Vaccines

Laura - posted on 07/21/2010

Hi - wow this has turned into quite the aguement. I really dont think that anyone is right. We all seem to get slightly different information that can at time contradict what our friends have heard. At the end of the day there are many pros and cons for getting your baby vaccinated. At first we waited to vaccinate as he is premature and is very delayed motor skills wise however myself and my siblings were not vaccinated and I got Measles, german measels and chickpox as a child. I decided to get my now 11 month old son vaccinated because I remember how crappy is was being sick plus we travel to the UK alot and he could get ill during the trip. He is coming up for his 1 year next month and we will proceed as up until now he has only had a small cold. Some children are extremely healthy and others are not and are prone to illness. This could be genetics or your home environment causing problems. The decision really should be your own as at the end of the day you are home with your baby and noone else.

Sharon - posted on 07/21/2010

Michelle, I am going to offer one more post for you... I have read all of the posts here and each person has their own valid argument but ultimately this is your choice. Several links, and books have been listed on here to use as research for you. My suggestion is that you get some of these books, do your research, go to the links google search the pros and cons or write them down as you go through the sites and books.. then decide for your self which way you choose to go.. It is your choice, you are his mom and you know what is best for him, once you have done all your research and armed yourself with knowledge you can decide and know without a doubt that you have made your decision whichever is the right one for you and you will know that either way that you go that you made an informed decision so you will have no regrets.. I wish you luck in this tough choice as a mom....
Blessings
Sharon

Lisa - posted on 07/21/2010

First I want to say that this is not the forum for people to arguing their beliefs. Michelle has asked a question and we are here to provide answers and not fight back and forth as to what is right.
We all have different opinions and this is the forum to state what you did and why and let the person answering the question take that into consideration.
Here is what I did regarding vaccines. I have got all of them plus a few extra for my older son and for my 4.5 month he is up to date as well and will continue with them. Why - because we travel. I do not want to take the chance of them coming into contact with other unvaccinated children who may be carrying a disease. Please remember that for most illnesses the contagious period is BEFORE the symptoms actually show up. So by the time an infected person knows they are infected they could have passed it on to ALOT of people already. Why risk it?
As for the Autism.... I don't believe there is a connection. The problem is that MOST (not all) cases of Autism are diagnosed around the 1 year mark, so it was getting connected with the MMR shot.
We all have our own beliefs. Please express them but not fight others who oppose them. There is controversy about EVERYTHING when it comes to parenting. The thing to do is WHAT FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU and YOUR FAMILY. The only time I would interject is if someone is actually truly harming their child/children by doing or not doing something. Letting them run across a busy street for example. But to vaccinate or not to vaccinate, up to the individual people. It is not for me to tell you to or not tell you to.
I've been reading alot of posts on Circle of Moms as late where people are using it to fight back and forth about what they believe in. I really do not believe what this forum was meant for. Let's please put an end to that.

Cory - posted on 07/21/2010

So what will you do if one of your healthy children comes in contact with someone who also has chosen not to vaccinate and they contract a horrible disease that can mame or even kill your child. Did you read any of the posts about the people who chose not to vaccinate and the children became autistic anyway? My child is vaccinated so your desision not to vaccinate only puts your children and the children of others who chose not to vaccinate at risk.

Jean - posted on 07/21/2010

I suggest you do some research on the dangers of vaccines. Yes, they say Autism is due to vaccines. Not only that but vaccines also lower the immune system. Just the things they put in vaccines should discourage getting them. I suggest you go to thinktwice.com. This has some good information about vaccines.

