Child Vaccines Causing Autism?

[mjaclyn]

I just read on Yahoo about an increasing number of parents who are claiming that because of their religion their children cannot be vaccinated for school. There are certain groups that say preservatives in some of the vaccines are linked to causing Autism in children. Is this true? I have a 1yo daughter and although it will be a few years before school starts for her, I'm worried about getting her vaccinated now. She's already been given some shots over the past few months, and only had a slight reaction to one (she felt sick for a day but didn't have a fever). I just received a reminder notice from my pediatrician about getting her a flu shot and she goes back to the doctor next week. What are your thoughts on this? I'm torn because I dont' want to take any chances with her getting Autism from a vaccine, but at the same time it would be dangerous for such a young child to get the flu. What do I do?!

Is it possible to get vaccines without the preservative that is thought to cause Autism?

[prprincess]

There was a story about this on the local news last week. They claim that it's the mercury in the vaccines that are causing it. So I plan to talk to my pediatrician about which vaccines he uses, and what they contain.

[Goofyjrzgrl]

Many parents who have children with autism are focusing on the vaccines as the cause. However, there is no medical link (as of yet) that connects the two.
Austism is usually not diagnosed until age 1-2 years... the same time that many of these vaccines are given. Doctors do not link the two-but are rather saying that it is only chance that the time of the vaccine- and the time when symptoms begin to occur are coinsiding.
If you are concerned, like many parents are, you could choose to split the vaccines up--- don't do all of them at once... and look into more reliable sources and talking to your doctor instead of depending on sites like yahoo.com for medical information. This is an issue that many parents have to deal with- your doctor will be more than willing to discuss it with you. And also, ask for second opinions- try to talk to more than one doctor before you make a decision. Advances in autistic treatment is becoming greater since more children are being diagnosed every year. Read some books and do some research before you start to get nervous. :thumbsup:

[SBETigg]

So very many kids get vaccinated and do not show any signs of autism.

[Strmchsr]

Most of the mercury has been taken out of vaccines in the last few years, so that's really not something to worry about and was probably not the issue to begin with. However, there are other things which can go wrong with vaccine. A vaccine overwhelms a child's immune and neurological system. Most children are able to deal with this. Some are not. For those who aren't this allergic reaction can lead to complications, with autism among them. Diabetes is another. While most studies in the United States ignore potential complications or try to uphold the status quo research being done in Europe, especially, has shown a fairly strong link between vaccines and other problems.

mjaclyn, the mild reaction you described with your daughter is normal and really shouldn't be a cause for concern. When my son got his first round of shots he ran a high fever and literally screamed for 3 days as if in extreme pain. After lots of research and talks with his doctor we're now pretty sure that this reaction is what caused his diabetes. This extreme reaction caused his immune system to get out of whack, and attack his own body. Even after the one round he shows very, very mild symptoms of autism (like not always reacting well to outside stimuli). Had we given him a second round, it probably would have gone full blown. As it is, we deal with the diabetes. We also decided not to vaccinate our youngest because chances are if one has this kind of reaction, the second will, too.

Vaccinations are a gamble. The overwhelming probability is that your child will be fine, but that is not guaranteed. I think the chances for you are even higher because your daughter had 1 round without a severe reaction. Just do lots of research and make the decision best for you. I think vaccinations are a good thing, most of the time, but they damaged my child so I certainly want to caution others about the potential danger.

[DVC2004]

My oldest is high functioning autistic. He was a very normal baby, hit all his milestones. It was when he was a toddler we began to notice signs. But he has come along way and is overall a pretty normal kid now.

For several years now some have theorized vaccines may be a possible cause. I really don't know. Both of my children were immunized and only one has the issues. Really I don't focus on the cause at this point, just how to proceed in the best interest of my son. We may never know. Thankfully he is doing very well. I heard 1 in 156 kids are diagnosed as autistic. Is it really an increase or is it something doctors are now more aware of nowadays therefor explaining the increase in diagnosis.

