4 year old shots and autism?

Tara - posted on 01/06/2011

My son Nicqo was "special needs"when he was born- I was angry that his symptoms (& they got worse!!) became worse and more signifigant AFTER his 6 (!) shots. BUT, I don't believe the shots caused anything, I DO however believe that they made a bad situation worse (maybe it's the ordeal, if not caused by the actual shots?) Nicqo has WAY OVER_ACTIVE ADAD, and Autism ut ON the Autism Spectrum... I heard a long time ago that the innoculations were NOT the "cause" of Autism- BUT I DO believe that there is (some) a correlation... I was very angry & upset that my son would be getting 6 shots w/in (like 3 minutes!) such a short time...all I knew was how traumatic That would be! I DID VACCINATE... BUT! I had reservations and second thoughts. Do you know of the controversy between vaccinations vs. Autism? Many years have they said yes, they = Autism; yet the "truth, they say is No, just a bad person spreading a Huge rumor... Wel, there MUST be a correlation, but I don't leave it to what someone says- look at the results!! Who is gonna know? I mean, I think PERHAPS his should be considered a secret like NASA would be involved with. My perspective and my (& my son's! life!!) involvement -directly!!!- with the questions and answers...as well as the life and OBVIOUS turns and directions that SO many children have (accidently?) gone through. I'm Still very frustrated, yet trying to trust the officials... YET trying to trust my feelings and what I (we've!) gone through!!!! I wish you well. I hope I've given you something to consider, and Something to believe in...... YOURSELF!! Sincerely, Tara & Nicqo.

Tara - posted on 03/01/2010

Thank you!!! That was very helpful!! Unfortunately, we vaccinated (all 5 at once, the doc. would not do otherwise); and my son HAD to have them to get into kindergarten. He now has severe ADHD (trying our 3rd med now- the verbal and motor tics got so severe he could not functionj!!!!) and now the label is "Cognitive Disorder". He is still being seen at the Autism Clinic (appt. this week), and they continue to test him and offer therapy. Thank you so much for the response!! I've been out of touch for awhile- No More!!! Hope you are well. Take care and keep in touch. -Tara

G - posted on 01/27/2010

I also agree with Elaine. Very good points. A friend of mine has a son who will turn 9 very soon who was diagnosed with PDD NOS at the age of 2. My friend does not care if the vaccines are responsible or not. While it would be wonderful to know it is not his goal. He would prefer to have his son here, alive, and healthy then to forgo the vaccines and risk him or others becoming ill or even dying.

Faith - posted on 01/23/2010

Thank you, Elaine, for putting it so consicely. I totally agree with you.

Elaine - posted on 01/23/2010

Here is my take.....my twin sons were diagnosed at very different times with Asperger's and are at different levels of functioning. My one son I knew something was different when he was an infant way before he had any of his shots. My other son was not diagnosed until the age of 7, with that in mind I do not believe that the shots had anything to do with it. My thoughts are, too many people are looking to blame something or someone for their child's differences and not accepting the children for who they are. I quit taking them to each and every doctor there was and having every test that came down the pike, or trying every diet known to man and let them be children.
If you choose to not have your child vaccinated that is entirely up to you, but know that you are putting at risk every other child that comes into contact with your son if your son should get sick with any of these diseases and the other child is too young to have had the shot yet.

Markelle - posted on 01/22/2010

FYI!!! you do NOT have to have your child vaccinated to enroll them in school. Check online to see where to get a vaccination exemption form in your area (usually at statistics or health dept). You do not need any information, birth certificate, or money to get form. This never needs to be updated, it is good forever in my state (FL). You just sign your name and you get the exemption to give to your child's school. They keep it on file and it is good for the entire time your child attends. You have a choice.

Tami - posted on 01/21/2010

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/...

This was linked to us from this Circle of Moms discussion:

The never ending debate in my family about shots: HELP (in the Autism group)

Here is my response to what someone wrote who has taught autistic children for the last 10 years.

Thank-you so much Alison for linking us to that page.

In our family we seem to have a genetic predisposition to Asperger's. We are all also prone to vaccine adverse reactions and it actually mentions in this article "vaccine sensitivities". We are also a family with neurological diseases, autoimmune disorders (my Granddaughter's Mother has Hashimoto's Thyroiditis), food allergies and sensitivities, GI/gut problems, and eczema.

