior followed
nonetheless.
If the findings of this poll are representative of the larger autism population, then
the results could indicate that
a significant number of children currently diagnosed within the autism
spectrum have vaccine-induced autism. In turn, the number of
children with vaccine-induced autism could account for a substantial
portion of the increase in reported cases of autism. These statistics are consistent with
information hundreds of parents have shared in correspondence and
conversation with Autism Coach over the past 4 1/2 years.
In 2004, in my county, 1 in 7 children in the public schools received special
services. With an average of four times as many boys as girls
having a learning disability, this means that it is likely that 20-25% of boys in my
county in public school are currently receiving special services! One can't help wondering
whether receiving up to 20 immunizations before the age of two plays a role in triggering other learning
disabilities as well.