Laura - posted on 07/21/2010

WOW - a lot more posts. Here is another thing to consider - when most of us (I am 35) were young we got 10 vaccinations. Now children are recommended to get 38! Many are given all at the same time as others. As far as Autism is concerned I thought the post from the woman who feels her son is autistic from a double dose is very important to consider. I think there are many reasons and many different types of emotional and cognitive disorders that are labeled "autism" and we need to be mush more specific with our diagnosis. I am no doctor but from reading MANY MANY things on this and having people in my family on the spectrum to varying degrees (adopted) I will tell you this - I fully believe that autism is an autoimmune disorder and therefore is why vaccinations can aggravate or trigger this horrible condition. Just as a head injury can trigger a lower seizure threshold and cause chronic seizures, so can damage to the immune system. Did you know your child can have an allergic reaction to a bacteria or virus which can trigger illness? My daughter after her 1 year shots got HSP - an allergic reaction that I mentioned which thankfully only caused the petechea and did not effect her kidneys. Her shots also caused 3 weeks of on and off vomiting at least every other day. She went from a healthy 20.5 pounds to 17.2 pounds before it stopped. Her appetite took 2 years to fully recover. The point of this is to say that she not only had a reaction to the MMR but she OD'd and it hurt her very healthy immune system. More people my age are suffering form autoimmune disorders than ever before. There is a reason! Yes, vaccines are VERY important. Look at CDC research to see how prevalent these diseases are and the mortality rates which can help with your decision. Vaccinations also do not protect everyone 100% but they are important. If you can wait, if you can break them out individually so your child's body can process each one without being overloaded - this is so much better! Even doctors disagree on the safety of the vaccines. DO NOT ASSUME YOUR DOCTOR IS EDUCATED ON THE TOPIC OR ANYTHING -educate yourself. I love my doctor because she listens to my concerns and understands that medicine is like a mystery - look at the show HOUSE - diagnostic medicine is like being a detective! Do you think your Ped or GP knows everything? THEY DO NOT. A doctor that snubs your concerns, thoughts, or can't admit that there are things they do not know is arrogant and not a doctor to be trusted. Those doctors are more likely to miss things and make mistakes.

Bottom line to protect your kids but don't overload them. Let their bodies handle things one at a time. That also lets you know what vaccines cause issues with your child. We are exposed to so many more chemicals and radiation - just from the SUN because of the weak magnetic field our planet currently has. That is why cancer is on the rise. About 35 years ago there was a new preservative in food that was "safe" and a bunch of severely mentally handicapped kids were born shortly there after - it was found to be that preservative. But this info didn't happen right away. They swore it was safe up and down. Aspertame is "safe" too (LMAO if you BELIEVE that) I just try to keep my kids exposure to all the chemicals I can. I don't pretend to believe that organic food is chemical free but I use to to hopefully limit things - I make more from scratch instead of a box. Like one poster said - these problems are from a "perfect storm" of elements. Just try to limit them and spread these things out as much as possible. Don't make your child battle the whole army at once. Smaller battles at a time are easier to win. I pray they do figure out why our kids are facing these challenges so we can stop this from happening all together

OH - the autoimmune thing - the reason I think this is in autistic children the connective tissues in the brain become damaged and don't transmit info properly - the body itself attacks it. If that isn't autoimmune I don't know what is. I am no doctor but that is what I got from it. Lupus, fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Scleroderma, asthma, alopecia, the list goes on and on. Some have them and some don't - why? who knows but most are caused by a constant irritant that your body stops fighting. Food for thought.

Gail - posted on 07/21/2010

Very well said :-)

Chloe - posted on 07/21/2010

every child is different, some are allergic to peanuts, others allergic to pollen, some have no allergies at all. You CAN NOT vacinate every child with the same vacines and not expect any of them to react. You know your own child, the decision is up to the parents, everyone has there own reasons. Think about it you dont know if your child has allergies until he is older because we dont generally feed babies the array of foods that we give our toddlers, i think if you are going to vaccinate, its totally up to the parents, but why not wait until your child is older if you are going to do it. But to think that if you vacinate 100% babies all those 100% will react the same way is just being silly. Also... who is writing these articles? mm Drs... what do drs rely on?? Vacination companies for income etc... so you cant tell me that these articles that have been posted arent just a wee bit biased...

Keely - posted on 07/21/2010

the link between vaccines and autism has not been proven. only one doctor "found" the link and he lost his license years later and his research is not credible. also kids who were never vaccinated have been diagnosed with autism so that kinda disproves the relationship right there. i was very concerned about giving my son his vaccines but i changed how he received them. i only allowed two shots at a a time and i waited a month before going in for more to make sure his little body adjusted to the vaccines it was given. i plan on waiting till he is older than 1 to give him the MMR shot though. I am still nervous about that shot.