All this being said, if you choose not to immunize you will not be able to send your child to school. Schools require immunization records and immunizations to be complete before allowing your child to attend. So right now unless you are planning to home school parents really don't have many options.

[DVC2004]

So very many kids get vaccinated and do not show any signs of autism.

Very true.

[mttafire]

The dangers of NOT getting vaccinated FAR outweigh any (possible) danger of getting one.
The media imho..Has caused unneeded concern. As for us, We have D.S. (2.4) and D.D. (4 weeks old) We have and WILL continue to protect them and get proper vaccinations.

[prprincess]

Most of the mercury has been taken out of vaccines in the last few years, so that's really not something to worry about and was probably not the issue to begin with. And I ask myself why I continue to watch our local news, let alone, take heed in what they say???? Thanks for the informative post.

[Mickey'sGirl]

I say beware of the media. It seems that its purpose of late is to cause a certain amount of panic in us! Jenny McCarthy's new book seems to have sparked additional interest in this theory as well.

Both of my children are autistic -- DS9 has Aspergers, and DS3 has ASD. Both were vaccinated. Given the opportunity to go back and do it all again, I would have them both vaccinated.

There has been debate forever concerning vaccines -- I read one article warning us of the "chip" that is being injected at the time so that Big Brother can track us or test us easily. The major true concern that I would have would be the mercury that was once contained in the serums as Chris said. The mercury would not cause the issue, but is thought to be able to trigger any pre-dispostition already there.

I caution you all to speak with your doctor about the potential risks of using vaccines in your child -- not just for "causing autism" or contributing to other health factors. I also encourage you to read solid facts in journals or health department literature -- don't count on the Web as your only research tool.

In the end, only you can decide what is best for you and your child. In Ontario, your child can not attend school unless he or she is vaccinated. Our children were, and are regularly vaccinated -- but their schedule is spaced so that they are not receiving great globs of stuff all at the same time.

[bjlaac]

Don't limit yourself to just researching whether Mercury might be included or not. Do thorough research and you will find lots of things to consider.

For example, there are two choices for polio vaccines, active and inactive. The active version is easier for the medical profession to logistically handle and administer, but has caused children to actually contract polio because it is a live virus. It also can casue non vaccinated children to be infected with polio if they come in contact with their waste. If you check recent yahoo news articles you will see an outbreak in africa causing many children to contract polio. The doctors will say its worth all the risks, but look into the eyes of yuor child and think how you would feel giving him/her an active polio virus?. The non active is much more safer, but to be fair there are risks also.

Other vaccines are medical money makers and they only protect for one year or less.

Do the research and you will see lots of reasons that MOST vaccines are not necessary.

[mjaclyn]

Just to clear this up - I don't depend on Yahoo.com for medical advice. It was just a news story that caught my attention because my DD has been immunized before and is scheduled for another one next week. I do a lot of research and plan to speak to my pediatrician about my concerns. I started this thread to see what others had to say on the subject.

[kakn7294]

I agree that there are thousands of kids who are vaccinated every year with no long term ill effects. Both of my DD's have received their vaccinations. I feel that it's much safer to have a child vaccinated than suffer the illnesses and potential complications - many of which I see now in my nursing career because my patients sometimes didn't get their shots as a child and had certain diseases that lead to complications later in life. I'm actually good example of that myself - because I had not yet been vaccinated, I got the measles for my first birthday (some present, huh?) and as a result, I am nearly deaf in my right ear. Given a choice, I'd much rather have suffered the vaccination and been able to have full hearing. I feel the benefits of vaccinations far outweigh the risks. I strongly feel that the rise in autism cases has more to do with improvements being able to diagnose children far better than in the past rather than anything to do with vaccinations. However, you must do your research and decide what is best for you and your children. Remember too, that your children will most likely be required to have certain vaccinations to enter school and not having them would require you to either scramble to catch them up on their shots or provide proof of religious reasons why they didn't get them (which may result in a moral dilemma).