It seems like all of that might have played some role in my Granddaughter's disabilities.
So the genetic factor was there and she clearly looked like a child who was struggling with some of her vaccines. But we were not given any medical advice on whether to stop vaccinating her, so we continued with them.Vaccines with mercury were in the early part of her vaccine schedule, the first 2 years, and in the article you linked us to it actually mentions mercury poisoning and I was surprised to see that listed.

We are discussing on the www.askdrsears.com vaccine board aluminum and whether being injected with aluminum in vaccines is neurotoxic to infants and children. Dr. Bob Sears has given us his thoughts on that in the past and we are talking about it again. What do you think? I think it hasn't been fully tested, or maybe even tested at all, in an injectable form and in being given to infants and children.

Dr. Bob Sears at www.askdrsears.com also has a link on the right, vaccines and autism, and he blogged/wrote that there is upcoming research that is going to be done and that research will include vaccine adverse reactions and whether vaccines play a role in autism. I think that research will take a lot of time until we have some answers.

My Granddaughter showed signs of her disabilities before age 2 and she was diagnosed with SPD at age 2, and her other two disabilities were diagnosed when she started Kindergarten. We could clearly see that she had Aspergers or HFA at an early age.

Thanks again, here is the list from what you linked us to of possible causes (suspected but not proven):

Genetic factors seem to be important. For example, identical twins are much more likely than fraternal twins or siblings to both have autism. Similarly, language abnormalities are more common in relatives of autistic children. Chromosomal abnormalities and other nervous system (neurological) problems are also more common in families with autism.

A number of other possible causes have been suspected, but not proven. They involve:

Diet
Digestive tract changes
Mercury poisoning
The body's inability to properly use vitamins and minerals
Vaccine sensitivity

Angie - posted on 01/21/2010

Once my first two were diagnosed with autism I refused to let my third get anymore shots. She had only had whatever shots are required up to 9months. She still has autism. At age five I finally got the third child vaccinated but had it spread out. Depending on where your child gets their shots, you can request that each vaccine be seperate (sometimes each shot will include more than one vaccine), and you can also find out about the ingredients in each shot, and refuse to get the shots with the ingredients you don't trust. Our family doctor was fine with not giving our third child the shots. He completely understood my reasoning. The school however was fine with it as long as I signed a paper saying do to my beliefs she would not have the shots. If on outbreak of whatever your child did not get a shot of happens at the school, your child will be required to stay home until the danger is over.

G - posted on 01/20/2010

"If you read about the vaccines you will learn that many of them are for diseases that have been erradicated decades ago or for sexually transmitted diseases."

I am not going to argue for or against the possible contributions to the autism spectrum that vaccines have had. I just wanted to clarify that those diseases are not actually non-existent but are simply controlled by the vaccines. Many of those diseases are still common in other (usually the less developed) parts of the world. Also the only vaccine (that I am aware of) even remotely close to STD's is given to much older girls to prevent some forms of cancer caused by HPV. If I am mistaken feel free to let me know.

Tami - posted on 01/20/2010

Faith, I survived both measles and mumps. My age is before most of the vaccines that we see now.



I am talking about risk vs benefit for febrile seizures and epilepsy. Did anyone read the chapter about the Mom who lost her son in Jenny McCarthy's 2nd book Warrior Moms?



Haven't any of you heard of the link between vaccines and febrile seizures? They took a combined vaccine off the market because of them. Noone here has heard of autism and febrile seizures and epilepsy? It happened to Jett Travolta and Jenny's son Evan.



There are some children out there who get febrile seizures and epileptic seizures and do not survive them, but they most likely could have survived for example measles. What about that risk vs benefit? It's like a roll of the dice IMO, you really don't know how it all will turn out with some children who have vaccine adverse reactions and who have autism and autism related disorders.



Have any of you heard of the vaccine adverse reaction reporting system (VAERS) that is online and our US vaccine court?

Thamar - posted on 01/20/2010

If vaccines were a cause, then families who choose not to vaccinate would have no iccidents of autism. The real clue here is how well your son is responding to interventions. I would certainly consider spacing the vaccines out IF your doctor is okay with it. Some vaccines must be given together for them to work. Ask for SINGLE dose vials WITHOUT preservatives.