KAREN - posted on 07/21/2010

i dont know which vaccines you've game him. i only recomend tetanus toxoid

Amanda - posted on 07/21/2010

When I arrived at the hospital to have my son, I had been in labor for 3 days and on NO SLEEP. They were giving me clip board after clip board of papers to sign. I just signed everything. Then, 4 hrs after he was born he was given the Hep B shot and immediately started having seizures. Now tell me that's not directly related?? We lived at Children's Mercy for 2 weeks and was finally told it was the shot. I think that it's a little strange that America is the only country with the autism rates as high as they are. Asia only has a 1% autism rate and they do not start vaccinations until 3 yrs of age. My 5 yr old did not get ANYMORE shots until 4 yrs of age and my 8 mo. old has not received any shots and will not until after 4 yrs. My kids will not come in contact with most of the things they try to prevent in the first 7 yrs of life (like Hep B). I just do not feel they r necessary at such a young age. Plus, all these kids keep going for their 1 yr vaccines and have something happen directly afterward: either die of what looks like shaken baby syndrome and the parents go to prison, OR they end up with autism. It was my motherly instinct to refrain from vaccinations as my older son had a direct response from the shots. I am not telling you what to do by any means,just telling you my story. Educate yourself completely before making the decision as I deeply wish I had when I had my first baby.

Sarah - posted on 07/21/2010

http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/06-...

Chloe - posted on 07/21/2010

thank you Karen, would you recomend that i wait till he is older (he is almost 3) or not do it at all?

KAREN - posted on 07/21/2010

I strongly recommend you: don't vaccine him anymore. I'm a medical doctor from peru, and in my experience and because of my education, vaccines are not prove to protect your child. you could find many studies that say it's ok, but there are also many others that don't recommend it. For your owm sake. Dont do it. I didn't vaccine my two years old child.

Kim - posted on 07/21/2010

As a parent it is your own personal decision. If the thought of the vaccine makes you uncomfortable then don't do it and wait til your baby is a little older. My daughter is 14 months old and we did not do the mmr and varicella for those reasons and her MD did not have any problems with my decision. They have to have the shots before they can go to school, so do what you think is right for your family

Chloe - posted on 07/21/2010

unless you have a child that has a weakened immunity who already had some autistic qwerks (not any more but he did) would you willingly take the chance and make the decision to immunize him. What if the next day those autistic behaviours came on with avengance? How could you forgive yourself for making that decision that has changed your child for the rest of his life? Could you do that? Because i cant and wont at least till he is a lot older and his imune system is completely 100%.

Tanya - posted on 07/21/2010

I feel very strongly about this - I am a lecturer at a medical school. The doctor who published the flawed study linking MMR to autism has now been struck off. The study was flawed and has since been totally disproven. There are no links between vaccines and autism - it's just that the public have gotten hold of a flawed study and blown it out of proportion. The single vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella (available privately but not on the NHS as they are not recommended) are less effective than the MMR (and why would you want to stab your child three times instead of one!). There has been a recent epidemic of measles because of so many people not getting their children vaccinated. Measles can actually be very serious - sometimes leading to blindness or brain diseases. Mumps can leave boys infertile, rubella is extremely danderous in pregnant women - so these are not just simple childhood diseases. Yes he is healthy now - and thepoint of vaccination is to ensure that he stays healthy!

Chloe - posted on 07/21/2010

my little boy had allergies and a few other health issues, it was thought that he may have some of the signs of autism. We did not vaccinate him after his 1st 2 shots for this reason. I think if your child is perfectly healthy with no signs of anything a little strange then i think you are ok to immunize your child. But because our little boy already had a weakend immune system and few autistic qwerks we didnt go any further as the injections effect there imune systems and if there immunity is already weakened then the side effects would have a higher chance of it all going wrong. When you are a new parent for the 1st time you dont know about shots, so you go with whatever your dr wants as you think he knows best. Research the injections and what is in them, you will be shocked and horrified as to what you will find..

Janet - posted on 07/21/2010

I'd spend a few minutes reading up on the whooping cough that is currently going around, that children are getting becuase they don't have their vaccination, carried by adults that didn't get their vaccinations (often from other countries).

Debbie - posted on 07/21/2010

When I had kids I swore I would get them shots cuz my mom and dad got us our shots. My husbands parents raised them without shots. They are fine. When we had our first child we did get him his shots up to about 6 months. Then I stopped. I didn't like to see him go through that or the side effects it had. Whether it be rash or fever. My second 2 kids I did not get any shots. I now see a difference in my first child and my second and third child. The first has ADD and cannot focus very well and is a follower more than a leader. My other 2 are very much leaders and will get the job done. I love them all but they are so different. I do think about the shots and what if I hadn't gotten them. But you never know. Do your research. If I had to do it all over again, I would not have gotten him shots. Good Luck!