[Mickey'sGirl]

Sorry mjaclyn! I didn't mean to imply that you did -- I just wanted to throw that caution out there. I have several friends -- and a mother who count on the media as their main source of information. A good parent always questions if you ask me. :thumbsup:

[kakn7294]

You know, I just thought of something kinda funny after I posted here. I thought of the flu shot thread also running here and I posted on there yesterday. I'm all for childhood vaccinations, but I refuse to get a flu shot...

[SBETigg]

It's an interesting topic. It's so scary being a parent, isn't it? There's just so much information to sort out. I have teens and I thought I was done with worrying over the immunization questions, but now there are new vaccines for this age group, too, with new sets of worries. So much to consider, always. Better to bring it up and ask questions than to go through it all without any information, right? :thumbsup:

[mjaclyn]

Sorry mjaclyn! I didn't mean to imply that you did -- I just wanted to throw that caution out there. I have several friends -- and a mother who count on the media as their main source of information. A good parent always questions if you ask me. :thumbsup:


No problem! :thumbsup: I definitely agree with you!

[merlinmagic4]

It's a personal decision but one that affects more than your child. Just do your research (I'm sure you will). I was worried about vaccinating my 18 month old but I knew I had to do it. Actually , we weren't sure we could give him the MMR or Varicella because they are live vaccines and my older son is immune suppressed. He did get them, thank goodness.

I have also worried about tv viewing, which they are also linking to autism but we are watching Sesame Street almost every day now!

Autism is tough and I think people are desperate for answers. I know I would be.

[Scrod]

There are vaccines for most immunizations that are thimerosal-free (that is the preservative that contains mercury). You can ask your Dr. to use those to give you more peace of mind. The FDA has a list of all the common childhood immunizations and which ones contain mercury here (http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t1)

HTH

[mermaidmarian]

It's an interesting topic. It's so scary being a parent, isn't it? There's just so much information to sort out. I have teens and I thought I was done with worrying over the immunization questions, but now there are new vaccines for this age group, too, with new sets of worries. So much to consider, always. Better to bring it up and ask questions than to go through it all without any information, right? :thumbsup:

Absolutely. We want the decisions to be easy, but they never ever are.

One aspect of this discussion I think is often lost is that few of us who are making vaccine decisions for our children are old enough to remember when the lack of vaccine made the risks that children would not survive childhood much greater than they are today.

Do I think that there are risks associated with vaccine? Yes. Do I want to be more informed and have ongoing research to establish what connections and correlations may exist between common vaccines and contemporary disorders on the rise, such as autism spectrum and ADHD. Certainly.

Good decisions are made in balance of risk and benefit. Right now, given what we know, I think the benefit of vaxing outweighs the risk.

[Jenemmy]

Wow -- lots of responses. It is a tough call, for sure. My son has full blown autism and it really presented itself between his second and third year. Looking back, there may very well have been signs of it prior to that, but I was not educated enough in autism to be looking for them.

I can't say I believe vaccines caused his autism. When he was diagnosed, believe me -- I ran through every possible scenario as to why and I just don't have a concrete answer. Heredity and genetics play a large part, I'm sure. It could be that some kids are predisposed to the condition and the thimerisol in vaccines aggravated it.

Here's what I can tell your from my vantage point. When my autistic son was 7, I got a surprise pregnancy. I had wanted more kids, but was frankly scared. I knew my chances were 1 in 20 of having another child with autism. A month or so into the pregnancy, I had to realize that this Kiddo was all God's idea, and I just needed to let Him handle it. The result is now a 2 year old bouncy girl with absolutely NO signs of autism -- and yes, I have been watching like a hawk from day 1.