I found that gf/cf did nothing for my daughter, but she responded very well to DHA oil and ST & OT. She is also in a preschool program based on the LEAP model out of the U of CO at Denver. Please know that lots of things DAN doctors do have no evidence of working and often cost a lot of money. I work for Whole Foods and hear things from parents who do DAN and don't do DAN. From what my experiences tell me, food senstivies play a huge part in our kids, but there is no specific item that helps all our children. GF/CF may work for your son or you may find that eliminating all preservatives and dyes help. It truly is individual and you will need to experiment. Keep a journal of everything entering his body including foods, drink, over the counter meds, shots, etc. You are bound to see a pattern.

best wishes and good luck,

Thamar

Sue - posted on 01/19/2010

Here is a really good web site called Autism Speaks if you cant click you may have to copy and post to your browser.

http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/agre_s...

http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/scie...

Hope they help, good luck with your decision

Faith - posted on 01/19/2010

I have a son who is almost 9 (PDD) and he has had every one of his shots as scheduled. I have not seen any correlation between shots and his autism symptoms, in fact he is improving all the time and I think it has more to do with the fact that he is learning social skills and coping skills. We do the flu mist instead of the shot. My personal opinion is that I would rather have my sweet autistic boy than be without him any day (even the hard days) and if I don't vaccinate him, the chances that he could die from a preventable disease is too high for my liking.

Tami - posted on 01/19/2010

I know we are talking about vaccines and autism and autism spectrum disorders, but what did you all think about the issue of febrile seizures/epilepsy and vaccines?



This is happening to children some who are autistic, and some who aren't.



What about that risk? Some of these children died so what would that risk vs benefit be? I survived the measles and mumps, I am a child of the 1950's., and I had a daughter who had the old dreaded DPT vaccine and on her last shot she spiked a 105 degree temp and she was delirious and she had to be rushed to the ER. We were very fortunate that she didn't have any seizures with that high of a temp. It was very scary!



Did any of you get to look at the link to what Dr. Sears has to say about the new research that is finally going to be done on vaccines and adverse reaction, and on vaccines and if they have any kind of connection to autism? We aren't just talking about do vaccines cause or trigger autism, we are also talking about how do they affect children who are autistic, or on the spectrum. Should they receive them and if so on what type of schedule? Should some children not receive them at all? And what if you have that genetic predispostion to autism or autism spectrum disorders, do we really want to vaccinate them, and if so how? And what if they don't do well with vaccines, can we stop them and not feel judged by that decision?



And Janessa, I agree with you, yeast must also play some kind of role in all of this as my Granddaughter had frequent yeast infections and thrush, etc. And she has GI problems even now.



Kendra, you make some very good points. Did you read my Dr. Sears link? And I agree with you noone really knows. Dr. Bob Sears did answer that question once for us on his site, he said most of the parents in his practice who have autistic children said something like their children seemed different after certain vaccinations. I would have to look to see how he worded it exactly and see if I can post it here. That's just his observations as a Peds Dr, so that may be just the parent's view of what happened to their child. And like Kendra I also say, we really just don't know for sure, noone has all the answers.



Best of luck to all of you, I also agree it is the parent's decision on what to do, not the doctors, or anyone else, it should be the parents decision.

Jonnie - posted on 01/19/2010

Tyler who is Autistic always had issues w shots. We didnt find out he was Autistic until he was 12, so dealing w out understanding the issue was hard. I found the best thing to do was to get it over w. Spreading it out will not help; they are still gonna fear the needle. I found dealing w that kind of outburst was easier once than several times. Hope this helps.

Janessa - posted on 01/19/2010

healthy gut=healthy head. GFCF diet helps rid u yeast which a lot of autistic kids have.Changing their diet can mean everything in some cases.

Torie - posted on 01/19/2010

Hi! I am a mother of 2 Autistic boys....my oldest just turned 13 and in my opinion once autistic there is no turning back and the risks of not vaccinating is much higher than that of increased autistic complications. i was wondering how well that gf/cf diet works?? i hope this helps and thanks in advance for any information on the diet!

Terri - posted on 01/19/2010

My son has high functioning autism and we were up in the air about whether to vaccinate our second son. In the end we did not want to risk him getting sick so we did vaccinate. We then vaccinated my daughter and now my 12 month old will be having hers. I am still wondering if they have anything to do with autism if there is a gene in the family but I dont want to take the risk of my kids catching something.

My husbands brother is autistic, his sisters son is Aspergers and we are in the process of getting my other son now tested for Aspergers. They were all immunised and yet my husband wasnt.