Melissa - posted on 07/21/2010

Who gains anything from saying there is a link between Austism and vaccines? Why would this be spread so vast? There is no financial gain to anyone who supports the link. Who does stand to gain for pro-vaccines? Vaccines companies!
Money speaks louder. Don't forget the society we live in. Money TALKS! It's the autistic children affected that can't.
There's something wrong with the over-vaccination of our children, but because your child isn't or hasn't yet been affected you choose not to see it!?
The studies are shut down and then noted and reported as "disproven". How do you think that happens? Money talks!

Steph - posted on 07/21/2010

Michelle~
This is a subject that many moms struggle with. We have chosen to not vaccinate our kids, and they are the healthiest kids I know. You as the parent get to make health decisions for your kids, not the government or anyone else. You can always stop vaccinating now, and then later if you decide to give him a few select ones, you can always do that. Many other developed countries don't start vaccinations until after the kids are 2. If you are worried about getting your son into school, don't. There are exemptions in every state that only require you to fill out a form and give it to the school. Many vaccine experts say that the benefits of mass or "herd" vaccination outweighs the risk. I'm not willing to put my child's health on the line like that. I did 9 months of research while I was pregnant with my first son, who will be 4 soon, and concluded that my kid was created to live and thrive without the chemicals from vaccines polluting his body. Just make the choice that is right for your kid, and don't let anyone tell you that you made the wrong choice!!!

Melissa - posted on 07/21/2010

Vaccines are the cause of the rise in Austism cases...full stop! The media doesn't want anyone to know because vaccines are a multi-billion dollar industry, and well, the uber-rich wouldn't be so rich anymore. And surprise!...the uber-rich are who control all the ads who promote vaccines. So many people, even doctors and nurses, believe in all the hype too; saying things to scare you like, "There are diseases that will kill your kid". Not so much - they are just repeating what the vaccination companies say. Some of the diseases that the vaccines protect against have cures and the ones that don't - you have more of a chance of getting hit by a bus walking down the street than getting them. I'm still torn too at times. However, my daughter has epilepsy and at her last yearly exam, her VERY mainstream pediatrician decided NOT to vaccinate her. This is a pediatrician with pro-vaccination posters lining her office!! I saw this as a 'sign' of sorts that told me there's more than meets the eye with vaccines. That maybe even doctors know something more about the autism/vaccine link that they aren't telling us. Why would she choose NOT to vaccinate my daughter on the premise that she has a brain disorder? Hmmmm....seems fishy to me.

Anyway, this is an EXTREMELY contraversial topic. Mainly because there is such a push from the vaccine companies guilting us into pumping our kids with diseases (yes, the vaccines contain the very disease they are supposed to protect against and in some cases the disease will break through) and toxins.

VERY IMPORTANT!!!!

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO VACCINATE FOR YOUR CHILD TO ATTEND SCHOOL! No matter what the schools say. There is a simple form on your state's website that you have to fill out and get notarized that they keep with your child's records. In the rare event of an outbreak of one of the ancient diseases arrises at the school, they have your child stay at home, excused until it is clear. But this is extremely rare.

We DO NOT live in a communist country (yet). They can not tell us what to put into our bodies or our children's bodies. It is ONLY a recommendation. This is not usually how it comes across. It comes across as irresponsible if you don't vaccines. It is high time that parents who do WITHOUT questioning be looked at as irresponsible. They take their kids to the doctor, sign a lengthy document with a bunch of warnings on the vaccination process, probably without even reading it...how is that responsible?

Jennifer - posted on 07/21/2010

You can look at National Vaccine Information Center's website at www.nvic.org
The bottom line is while one Dr. is informed of risks vs. benefits another with counter that opinion. You make the decision. It's your child.

A - posted on 07/21/2010

Bravo Julia! "Vaccines with a dose of caution". My point exactly!