If you are feeling concern over vaccines, you can imagine how I felt about getting her vaccinated!! All the "what if" scenarios played out in my mind. I spoke to my son's Dr, who is an autism specialist, did my reading and research. Please know that you can find an arguement on the internet to back up EITHER side of the debate! What I decided to do was go ahead with vaccinations, but spread them out. There is something unsettling about them wanting to inject a 12 to 14 pound baby with 4 different vaccines at once. That's a lot for a little body! So, she had all of her shots, on time, but spread out. I got some flak from the nurses in the office as to why in the world I would do that, and I just told them I was controlling what I knew to control. So many of the autism possibilities are out of my hands, but that one isn't.

Additionally -- my son's specialist suggested that I put the MMR shot off until my daughter was 2. I did and she had it a month after her second birthday. I almost cried on the way to the Dr's office with concern -- but she is fine.
I have also heard of folks that special order the MMR shot to be 3 different vacs, instead of all wrapped up in one.

One other thing -- I don't think you need to be concerned about your DD prior vacs. Everyone I have read/talked to who believe that vacs played a role saw signs within days of getting it. The mild fever, irritability, sluggishness type reaction is pretty normal. It would be more of not making eye contact, babbling ceasing, no interest in reciprocal play -- more of a radical behavior change.

Educating yourself never hurt anyone -- good for you :mickey:

[Jenemmy]

Me again -- LOL.....I just wanted to point out also, that my oldest son had all the same vacs, in the same time frame as his younger brother and has never shown any signs of autism. Go figure??? I am just glad/relieved that autism is getting so much attention now -- maybe a cause will be found before too long....a cure to go along with it would be even better :)

[mjaclyn]

Thanks for the info! Just a quick question that's a little bit off topic - Looking back, do you remember any warning signs of your son having autism? If it's diagnosed around 2 or 3 years, is there anything you can be looking for at 1 year?

[Nate's Grandpa]

Do vaccines cause Autism?
There is no evidence to support this that I have read. Believe me, I have read everything I can on this subject. Nate has been diagnosed with Autism, so I have more than a passing interest in this subject.

My personal opinion is that it is safer to have the vaccine than to not have it.

The problem is this - no one knows what causes Autism. Until there is hard scientific proof, people are desperate for answers.

I would love to know why Nate is autistic, but at this point, I am more concerned with treatment.

[Mickey'sGirl]

Thanks for the info! Just a quick question that's a little bit off topic - Looking back, do you remember any warning signs of your son having autism? If it's diagnosed around 2 or 3 years, is there anything you can be looking for at 1 year?
There were absolutely clear signs with DS9 long before he was 1. He NEVER made eye contact... He NEVER played typically with toys ..... He would fixate on objects from day one. We knew something was up from the get go, and it took us 7 years to get a concrete diagnosis.

DS3 was less obvious, but they were there before he was 1. His issues are more sensory than his brothers -- he will only wear a certain type of sock and even as a baby would pull off offending socks and scream. Certain sounds such as the vacuum or the hairdryer would cause him to cover his ears and eyes.... bright lights would cause him to cover his eyes. The signs are there if you know what you are looking for. Thank goodness so much more information is out there! :thumbsup:

[alphamommy]

Every parent has to make their own decision on vaccination for their children. Our DD (almost 8) has received all hers, and never had any problems, but I know that isn't always the case.

I had older parents, and they were a big reason why I am in favor of vaccinations. They were old enough to remember when people died of "childhood" diseases such as measles, etc. They had family members who died from these diseases back in the days before vaccines. Their stories where enough to convince me that I didn't want to lose my child to something that could be prevented.

Good luck with your research and decision!

Tammy

[Nate's Grandpa]

Thanks for the info! Just a quick question that's a little bit off topic - Looking back, do you remember any warning signs of your son having autism? If it's diagnosed around 2 or 3 years, is there anything you can be looking for at 1 year?

With Nate, there were no signs at age 1.
However, by age 2 he had stopped saying most of the words he had used before. He also stopped making eye contact with anyone was not prone to hugging anyone.

He is much improved now after several months of therapy. He will make eye contact and he will give his grandpa a hug!