The choice is ultimately yours and you will know how you feel inside but do the research. Good luck :)

Kendra - posted on 01/18/2010

Sue, the link wouldn't work, so I was unable to actually see the studies you were referring to, but I'm sorry, who do you think controls the CDC? The drug companies have big time dollars running through there...so once again we are back to an honest, third party study needed that has no financial backing. I also looked on the CDC website. They tell you how safe the vaccine is and how to report it if it's not, but I couldn't find any actual data from studies.

Claires - posted on 01/18/2010

Dr. Mercola's website has really good info & links regarding vaccinations Check it out!

Sue - posted on 01/18/2010

Hi Kendra, I do agree that more research and studies need to be done, but there are numerous ones done not attached to any drug companies. here is a link via the CDC last updated Aug 2009 listing thimerosol related research. Studies from other countries are also listed here, its interesting they all come out with the same outcome.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/00_pdf/...

I am still hopefull that the new brain scan announced being studied right now will give us more hope in diagnosing earlier and thus intervening earlier to help to this horrible neurologic disorder. As a custodial grandparent I want nothing more than the rest of the parents here, help and a healthy happy child who can contribute to society in a positive way. ~

Kendra - posted on 01/18/2010

Sue, I would just like to add that all probable causes of autism are unfounded, including being genetic. Noone really knows. That's what is so frustrating with autism. As soon as they think one thing, another situation pops up. It's a big mystery that keeps getting bigger every day! A lot of this is because there hasn't been a lot of research done until more recently and there have never been any studies to my knowledge that have been done on vaccines/autism link that are not backed by the drug companies. And those are not fair studies by any means. What drug company will willingly admit they are doing this to children?? I'm not saying it does cause autism, I think most parents think that it triggered the autism (those that feel it's vaccine related). But I have a hard time believing the thousands of moms around the world that say the symptoms started after the vaccine are all "hyped up." What I would like would be to see some honest studies done by third party people who are not being paid by the drug companies to see, is there any truth to it?

Emilie, It sounds like you researched both sides and made the best decision for your child. Good for you for doing the research!!

Sue - posted on 01/18/2010

My gr-son is 8 and has had all his vaccinations. He has Aspergers and needs to be told ahead of time what will happen step by step, but no problems with any of the shots up to this age and dont for see any problems in the future either. If you dont vaccinate your putting your child at risk and our children at risk. Vaccinations are used for good reason.. to protect not harm. It really ticks me off when celebrities uses their influence to twist things around because they cant accept the fact that their child has something wrong with them and need to blame something. Then people stop protecting their children with vaccines.



There is new testing with brain scans in infants now that can detect Autism so those that feared (unfounded) that vaccinations cause Autism instead of it being a problem with genetics.. well they can now put that theory to rest. If it was due to vaccinations they wouldn't be able to detect it in infancy because they dont have any needles that young.



Many families have 2 or more children with Autism, ADD/ADHD, OCD etc. Some vaccinated the first child, then got scared with all the hype and didnt vaccinate the second or third child and they still ended up being diagnosed with Autism. Its genetic and even though its easier to "blame" something outside our own bad genes, truth is, its no one "fault " but will run in families so if your child has a child the chances of him passing on the gene is almost 100%.



Good luck, keep your child safe

Emilie - posted on 01/18/2010

My son is 4 1/2. He has gotten all of his vaccinations more or less on time. For him at least, there does not appear to be any link to his ASD. I always discuss these sorts of concerns with his doctor and wait to make a decision until I feel I have all of the information that I need. I do request the thimerisol free vaccines every time. I don't necessarily think it is a problem, but my son has been through enough. He also only receives vaccinations when he is healthy - i.e. no outstanding issues that are not understood and well controlled. For this reason, he has had some vaccines more spread out or 3-6 months later than usual. Most vaccines are for serious illnesses, so you need to weigh the risks of illness versus any vaccine risk. Since I know a mom who lost a child to a disease before getting the vaccine, I feel very strongly that the protection is worth the risk for serious disease vaccines. I also think that keeping my son healthy is important to continuing his therapy and allowing his development to continue. For us, medical interruptions have definitely contributed to some of his developmental issues.

My 2 cents, hope it is helpful.

