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What parent hasn’t considered the possibility of postponing or rejecting routine vaccinations out of fear of a link between vaccines and Autism?
Over a year ago, and with little fanfare, Dr. Wakefield’s 1998 study indicating a link between the Measels, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine and Autism was exposed as a fake. Â At that time, medical personnel worried that calling attention to the inaccuracy of the study could lead to a resurgence of vaccination avoidance and stir up the debate again.
The false link has been widely publicized recently, now that the Lancet Journal in Britain retracted the research results after it surfaced that the study’s author had published deceptive results. According to the New York Times report, “Part of the costs of Dr. Wakefield’s research were paid by lawyers for parents seeking to sue vaccine makers for damages. Dr. Wakefield was also found to have patented in 1997 a measles vaccine that would succeed if the combined vaccine were withdrawn or discredited.
As a new mother in 1998, I recall hesitating, researching the web, polling my family and friends and seriously weighing my parental responsibility to do what I had to do to keep my child healthy. I wrestled with the question constantly: Do I vaccinate or not?
Usually, when parents are presented with solid information and choices, we are able to make decisions on behalf of our children that work best for our family. I vaccinated. I worried, but I asked questions, and I forged ahead trusting our family doctor and my own judgment.
Some families in my circle of mother-friends decided not to vaccinate their children against MMR primarily because Wakefield’s research suggested the bundling of the three was unsafe.
Some parents of toddlers in our playgroup decided the onset of Autism indicators and the scheduled vaccinations seemed too coincidental to ignore and not only did they refuse MMR vaccines, but refused all vaccinations, in an effort to eliminate the risk of Autism claiming another toddler.
I know moms who went to great lengths to avoid vaccines, repeatedly filling out the necessary paperwork at school, rejecting the vaccinations for personal reasons, even when their hesitancy was met with looks of skepticism or a solid dose of patronizing head patting.
Then came the public push to promote what was thought to be Wakefield’s honest research. Movie stars began trumpeting an anti-vaccine message and Internet chat rooms filled with debates and arguments for and against vaccinations, against thimerasol, additives, preservatives, etc.
Sadly, those vaccine-avoiders neither hurt nor helped their children prevent the onset of Autism and Wakefield’s cautions and the debate that followed, actually had little affect on the rate of Autism, a diagnosis showing steady increases for children today. Autism now affects one in every 111 children and each year 1 % of children are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum disorder.
Wakefield’s study did affect children’s well-being, but in a different way than expected; over the last 12 years, thousands of toddlers were not given routine vaccinations for old childhood illnesses like measles and mumps. The very serious illnesses that our grandparents prayed would spare their own children, our now-aging parents, have returned, and are affecting today’s school-age children.
In just one generation’s time, some parts of the United States are now seeing a resurgence in these diseases and the serious complications associated with them. The only thing worse than learning the Wakefield study was faked in 1998 for the researcher’s personal gain, is the shameful fact that 12 years have been wasted investigating false leads and distracting medical researchers from identifying the true causes or triggers of Autism.
Annita Woz is a mother of 3, freelance writer and Parent Blogger for Empowering Parents.
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9 Responses
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March 2nd, 2010 at 10:09 am
I went through the exact same debate when my son was born in Sept 1998. Do I vaccinate or not, I had, had my daughter, born the year before vaccinated aat 2, 4 and 6 months with no ill effect. My son received his 2 month then his four month vaccinations and almost immediately after his four month shot he “went away” this is the best way to discribe it. He changed, his personality even at four months was starting to develope, he was a happy attentive baby and after the shot he went blank. It was very disconcerting more so to me than his father because I spent every waking minute with him and recognized the difference.
After this I did not have him vaccinated at six months, but once he was to start kindergarten it was school policy that all shots be up to date and our family doctor assured me there was no link between Autism and the vaccine. So I had him updated.
Skip forward now, he is 11 and a half and in grade six. He is ADHD with severe LD he is just now reading at a grade four level, he is on a modifide program at school because he can not retain information and most recently the possibility that he may infact be Autistic has again reared it’s head. Conicidence? My thought is this, if it is just a coincidence why would vaccinating your child have even been questioned? If there was proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that vaccines do not play a part in trigering Autism or any part of the spectrum then why does this debate exisist? If I thought for one second that my decission to have him vaccinated at four months caused this, as his parent I am devastated and outragged at the same time. Vaccines have and always will be scrutinized, look at the recent H1N1 vaccine there were those for and against it, not to mention HPV for girls. The benefits outweigh the risks they say, well risking one child is one too many.