[Terra]

Currently we are delaying and then doing selective vaccinations for our son. We won't start vaccinating until he's 2 1/2 or so. We may not vaccinate at all, still on the fence about it.

I totally agree that it is a personal decision.

There were many factors in us making our decision from ingredients [which can be obtained through the CDC website to reactions. For us the risks outweighed the benefits.

If you want more information and links you can always PM me :)
See you on the mommy thread :)

[Jenemmy]

Thanks for the info! Just a quick question that's a little bit off topic - Looking back, do you remember any warning signs of your son having autism? If it's diagnosed around 2 or 3 years, is there anything you can be looking for at 1 year?

Looking back, I would have to say lack of response was the biggest and first sign. Travis (my DS) was always very responsive to me, so I didn't see it for a long time. But, almost every nursery worker at church who was in his class would pull me aside and say "Have you had Trav's hearing checked? He won't even look at us when we call his name" type of thing. I told them that if he heard the opening music from Toy Story, he would come running from anywhere in the house!! So, I knew it was no hearing problem.

Also, communication is a big thing. When Trav hit 2, he still wasn't talking. Babbling, yes...words, no. Eye contact is weak or non existant and he would really STUDY toys, but not play with them so much, if that makes any sense.

The stereotypes of not liking to be touched have never applied to my son as he will hug you senseless to this day and has always been a big cuddler.

[mjaclyn]

Thanks everyone! It's good to know that there are things we can look for now so that Autism be diagnosed early. I'm still shocked at the increase of it in recent years though - it makes you wonder if there isn't some other external cause.

Since DD has already had multiple vaccinations with no real reaction we'll probably continue on that path. I will definitely ask the pediatrician about separating the shots so that it isn't so much for her at once. Like anyone else, I just want to keep my DD happy and healthy as best I can and hopefully I'll make the right decisions. :)

[thrillme]

I'm just not convinced that vaccines have anything to do with Autism. My nephew is high functioning and is doing well. I know he's had only those shots that he HAD to have for school. My DS has had every shot that has been recommended and he's a fine straight A student. There are some varying degrees of some "mental" issues throughout my SIL's family this could be part of the problem.

Why is autism on the rise today...Environmental changes, sloppy diet, the mothers food/drug intake while pregnant and nursing...how about birth control while nursing...all of these could be factors too...

The main reason I think Autism is rising is because we're now able to diagnose it EARLIER and more detailed that we used too. Just a few short years ago there wasn't as much PRESSURE on a baby to meet all the "markers". The child "would catch up in his own time"...or perhaps a badly behaved child "just needed a little old-fashioned discipline"...If a child was diagnosed with Austism they were usually quite noticeably autistic. Now...Perhaps thousands of us adults are "high functioning" and we just don't know it. There are plenty of "high functioning" adults who are Lawyers, Vets, Programmers and many other professionals and no one would suspect other than perhaps they don't appreciate changes to routines.

I don't think it's really all that much more than has already been there I just think we're getting better at diagnosing it and our means of delivering information has peaked.

Now...as far as shots go. Why put your child or another child at risk for some of these awful diseases that can be prevented (yes even Chicken Pox CAN be dangerous).

[Mickey'sGirl]

Why is autism on the rise today...Environmental changes, sloppy diet, the mothers food/drug intake while pregnant and nursing...how about birth control while nursing...all of these could be factors too....I am pretty sure you did not mean for this to come off as offensively as it did;)... For the record, my children do not get processed food, I never took any drugs during pregnancy, and I never took any birth control.... This comment just caught me the same way as the term "refridgerator mothers" (which was the term applied to the mother's of autistic children in the past) always has.

I think that there are more diagnoses because there is more knowledge about the spectrum. Asperger's wasn't even in the books until very recent years. I think that we as parents are also more hyper about our children, so where our parents might have dismissed a behaviour as odd or anti-social, we now have a school of language to use to categorize behaviours.