Kendra - posted on 01/18/2010

Yes mercury in the water can also be a problem. Autistic kids seem to be very high in mercury and have a hard time expelling it from their systems, so avoiding it is always a good idea!! And I do believe vaccines can trigger or contribute to autism, but it certainly isn't the only cause. In all the reading I've done there seems to be one thing in agreement between all the fields of medicine.....noone knows exactly what causes autism but they all seem to agree it's not just one thing. Many believe there is a possible genetic link that is then triggered by the environment, such as vaccines, another health problem, allergy to food, severe emotional stress, etc. My son had a lot of other health problems, so the fact that all he has now is high-functioning autism is a blessing to me. I'm grateful I didn't vaccinate because I wonder what he would've been like if I had. Could that have made him severely autistic? I'll never know. Maybe no damage would have been done. But like I said before....do your research, ask both sides of the medical field and you'll know in your heart what is the best decision for you!! Don't let anyone scare you one way or the other and your son will thank you for it!! Good luck!!

Janessa - posted on 01/18/2010

if u dont want to vax anymore u can look your state up here.Most do religious exemptions. This is what I did for my 3 yr old. FYI from what I hear it is easier to say they have nothing rather then say well they have this but I dont want that. From what I hear u really can't do that. Good luck.

Theresa - posted on 01/18/2010

The thing that has linked vaccinations with autism is the mercury (though it hasn't been proven). In the US mercury has been taken ot of all childhood vaccines with the exception on the flu shot. The seasonal flu shot has a mercury free version, but you have to ask for it specifically. The H1N1 shot does not have a mercury free version at all. No one can tell you to vaccinate or not, that has to be something you decide. I personally have had my kids all vaccinated on schedule, but I won't do the flu shots and I haven't done the chicken pox shot either. My two older kids go the actual chicken pox, but my 15 mo hasn't and now they are required for school. Not sure what I'll do, but for now I have not gotten it for her hoping we;ll find someone to give her the chicken pox before school.

Janessa - posted on 01/18/2010

My opinion your child is screaming from the inside out and God knows what will happen after his 4 yr well visit.

Tami - posted on 01/18/2010

http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook...

Here's the link to Dr. Bob Sears's website and to the page where he talks about vaccines and autism. This is where he talks about the upcoming research/study on vaccines and adverse reactions and on vaccines and if there is a possible connection to them and autism.

The other thing that we haven't talked about here is vaccines and febrile seizures. Jenny McCarthy discusses that in her books as her son had a near fatal febrile seizure and she believes that her son's febrile seizures were connected to vaccines.

My nephew experienced them during his first 2 years of life and that was when he was receiving most of his vaccines. The doctors made no connection that the two could be related so they continued to vaccinate him and he continued to have at times high fevers and seizures so bad that my sister would have to call the ambulance to have them transport him to the hospital for treatment. Thankfully he is OK now.

And look at John Travolta and his son Jett. They are now saying that Jett did have autism and that he died from a seizure. Jenny McCarthy's son Evan and Jett, they both had autism and seizures/epilepsy.

And from what I have read some autism deaths have been related to febrile seizures/epilepsy, and the same goes for vaccine adverse reactions and febrile seizures.

We had a boy from my area who developed febrile seizures and the age they started at would put him at right around the time he would have had his first MMR. And a few months after his 1st bday he died, and I think it said that he could no longer maintain his normal body temp., and it seems like noone knew why this happened to him, and vaccines weren't even mentioned as a possible cause.

So the medical community really IMO needs to take a good look at all of this and not just try to reassure us and tell us that everything will be fine, just vaccinate. And they tried to reassure us with my Granddaughter and everything did not turn out fine for her.

I would rather have non biased good research, studies, and facts, then any kind of reassurance from a doctor to just vaccinate as even when things start to go wrong it seems like they aren't sure what to do about it other than to continue to vaccinate.

Stephanie - posted on 01/18/2010

My daughter was diagnoised around 2 1/2 with autism, she's 5 now. I had her vaccinations done when they were required, even the flu shots. She has come along way since we found out she had autism, She started special education pre-school at 3, and continues to improve. Keep doin what you're doin to help him improve.

Corine - posted on 01/18/2010

Ok I have an 18 y/o that was diagnosed at 3 with ASD, ADHD, and sensory motor integration dysfunction. He is fully vaccinated and I am not of the opinion that his diagnosis is due to vaccinations. In my opinion there are some basic things that can be said here. The medical community is still trying to figure this out, in the 1950's when they finally gave this disease a name initially they blamed "refrigerator mom's" mothers they felt who didn't give enough "attention" to their children. Since then there have been theories from the 18m MMR to genetic predisposition to women who had herpes in a full blown break out during birth and countless others to numerous to mention. This is a very personal decision and you have to make sure that you do what is best for you, and your child. If you have time before seeing your DAN doc gather the research and any questions you have and present this to him/her they should take the time to spend with you and answer your questions than have a discussion with your immediate family (husband if applicable) and only than make your decision. Good Luck to you and your family.