Were do we go from here? What do I do to help my son? I can’t revese time and change my decission to have him vaccinated, it’s far too late for that. If these vaccines are so safe, then please explain why they list risks? Hind sight is 20/20 and when my kids have kids I will certainly make sure they hear my opinion on vaccinating.
Thanks for listening,
Declan’s mom.
March 2nd, 2010 at 10:59 am
Dear Anita,
You have not done your due diligence regarding this matter. For example, you have omitted the fact that the Amish have an extremely low rate of autism. The MMR vaccine for example, has egg in it, which is a common allergen. You deny Wakefield’s research, yet, what about all the research done on vaccines by the pharmaceutical company that produces it, making millions. Do you think their data is objective? What about the money factor? Furthermore, diseases can often be prevented or minimized holistically. When you vaccinate a child, you are introducing foreign proteins into that child. This is an insult upon the body. My son was negatively impacted by the MMR, and it later turned out he was allergic to egg. Why wasn’t he tested before hand for this allergen AT THE VERY LEAST!!! Medical and pharmaceutical negligence and fraud is rampant in this country. The Amish at least avoid this avenue and have far, far less problems with their offspring. Perhaps you should listen to their wisdom.
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Thank you Declan’s Mom and Elizabeth for your comments and additional questions which add to the important conversations parents should be having when it comes to the health of our children. This is exactly the forum for asking, a place where professionals parents gather to share insights and information.
We can agree that when it comes to children, responsible parents need to put the time into investigating, asking questions, weighing risks, and even then, we must admit that we frequently have no control over the outcome of our final decisions. This is the true meaning of responsible parenting– we do the best we can and we continuously challenge ourselves on behalf of our children.
Many moms and dads feel just like Declan’s Mom. The risks appear to be small, and like the hope-filled parents we are, we believe the danger will pass over our child. When it doesn’t, we struggle to find peace and if we are able, we take the energy of regret or our anger and turn it into something good as we seek to help others through what we have learned. For those parents unable to move beyond this great sadness, I urge you to seek support groups for families asking the same questions and offer your stories to help and support other parents. One place to begin is: http://autism.about.com/bio/Lisa-Jo-Rudy-18318.htm
Elizabeth- You ask some excellent questions that are not covered in this brief post. I understand that egg allergens were a concern in early 1990′s but recent studies determine that allergens and mmr vaccines are less risky than the illnesses they prevent. The Amish apparently do vaccinate their children but at lower rates, and the incidence of autism or autism spectrum symptoms do appear lower at first glance. THere are some very interesting studies about the Amish population, communication and behavioral therapies and the affect of genetics, environment and more. I agree we may be able to learn much from the Amish, perhaps may learn more that is of value even beyond vaccinations!
While it would be wonderful to be able to put 100% trust in our medicine, the research, pharmaceutical motivations and our media, the truth is that we cannot blindly follow anything and responsible parents must actively seek information and then take the next leap into the abyss of parenting worries. After vaccinations comes ear infections and antibiotics, and parenting techniques, etc.
We go into raising children thinking love is enough to keep our children safe and healthy, love should be enough to keep them strong and growing; yet when it comes to making decisions about things like vaccinations, the doctors must defer to the parents and we’d have it no other way.
We are the ones who get to make the final choices on behalf of our babies and our hearts and children carry the weight of those decisions, decisions rooted not just in love, but in doing the best we can with what we know, trusting that we will make it through this and when asked, will share whatever we learn with whomever will listen.
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:23 pm
I have been working with children and adults with severe autism for over ten years now. There is not one parent that I have spoken to that did not have their child vaccinated. My little girl was born 15 months ago, and my wife and I had made the decision years before that there was no way that we would immunise our kids.The world health organisation have specifications about what is safe as far as mercury levels in the body, so how come immunisations have roughly 50 times more than the WHO recommends is safe (body weight ratio).