Julia - posted on 07/21/2010

I want to second the recommendation of the Sears Vaccine Book. It is thorough and easy to read. It has the adjusted shot schedule in it. My son gets no more than 2 at one time. We take him for shot-only visits, but I think the extra time and co-pay are totally worth it. He will be fully vaccinated before Kindergarden. My mom is a pediatric nurse, and the things she has seen make me want to have my son vaccinated against the preventable. There are so many other unknowns out there. I think vaccines with a dose of caution and common sense are important. (5 or 6 at one time seems insane!) The choice is yours, but speak to medical professionals and seek reliable medical sources.

A - posted on 07/21/2010

http://www.nvic.org/NVIC-Vaccine-News/Ju...

A - posted on 07/21/2010

No, actually. You get waivers to put your kids in school unvaccinated. Which I'm personally not going to do, btw... just letting you know.
http://www.unhinderedliving.com/statevac...

Athena - posted on 07/21/2010

Yeah um.... the link between autism & vaccines is a load of crap. Look how many kids there are in the country.... all of which have had vaccines.... how many of them have come up with autism? & how do they know its because of vaccines? How do they know its not something they were born with but by a year is when symptoms produce themselves? Besides if you ever plan to put your child in school, they have to have their vaccines in order to attend.

A - posted on 07/21/2010

Indeed- the problem is that there is "evidence" for both camps. Look ladies, I don't think there's one of you on here NOT doing what you feel is best for your child. This is scary. There is no easy answer. Here are some things to make you go "hmmmm";

There are members of the CDC who have personal interests (shares and patents) in vaccines that have come out. Of COURSE they'll claim it's safe.

EVEN if Thimerasol or mercury has been removed from a vaccine, that simply means they've put another adjuvant in- usually aluminum, which- according to some, is MORE toxic than mercury.

Don't get me started on Dr Wakefield. Disproven? By whom, exactly? What is their interest in this? Do I think he did a bad job? It SOUNDS that way, but he has answers to the challenges. I think he's a glitch in the system, and they needed to get rid of him.

I'm NOT opposed to vaccines. But Y'all need to relax and let every mother do what her heart tells her & not get on her case either way about "Your child is harming mine... blah blah blah." In THAT case, YOU women who ARE vaccinating are harming MY child who will be vaccinated later because apparently, Pertussis is back BECAUSE OF THE VACCINE. It's caused a more virulent strain, just like anti-biotics due to overuse. (HOW bugs know this is a mystery to me!) But rather than get on your case about it, we give Vit D, I breastfeed exclusively, wash our hands after being out in the world before touching our son, and I won't blame others for their, and my- best informed choices. We will likely never know the "right" answer, and perhaps there isn't one.

I HAD chicken pox twice. BADLY both times. THe first when I was 2, the second when I was 31. Our bodies should not be given drugs to do what it does naturally- to some extent. We NEED to get sick sometimes to build a healthy immune system. Again- I BELIEVE IN VACCINES. LIke I had as a kid- three maybe? Five? Not 24+.

When my son was born I had been tested for Hep B, so he did not need the vaccine... which wears off in 7 years. I suspect he will not be into hard drugs or wild women by the time he's 7. We'll re-address this once he hits the teen years.

Moderation, please. Understanding. It seems that the pro-vaccine camp is very panicky and sometimes aggressive with their views, and the anti, or semi(?)-anti vaccine camp is very much the minority and misunderstood. For those of you in the pro-vaccine camp, hearing that the Pertussis vaccine is causing the outbreaks, are you okay with me blaming YOU for causing harm (or possible harm) to my child?

Has anyone here been told that the only cases of Polio in this country lately have been CAUSED by the vaccine? (I admit, after a few rants above I did skim a bit. I'm sure I missed a few good bits.)

Again, Ladies! We are ALL desperately trying to keep our kids safe. We are NOT trying to harm each other's children. Let's offer suggestions without guilt, ay?

Laura - posted on 07/21/2010

Anyone who tells you not to get vaccines is an idiot! There is no link between autism and vaccines. It was all coincidence and was being disproven by scientists when Jenny McCarthy announced that her son was autistic because of shots. People who are unable to think for themselves freaked out. Any disease that your child gets vaccinated for is way worse than any side effect, even if autism was among those effects. Vaccines are only effective if enough people get them to keep these diseases from spreading. So, do your child and the world a favor and continue the vaccines. Thank you!

Ronnell - posted on 07/21/2010

I have three teens and they were all vaccinated for everything when they were young,none of them have Autism.My daughters have been vaccinated with the Gardisil vaccine and my son is getting it too.My children also received the Varicella vaccine when they were very young,to prevent chicken pox.I don't know much about Autism being caused by vaccinations,that is a new one on me? But,do what you think is best for your son :).

