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Why do people assume the only reason for not vaccinating is fear of autism?? - Page 2

post #21 of 49
2/8/10 at 9:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jugs View Post
For me, autism wasn't on my radar because I knew nothing of the controversy when I made the decision to no longer vaccinate. My decision was based on seeing how my oldest child was reacting to his vaccinations and not knowing what they could be doing to him. Autism came much later.

There is a difference between "fear" and a healthy level of skepticism. One doesn't need to be afraid of the opposing choice in order to question its merits. I question whether vaccinating is the safest and healthiest method of disease-prevention, and whether it should be the default choice. My skepticism was validated when I discovered recently that my youngest is allergic to latex; she has never been vaccinated, which in hindsight may have saved her life because latex allergy is a contraindication for many vaccines... yet she would never have been screened for a latex allergy (or any other allergy, for that matter) before she would have been given a vaccine.

Well... having a child with autism is very challenging; I consider it a good day if I don't contemplate suicide. I embrace my child, but I don't embrace autism any more than I would embrace a heart defect or chromosomal disorder; its part of who he is and I will do everything I can to ensure him a safe, happy life... but I would take autism away in a heartbeat of I could.

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post #22 of 49
2/8/10 at 9:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pepper44 View Post
Aside from that, we know two children who were born at home unassisted and are unvaxed and they both have low functioning autism. They are from the same family, so maybe it's genetic? Who knows. Their older sister was vaccinated and is 100% normal...or neuro typical, is that the right phrase?
Are Some Cases of Autism Actually Subclinical, Congenital Attenuated Rubella Syndrome?

I believe that acetaminophen given prior to injections is also being studied as causing Autism.
post #23 of 49
2/9/10 at 12:27am
I haven't encountered this assumption from people I know personally. I see it mostly in the media and online.
post #24 of 49
2/9/10 at 3:18am
Hey, Emmeline! I read that somewhere before!?!
post #25 of 49
2/9/10 at 11:16am
Neither of my sons have been vaccinated. Not even once - and my oldest has Autism Spectrum Disorder. Obviously it was not "caused" by vaccines. I often have people ask me if I'm going to vaccinate him now and I tell them absolutely not- Autism was low on the list of reasons we chose not to vaccinate - there are many, many other side effects that HAVE to be linked to vaccines that they tell you about right in the insert. It makes no sense to me to inject known carcinogens into my children.
post #26 of 49
2/10/10 at 10:26am
OP - I had this same questions, it is mostly what our Ped brings up. for now he is ok with delaying, and I hope he will remain ok with us not vaxing at all, as we do really like the doc. Our son has only had well visits (which I really think are a waste of time, but anyway) He gave us a FAQ sheet from the CDC - we are not not vaxing out of fear, but as a PP said, a healthy dose of skeptism.

I don't know the cause of autism, any more than the cause of ADHD, but I do think both of these became more prevalent with vaccines. obviously autism occurs even in unvaxed kids, but I think it is much less likely to occur. We may never know.

And even though jenny mccarthy is very funny, I'd never base a decision for my child on a celebrity's choice. Though if her activism (or whatever) got even one person to seriously think and research their vaccine decision, then I think it is worthwhile.
post #27 of 49
2/10/10 at 12:52pm
I've just decided that from now on, my response is going to be, "Just because the only "research" YOU'VE done on it comes from predigested soundbites on the evening news, doesn't mean that's the only research I'VE done on it!" And replace "evening news" with "pharmaceutical company handouts" for when speaking to doctors.
post #28 of 49
2/10/10 at 12:57pm
Quote:
Do people really believe that autism is the only reason to think twice about vaccinating?!?
My medical in-laws assumed this is why I was delaying vaccinating my newborn. The pedi assumed this is why I was asking him about vaccines.

I think most people who advocate for vaccinating on schedule (medical people) cannot understand why someone would deny their child vaccines while in possession of a sound mind. The only reason that makes sense to them is a fear of autism or a hope to hide in the herd. They cannot think of another rational reason why a parent would delay or even choose not to vaccinate

The problem with making such an assumption, is that the advocates for vaccines on schedule haven't a hope of understanding parents who make different choices. They stay in their ivory tower of 'superior' knowledge and hurl insults at anyone who questions the current vaccination schedule.

I had never heard of the autism vaccine controversy until I was told not to fall victim to it.
post #29 of 49
2/11/10 at 4:59am
Oh, I get the same thing all the time. When I walked into the doctors office with my 6 week old, I said, Im not ready to vaccinate yet. He shut the door. "I am 100% positive that vaccines are contributing to autism. I believe its thimerosal in the vaccines. But there are a few I really think are important." And I said, "Oh, I'm not worried about autism." "Oh, what are you worried about?" Everything else. Duh! There are so many other nasty things in there, my family has a deep history of bipolar, autoimmune problems, etc.

I just read the Times article where it stated the anti-vaccine movement is all about autism. I was like, way to overgeneralize. Just remember you're not alone. No one in my family has autism, in fact, I barely know anyone with it. It was a tiny piece of a much larger picture.
post #30 of 49
2/11/10 at 8:23am
I have no idea.

I get this from my *husband* sometimes, of all places, ("Hey! They just did this study debunking autism and vaccines. Maybe we should start getting the boys immunized.") and we've had lengthy conversations about vaccines. (Or I thought we had, maybe I just gave lengthy monologues, hah!)
post #31 of 49
2/18/10 at 12:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jugs View Post
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Well... having a child with autism is very challenging; I consider it a good day if I don't contemplate suicide. I embrace my child, but I don't embrace autism any more than I would embrace a heart defect or chromosomal disorder; its part of who he is and I will do everything I can to ensure him a safe, happy life... but I would take autism away in a heartbeat of I could.