I would suggest that any parent who has a child with autism, get them on a gluten free, dairy free diet. I have seen fabulous results with children I have worked with, especially if it is started early. Not having the complex protiens getting into the blood stream and entering the brain is can make a signifigant difference. Cut out processed foods and foods with additives and preserviteves. It’s not easy to do, but those diet changes can make a world of difference.
Here is some food for thought, if the percentage of children being diagnosed with autism worldwide would be approximatley 1% then what would be the percentage of people diagnosed with measeles, mumps etc if there was an outbreak. Remember the hysteria when the bird flu epidemic began. Hospitals world wide are not equiped to handle massive outbreaks of disease, it is much more cost effective for governments to immunise and have a small percent have a reaction than to try and contain a dealy epidemic.I believe it’s just a numbers game.
For those of you with autistic children I wish you all the best and I hope some of the information I have provided in this post is helpful.
March 9th, 2010 at 11:09 pm
From Huffington Post. food for thought.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenny-mccarthy/whos-afraid-of-the-truth_b_490918.html?igoogle=1
Are we ever sure, as parents, that we have all the information? that we have all the right information?
March 13th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Annita, my dear: You’ve done a marvelous job in broaching a potentially emotionally-charged topic. Considering the space limitations that we have here, it is a real challenge to cover all the bases; I think you did a great job.
What I like most about you, and about these blogs, is that I get a glimpse into what is real for ONE PARENT. It’s YOUR story, and that’s why I read it! We all have our stories, Lord knows. The point is that I need to identify with other parents at gut-level, and I have found solace and support on this site.
Frequently it’s in a vortex of huge amounts of uncertainty, anxiety, and doubt about my own parenting that I find topics to write about. I hear your voice in your articles and it’s definitely one that I can identify with!
Your posts help me feel not so alone “out there” in the big, bad parenting world. So … bless your heart! And thank you!!
March 14th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Susan, thanks for the kind words, and happy to hear the voice found you…gut level honest is truly beneficial mostly because moms and dads everywhere feel similar things, but often think they are alone in feeling the way they do. When someone hears the same stories, it gives permission to start conversations on topics that not only help us make better parenting choices, but helps parents sort our way through anxieties and the sometimes the shame about how we really feel or don’t feel… Humble honesty and gentle guidance from those who have felt the same way allows us all to break free of social or familial tradition and forge our own path to be the kind of parents we want to be but haven’t given ourselves permission to bring to life outside of our heads or hearts.
I agree with you that EP is a good place for this kind of seeking and sharing.
March 16th, 2010 at 10:00 am
How do you handle influence by other family members who by decree have unlimited access to child and will not cooperate with plan? So child is now more resistant to our direction and wants to go live with the family who believes ADHD, and all disorders are just words Drs. use to get more money for themselves and drug companies they are invested in. And they also do not see anything wrong with how he acts. Insinuation is its just us and all of his teachers, school administrators and his Dr. who have a problem. I do agree that we do have a problem. But the problem is, how do we help this boy save himself with this kind of influence by other people whom he should and does love dearly? He tells them he hates us and sometimes he tells us.
March 17th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Dear Too much,
It is extremely disheartening when the adults in children’s lives cannot agree on critical issues of behavior and intervention. It sounds like you don’t have much opportunity to make final decisions and that all the adults are not on the same page.If you are frustrated, imagine how frustrating this is for the boy who needs adults leading him. I’m sure you are as frustrated as this boy is!
A good beginning point is to connect with other families who are going thru this by connecting with a family support group in your area. THere you can get an objective opinion, develop a trusting relationship with a neutral party who can help you see all sides of the situation.
YOu may want to consider posting this question on the EmpoweringParents forum page where parents in similar situations will give you some ideas.
I agree with your efforts to help him while keeping in mind the child’s job is not to defend himself from the influence of adults, rather it is the adults job to not put the child in a position of needing to choose between one or the other adults influences in his life. He seems to be a child in the middle of a lot of squabbling adults who are pointing him in many directions and then forcing him to figure out where he is going. That would make most kids angry and confused.
WHen a child has behavior issues, they need firm, consistent and loving direction from all adults. You certainly are loving. I hope that you can find the right path so he can have a solid adult leader to follow.