Narci - posted on 07/21/2010

Autism does not come from vaccines! And in response to those moms who think vaccines are bad foryour child, maybe you should talk with a mom whose child has lived through polio, or whooping cough. Vaccines keep our children at large, safe. There are of course some instances when children get sick from vaccines and it causes major problems (usually developemental delays) but the number of people effected negatively is VERY slim in comparison to those who vaccines help. Of course you need to go through with what makes you feel safe but the alternative to vaccines is getting these terrible diseases and hoping your child lives through them. I understand not wanting ALL the vaccines available (I held off on getting the chicken pox vaccine for my kids until they were about to start preschool) but I believe you should stay current on at least some of the vaccines.

Colleen - posted on 07/21/2010

Recent studies by the CDC (The Center for Diseas Control and Prevention) has proven NO link to the thimerosal that is used occasionally in some vaccinations (mostly to help prevent the spread of infection when actually giving out the vaccinations).
The original study that was done by ONE physician in England was proven wrong considering the conditions that he did his study...he took the blood samples of five of his child's friends at his birthday party, with one of the children actually being autistic. And yes, this guy lost his medical license for conducting his "study" in such an unethical manner.
The truth is without vaccinations what any parent is doing is allowing their child to be susceptible to some rather horrendous illnesses that may cause severe injury or even death, which is why the creation of these vaccinations were so astoundingly wonderful. So technically, the threat of not vaccinating your child is more than if you do. Also, you are putting all the other children your child comes into contact with at threat to those illnesses and diseases, too.
The whole let's-blame-vaccinations-on-causing-autism was a desperate attempt for parents who were desperate (and rightly so) to find a blame for what made their child ill.
Our 16-month old son has received all of his vaccinations thus far, and both my husband and I were completely vaccinated in youth, and we are perfectly healthy and normal full-functioning adults.
Conspiracy theorists will ALWAYS try to scare parents away from making the right and rational choice...it is up to the parent, but the research and evidence is there for the taking. Good luck!

A - posted on 07/21/2010

We're not vaccinating until our son is 2. Until then, he's living a rather quiet life at home with my husband and myself, he won't go to daycare and will likely be home schooled. (Relax people! He'll be socialized with home-school groups!) Then we'll do appropriate vaccines in single-doses only. Watch "Shoot 'em Up"- the vaccine documentary. There will never be proof vaccines cause autism, but there is also no proof they don't. However there IS way too much anecdotal reporting that suggests it is related. That said, we also removed every toxin from our home we could, I had natural childbirth with no drugs given to our son at birth. We do believe it's about more than just vaccines. I've come to the conclusion too that it's about your Google search terms. A friend of mine who got the epidural & vaccines types in, "Are vaccines safe? Is an epidural safe?" Whereas I type in, "WHY vaccines are not safe... " etc. You'll find the answers that correlate most to what you want to read, if you're not careful.

Kimberly - posted on 07/21/2010

I know people who have vaccinated and their children are not the same. I suggest you research like crazy. Dr. Sherri Tenpenny is a doctor who has done tons of research on vaccines and she has lots of info. Books, videos, etc.

Wendy - posted on 07/21/2010

I think that blaming autism on vaccines is bologna. I believe autism is more related to tv watching, movies and video games. I have two grown children who have had all vaccines and are healthy as can be. I run a daycare in my home and I had one family who did not vaccinate their child, then one day I got a call from them telling me that their child had some disease which, if she was vaccinated, she would not have had. Anyway, because I have a daycare, I had to report this disease and the cdc was then in touch with them. Turns out, this child never even saw the dr, the parents self diagnosed. They finally brought her to the dr to discover that she did not have that disease. I wish I could turn away a child who does not get shots. She was the sickest little girl and passed illness around the daycare. Thankfully, she is now in school and is no longer my problem.

Julie - posted on 07/21/2010

I am the mom of 5 autistic children (all biological). My oldest had every vaccine at its scheduled time and is my highest functioning child. I also have 1 child that had no vaccines and was diagnosed autistic at age 2....what I do is get the vaccines, but 1 at a time.