My DS has severe autism. And I completely agree with the above comment.

When he was first diagnosed, I honestly did not blame the vaccines. He is up to date as of 3 yrs old.
However, about 6 months later we found out he has a chromosome abnormality. So, my thoughts are, because of his chromosome issue, the vaccine(s) pushed him over the autism threshold. There was not one vaccine I can pinpoint, I think it was a combination.

Now we have another child who we had his chromosomes tested when he was 3 months old. He also has the chromosome abnormality and has had no vaccines other than the HepB in the hospital (which I should have been more aware at that point). He is doing so well developmentally and has hardly been sick at all compared to our oldest who has been developmentally delayed and sickly since about 6 months on.

Will my youngest still have autism? Possibly. However, my hope is that it will be milder than my oldest who has no communication at all.
post #32 of 49
3/11/10 at 5:48pm
I haven't read any of the responses yet, but I saw the title of this thread and I had to say -- OMG, ME TOO! It's SO irritating, not to mention extremely condescending.

We had a "friend" call us the day after he exposed our son to his obviously sick daughter to tell us that he thought his young daughter might have the measles, and that he felt he should call us because "you don't vaccinate because you mistakenly believe the fallacy that vaccinations cause autism."

I cannot tell you how TICKED OFF I was.
post #33 of 49
3/12/10 at 11:36pm
Your friend obviously has the mistaken belief in the fallacy that vaccines work; odd that he thought his fully vaxed daughter had the measles although he most probably vaccinated her!!
post #34 of 49
3/12/10 at 11:46pm
I do not think vaccines cause autism. I don't think they are a factor in true autism. I do believe that vaccine injuries can present a lot *like*autism, but there is a clear difference. Vaccine injuries can cause severe neurological damage, and a person can appear to be in a autism like state.
post #35 of 49
3/13/10 at 12:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by miriam View Post
Your friend obviously has the mistaken belief in the fallacy that vaccines work; odd that he thought his fully vaxed daughter had the measles although he most probably vaccinated her!!
Lol! Actually, she was about a year and hadn't had the MMR yet, I think. And his wife is a family practitioner, so there you go.
post #36 of 49
3/13/10 at 12:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by laohaire View Post
A lot of people on this thread say autism isn't even on their radar, isn't even just one of their reasons.
I would agree with a pp who said it wasn't on the radar for us when we made our decision, which was almost 11 years ago. Not that it isn't a concern at all, with what I know now, but it isn't a deciding factor for me. Our main reason for refusing vaccines was due to my husband's reactions to them, specifically DPT (changed to DTaP since then), which caused numerous problems for him as a child and because part of those reactions included a childhood history of seizures, the vaccine is contraindicated for *my* children.

Another vaccine contraindicated specifically for *my* children is the smallpox vaccine. This one is not routine for non-military personnel, but because three of my girls have eczema, being in close contact with anyone who has recently had this vaccine could be fatal for them.

Lastly, I do not buy into the belief that injecting my children with toxins and waste products produces or protects health. Whatever the current "research" claims to show about vaxxes and autism doesn't change this belief.
post #37 of 49
3/13/10 at 12:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kailey's mom View Post
Vaccine injuries can cause severe neurological damage, and a person can appear to be in a autism like state.
I don't discount this theory as plausible, but with all due respect, so what? Whatever name you want to give it, these children and their parents are really suffering and if vaccines have anything to do with it, that is a problem.
post #38 of 49
3/13/10 at 1:47pm
I'm not sure I believe there is an "autism-like" state. As there are no known chemical or biological tests to separate "true" autism from "autism-like", as of now there is no difference. Autism is diagnosed by a set of characteristics/symptoms, regardless of how they came to be; perhaps individual symptoms could be defined as "autism-like", but of the person exhibits enough of the characteristics to qualify for the diagnosis, then it is simply autism at that point. For example, apraxia on its own could be called an "autism-like" symptom, because it is one possible symptom of autism, but not enough to qualify for a diagnosis in and of itself.
post #39 of 49
3/13/10 at 2:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kailey's mom View Post
I do not think vaccines cause autism. I don't think they are a factor in true autism. I do believe that vaccine injuries can present a lot *like*autism, but there is a clear difference. Vaccine injuries can cause severe neurological damage, and a person can appear to be in a autism like state.
What is "true autism"? Autism is not a virus or bacteria; it is not diagnosed with a blood test or a cheek swab, but by behavioral observation.

If a child is developmentally normal, received vaccinations and regresses exhibiting the core symptoms below, how is that any "less" autism than someone who may be unvaxed but has the same symptoms?

 ALL Autism may be caused by an environmental trigger of genetically susceptible children. In the news last year were towns, in my state of Texas, that were downwind of industrial plants and had significantly higher rates of Autism than occur in the general population.
post #40 of 49
3/13/10 at 5:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emmeline II View Post
What is "true autism"? Autism is not a virus or bacteria; it is not diagnosed with a blood test or a cheek swab, but by behavioral observation.

If a child is developmentally normal, received vaccinations and regresses exhibiting the core symptoms below, how is that any "less" autism than someone who may be unvaxed but has the same symptoms?

 ALL Autism may be caused by an environmental trigger of genetically susceptible children. In the news last year were towns, in my state of Texas, that were downwind of industrial plants and had significantly higher rates of Autism than occur in the general population.
What I am trying to say is that I believe that some people are predesposed to having Autism. They are born with Autism. Then, there are people who have vaccine induced neurological damage. This is not true autism, what I mean by "true autism" is that the child wasn't born with it. The child was injured by vaccines.
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