Kimberly - posted on 01/17/2010

Hi. I am not allowed to give advice until I graduate from school, but on a personal level I think I am allowed. I would just do the research. I have heard that you can "postpone" shots if you don't feel comfortable having all at once. Which I say go ahead and do. But don't postpone for lone. I would just say a couple of months. Spread them out. Get a couple now, the rest later. You do not get Autism from the shots, we know that. There is a chance of reactions from the shots, but it is rare (as you can read in the informational pamphlets you get from the doctor.) Protecting your child with vaccinations is so important, especially since sometimes other people can't get vaccinated for medical reasons, you are helping protect those people, too. Good luck with everything, and I urge you to look into Behavior Analysis if you have not already (nothing to do with the shots, just a really cool way of helping those beautiful children who are diagnosed with Autism).

Sarah - posted on 01/17/2010

I do not believe that vaccinations cause Autism, I believe that reactions to the vaccinations trigger things in children predisposed to Autism. I feel this is what happened to my daughter, who only received her vaccinations through 4months old. We moved to Germany recently (Army) and we knew we wanted to vaccinate her again sometime soon. She has been health and doing well. So we talked to the doctor in depth and finally decided (my husband & I) on doing the DTaP first. The doctor wanted us to do a combo shot that included DTaP, Polio, and Hib, called Pentacel. After doing some research (which I HIGHLY recommend) I found that it contained the most aluminum in all vaccinations on the market, that scared me. Not just because my daughter is Autistic, but no child should be injected with that much aluminum. My 13 month was unvaccinated, but she received the same DTaP shot at the same time.

Personally, I would not do all the shots at the same time. I KNOW it is hard to take them back for other shots, I do know this from experience. We will be back almost monthly for shots for several months, but I know it is the best thing on her immune system. I also made sure to have her on some good vitamins, and she is on a few other supplements. We wouldn't have even done a combo shot if the DTaP was available separated here, but it isn't. The one I'm really worried about is the MMR, and I will be researching on how to prepare her body for that vaccination.

For us, we are doing special treats after the injections. Olivia is obsessed with Mickey Mouse. We have purchased new figurines that she doesn't have. She gets one after each shot. We show it to her when she is about to get the shot so she is distracted. She still gets upset about the shot itself, but it is over very quickly because she gets a bandaid (or a sticker as she calls it), a bunch of stickers (I always ask them to give her 5 stickers because it makes her super happy - or I bring my own) and then she gets that brand new figurine. I'd resort to candy to make her happy if I thought it'd help.

Good luck in your decision. I know it is a hard one. Just remember, it is YOUR choice. Do some research. If you need some help, post here. I'm sure plenty of moms here would love to help you find more information on specific vaccinations. I do highly recommend Dr. Sears's newest book. :)

Amber - posted on 01/17/2010

My best advice would be to ask your local Paedetrician what their opinion would be,as this sounds like a very deep concern of yours!!!!!!!!!!!It looks like you have some positive feedback from other Mothers/Parents,Good Luck with that.......... :0) :0)

Tara - posted on 01/17/2010

I have a now almost 7 year old, at your childs' age, we had to do the same shots (for school)- they did all 5 at the same time, same day, same doctor visit. As time progressed, my son went downhill and it was very obvious. He is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD- none of these were issues before the shots. I know there is controversy over these issues, but I feel very (angry!) sure that the immunisations were the cause of this. I am not an ignorant woman, and I have looked into this and spoken to various physicians and specialists- they all have differing opinions and most deny that the shots played a part in these issues. I feel very strongly that there need to be changes- if nothing else, than to space them apart. I understand your concern; I had them too, but he could not go to school, etc. without having had them. I don't know if I've helped at all (don't ever just take one person's word, just do alot of research and make your own informed decision); unfortunately we really don't get much of a choice, hopefully this will change in the near future. My sister has refused to immunise her youngest son, and homeschools him. The controversy is the dangers or possible dangers of these immunizations vs. the child's health. Feel free to contact me if you want. I really have no answers, just the experience- and now a special needs child. He is in mainstream public school, but it is really a challenge. Good luck. Sincerely, Tara email: blondylox3@hotmail.com .