Barbara - posted on 07/21/2010

Your son will be fine. If you are concerned, asked for the combo shots to be given individually. Diseases like measles, mumps, etc are on the rise because children are not being vaccinated. They pose a greater risk to your son. I know someone who suffered with polio as a child and who recently suffered a recurrence of the disease. Not fun. Autism is on the rise, partly because there is this HUGE umbrella called autism and lots of disorders are being put under it, whether they belong there or not. My guess is there is money in autism research now and researchers want a piece of it. As a special educator for 34 years, I have worked with some autistic kids. Over the course of my career, I did not see a rise in the population at any school I worked in.

Cynthia - posted on 07/21/2010

autsim in inheritied and has nothing to do with vaccines, its been disproven again and again but thanks to the anitvaccine freaks rumors will never die about vaccines. become informed, do your research and talk to your doctor on any vaccine concerns you have so you can get the facts!

Rebekah - posted on 07/21/2010

The link of autism from immunisations has been disproven. It is much safer to have the shots. They are there for a reason.

Laura - posted on 07/21/2010

The decision is ultimately up to you, however be aware that recent studies have found absolutely no link between Autism and vaccines. The British doctor who originally made the claim has lost his license the original research has been heavily questioned. People want to blame Autism on something and don't stop to realize that the cause may be a number of things, including damage to the parent's genes. My personal belief is that the rise in Autism is linked to the food we eat that contains chemical preservatives, food dyes, and high fructose corn syrup. That is my hypothesis but I haven't seen the research to back it up or refute it...

Karen - posted on 07/21/2010

If you do proper research as I did, you'll find there is no correlation between vaccines and Autism. Autism shows in a child at around 2 years of age, so people go into panic mode and think 'oh its the vaccines' and then don't vaccinate their child anymore. If your child is going to be Autistic - I'm sorry there is nothing you can do about it Vaccine or no vaccine. If you want your child to be as healthy as they can be, vaccinate. Parents not vaccinating their children are causing more and more diseases that were otherwise stamped out to come back into the population and spread them around. Talk to your doctor and make an informed decision, don't listen to panicked parents!

Suzanne - posted on 07/21/2010

There is no proven link between autism and vaccines and the doc who proposed the "theory" recently lost his medical license in England.

Eleni - posted on 07/21/2010

Check out PBS Frontline report! Excellent, to date, documentary on vaccines and the controversy surrounding it. I say, vaccinate!

Cassie - posted on 07/21/2010

Keep up with the vaccines. My son is autistic and I have done a lot of research to try to find a link... so far I have come up with nothing.
The main reason that I seem to have found that people seem to think there is a link is coincidence. THe time they have their vaccines and the time you first notice Autistic Tendencies is around the same time

Victoria - posted on 07/21/2010

The problem is that children do not start showing classic signs of autism until the age that they start receiving the vaccines that supposedly cause autism. This is also the time where you can defiantly see that the child is not meeting certain milestones in their development. This whole scare began when they changed the classifications for autism. Children used to have to show all 9 signs of autism before they were considered autistic. Now there are 15 signs and they only have to show 7 (I believe) out of those 15. They have also classified other problems, such as aspergers, as a form of autism. I learned about this in Child Growth and Development class. I have 2 children, and have learned alot in my studies to be an Elementary Educator.

Karen - posted on 07/21/2010

as a nurse i have seen and looked after children who have developed complications from measles, chicken pox, polio etc and unfortunately some of them did not survive.
So when I had children I vaccinated them so as to prevent having that experience...
THE CHOICE is yours, you need to decide what is best for you and your family

Megan - posted on 07/21/2010

As has been stated, the ONLY study which found a link between autism and vaccination has been disproven and retracted. A link has never been found. Diseases which DO kill and or cause long term complications are on the rise because people have stopped vaccinating. Polio, TB, measles, whooping cough. We had a case last year where a baby girl too young to be vaccinated died of whooping cough, contracted from people who did not vaccinate. In the UK last year there was more than one case of death from measles. These diseases are not harmless - severe and potentially devastating complications occur from them. I have vaccinated all my kids because I would not want to risk them developing something like polio.

Jodi - posted on 07/21/2010

The reason the autism rates are so high is because the spectrum has been expanded in recent years to include many more disorders which were previously not recognised as such. Also greater awareness about autism has led to a greater number of diagnoses. The combination of both of these account for the current autism rates.