[Jenemmy]

You know, it's all just a guessing game right now...but let me say that if any of you are reading this thread who has a child that is presenting some autistic tendencies or are wading through a diagnosis period, please PLEASE don't blame yourself or second guess things you have done thinking they were in your child's best interest. The first thing all the Dr's wanted to ask me was "What did you do while pregnant....were you on crack??' ACK!!!! I don't drink, smoke or do drugs and I play pregnancy by the books! Sometimes things just happen that are slightly beyond our grasp.

My little guy is one of the absolute lights of my life. Autism is not the end of the world. In fact, Travis has taught me more and made me so much better as a mom, wife and person just by his very presence. He has a smile that lights the darkest places and he is a happy little boy. He has challenges that I wish to God he didn't have to face, but I can rejoice in who he is and celebrate all his little victories with him. I wouldn't trade him for nuthin'! :D

I don't know, it just struck me that there may be parents out there just starting this sort of journey. You'll be OK.

[thrillme]

I am pretty sure you did not mean for this to come off as offensively as it did;)...

Oh no no no...I definately didn't mean ANY offense whatsoever...I guess I just meant there could be MILLIONS of different things that could be causing a rise. Environmental issues could be global warming, smog, pesticides on foods etc. I guess re-reading things it can sound like I was pointing the finger at the mother which is definately NOT what I meant. I'm so sorry.

I don't think anyone has a CLUE what the real answer is. I just don't think "vaccinations" are causing everything.

[diz_girl]

My husband and I were very concerned about vaccines that contained thimerosal. We did a lot of research before our three-month-old son Jay was vaccinated. Thimerosal use was discontinued in almost all vaccines, except in some flu shots, and the amounts contained in those are now very small.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some link between vaccines and autism. As pregnant women we are warned to not eat certain types of fish because they contain elevated levels of mercury and can cause neurological and developmental problems in children. However, mercury was injected directly into children via thimerosal in the vaccines and we are supposed to believe that there were no adverse consequences?

It's just interesting that most (not all) children diagnosed with autism are boys. My son is perfectly normal, meeting and exceeding his marks. Like any parent, I just hope that he turns out okay.

[Nate's Grandpa]

A good source of information for Autism can be found at The Autism Research Institute site.

I am not sure if this link is allowed, feel free to edit as necessary: www.autism.com

[Terra]

My husband and I were very concerned about vaccines that contained thimerosal. We did a lot of research before our three-month-old son Jay was vaccinated. Thimerosal use was discontinued in almost all vaccines, except in some flu shots, and the amounts contained in those are now very small.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if there was some link between vaccines and autism. As pregnant women we are warned to not eat certain types of fish because they contain elevated levels of mercury and can cause neurological and developmental problems in children. However, mercury was injected directly into children via thimerosal in the vaccines and we are supposed to believe that there were no adverse consequences?

It's just interesting that most (not all) children diagnosed with autism are boys. My son is perfectly normal, meeting and exceeding his marks. Like any parent, I just hope that he turns out okay.

ITA! Not to mention other ingredients in vaccines that make me concerned too: formaldehyde, monkey kidney tissue, fetal cells...

Sounds like you would like another board I belong too. We discuss vaccines quite a bit. It can get heated...lol...

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

Our three children have all received their vaccines, including flu shots.

My DD 4, had a severe reaction to her first MMR. She is due for her second one at her 4 year check up next Thursday and it is the first time we are debating a vaccine. We will make the decision then after we meet with the Ped.

I had Whooping Cough last winter. (I know someone else on Intercot did too, I just can't remember who) and it was awful. That alone makes me more comfortable with my kids getting vaccinated. I would hate to see them get that sick. Especially if a vax could possibly prevent it.

I know this is a decision that is a very personal one. We all try to do what is right for our children. My best suggestion..do your homework, drill the Ped for their suggestions, and do what you think it right. I know it is a tough call to make.

[mjaclyn]

What is the MMR vaccine?

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

What is the MMR vaccine?

Mumps, Measles, Rubella.
Our Ped gives it at 1 and 4.