Tami - posted on 01/17/2010

Ashley,

I agree with you. I also believe that vaccines can possibly "trigger" autism spectrum disorders. I believe that there may be a genetic predisposition for it just like there is for Aspergers, and the 2 are closely related. In our family we are predisposed to vaccine adverse reactions and to Aspergers, and until the AAP, and the other medical groups acknowledge that some doctors just don't get it yet and they won't acknowledge it.

Dr. Bob Sears (www.askdrsears.com) has from what I can recall told parents who ask him a question on his site, that he does not believe that a child with autism should continue to be vaccinated. Families like mine who have a child who is on the autism spectrum appreciate his openness and his willingness to share his thoughts with us and to be there for us and give us some greatly needed advice.

If you look at my family medical history and my family vaccine history, anyone can clearly see that vaccines will be an issue for us, I believe they call it an environmental trigger.

And if you go on websites to look up the ingredients for vaccines you can see how some of the ingredients and side effects could be a problem for some children who are already predisposed to autism spectrum disorders, and to vaccine adverse reactions.

Dr. Sears posted on his site that major medical associations like the AAP are now getting ready to fully look at vaccine adverse reactions, and their possible connection to autism. I will try to post that here if I can.

And in the US we can use a medical exemption to not vaccinate. I am not sure if autism spectrum disorders qualify for it, IMO they should. And I am not sure if the DAN doctors are using them. We also have the option of a religious and moral exemption to not vaccinate and the schools are supposed to accept them. There is a link to that site too with the specifics for each state. I can try to put in the link for that.

So for families like mine, it isn't about us not wanting to vaccinate. My Granddaughter is almost fully vaccinated, but she now has 3 neurological disabilities and it is time to stop vaccinating her unless it is needed for a pandemic virus/flu, or a tetanus shot etc.

And even those vaccines are probably a risk for her and could possibly worsen her disabilities.

Vanessa,

Talk to Dr. Bob Sears and go to his site and tell/ask him about your situation. He answers mostly on weekday mornings and sometimes you have to repost your question to get an answer. Just a warning, there are people on that site who claim to have all the vaccine answers (and none of us really do and that includes the doctors) and they may even say that it is OK to vaccinate a child who already has autism.

I think that Dr. Sears has some past posts on his site where he said he wouldn't want to vaccinate a child who has autism, or certain other disorders/disabilities.

His next book due to come out will be on autism and he recently attended a vaccine conference. And I am not sure if there are DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctors in the UK.

What autism resources do you have in the UK? Are there any doctors who treat autism that you can switch your children over to them? Do you have a medical exemption to vaccinate, or a religious/moral exemption in the UK? Will your current doctor possibly accept your decision to not vaccinate, or if one exists accept an exemption for each of your children?

Good luck to you:O)

Vanessa - posted on 01/17/2010

This is a really awful problem that I am facing myself right now. My eldest son is 3 and a half and has been due his preschool booster shots for a while now. He is autistic. My youngest boy is 2 and has been due his MMR for a while but I haven't done it yet. Although I don't think my eldest's autism was necessarily brought on my his initial MMR, I am still scared of giving it to my youngest son who is not showing any signs of autism. I think it is so hard for parents to decide this as it seems that all the professionals just push the same message across without taking the time to really consider the concerns of parents. They should really allow safe, single vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella to be given to those who are affected by autism. At present, these single vaccines are shipped in from Europe and are not actually licensed for use in the UK, so even this option is not safe for our kids.
I find myself weighing up immunisation to serious disease with possible autism as a result, to no autism but maybe a serious illness as a result. I'm still weighing! Have booked appointments for the boys at least 3 times and cancelled each time. I just wish there was an honest, no bullshit answer out there somewhere.

Suzanne - posted on 01/16/2010

It does not matter what everyone else has done. Follow your heart. You are his mother and you know the answer. Trust yourself.

Victoria - posted on 01/16/2010

I agree it should be up to the mom...

Ashley - posted on 01/16/2010

I fully vaccinated my oldest son until he was 15 months, when he recieved the mmr, chickenpox and a flu shot within weeks of each other. That's when he started showing symptoms of autism. I don't believe vaccinations are the only factor in autism, but I think they can make things worse or tip someone over the edge who is genetically prone to asd. I haven't vaccinated my two year old twins and they have no symptoms of autism. I also won't vaccinate the baby I am pregnant with now.

I wish people would just let me make my own choices and trust that I know what is best for my children. My inlaws are constantly giving me a hard time about vaccinating and I might have to find a new pediatritian because of it. If you read about the vaccines you will learn that many of them are for diseases that have been erradicated decades ago or for sexually transmitted diseases.

I think it is up to the mom, but she should know the facts first, not just the government's and drug companies' propaganda.

Tami - posted on 01/16/2010

My 7 yr Granddaughter has 3 right brain neurological disabilities, Aspergers, SPD, and Non Verbal Learning Disorder. She had a lot of difficulties with vaccines and that was noticed by her peds group. She would get excessive sleepiness (and trouble waking) after some vaccines, and high fevers. We tried only 2 at a time, and then 2 weeks later 2 more, and that didn't help.



We have a family history of adverse reactions to vaccines. Our family history indicates a high risk family in regards to vaccines as we have in our family medical history auto immune disorders (her Mother has Hashimoto's thyroiditis), allergies, and neurological disorders.



She is almost fully vaccinated and we as a family have decided to not give her her last and from what we have heard most reactive DTAP booster. She had both MMR's and she reacted the most to the 1st one.



I like www.askdrsears.com, you can post a question directly to Dr. Bob Sears and he will answer you. He wrote a book on Vaccines and his next book will be on Autism.



Good luck to you:O) Oh and 5 vaccines at once is IMO way to many! If you decide to continue to vaccinate one at a time would maybe be a better choice. Ask Dr. Sears and a DAN doctor. Mercury is not the only issue, also aluminum in the vaccines, etc.

Marney - posted on 01/16/2010

I do not vaccinate any of my children, but my choice had nothing to do with autism and my son, shortly turning 6, is still autistic. Vaccinations are, by their very nature, an onslaught on the immune and neurological systems and, if one chooses to vaccinate, a more conservative schedule is, to me, appropriate. The information parents are given by doctors tends to be sketchy and/or skewed at best, so it is in the child's and parents' best interests to do the research and make a truly informed decision for their own situation. Talk to your DAN doctor, check out everything you can. Vaccine schedules are not in stone, contrary to what the medical community would prefer you believe.

Tracey - posted on 01/16/2010

Wait and see what the DAN Doctor says

Victoria - posted on 01/15/2010

Thanks for the tip on the mercury and website. Could mercury in water be a factor?? I no my water where we live had high mercury. Your not vaccinating tells me that its not the vaccines...

Rhonda - posted on 01/15/2010

I had the same thing happen and I chose not to continue with vaccs as my kids can't detox themselves.

Erenia - posted on 01/14/2010

We stopped vaccinating a few years ago and my girls have improved in every way. This is a good question because some people don't think about this, I think you should talk to your DAN doc and some other parents to see what other people have found to be true and good for their families.

Kendra - posted on 01/14/2010

I did not vaccinate so I know that's not always the cause of autism. However, once the child is known to have autism, they are very sensitive to mercury which is in many of the vaccines. I would do my research if I were you. Talk to your DAN doctor, research the diseases and the vaccines. National Vaccine Information Center, www.nvic.com (i think that's their website), is a group that fights for safer vaccines and usually has lots of good information but you need to make what you feel is the best decision for your child. Good luck!!

Victoria - posted on 01/14/2010

My daughter is high functioning autistic. Yes I did vaccinate. I agree with doing it all at once. My mom feels that the vaccines have to do with all the autism in children today, since when we got our shots as children there were not near as many as there are today. Sometimes I really thing the vaccines are the cause but there is no proof of this from what I no. I strongly agree with what Amy suggested to you. Good luck to you.

Amy - posted on 01/13/2010

my son is 9, he is high functioning autistic and suffers from high anxiety. We did and still do vaccinate. I always prep him in advance letting him know were going and whats going to happen so he knows exsactly what to expect. I also play doctor with him, letting him give pretend shots. I would talk to his doctor ahead of time letting him know more about your son and what hes like, i know they used a numbing cream on my son and had extra people in the room to distract him and then had him a sticker immediatly after. I alwasy did his shots all together, since i knew it would be nearly impossible to get him back in there anytime soon after. He still tells me no shots every time we go to the doctor.

Karen - posted on 01/13/2010

Come on.........No one has any oponions????????