With flu season here and the frenzy about both flu and H1N1 vaccinations, there has been a flury of new media attention on the reported increase in Autism and it’s causes. About 1 in 150 American children are now believed to have Autism or related conditions such as Asperger’s Disorder. Indeed, there has been as much as a 600% rise in Autism-related disorders in some states. Autism is thought to be a neurological disorder that signficantly impairs social and emotional functioning, making it very difficult for these children to connect in a meaninful way to other humans.
Popular opinion indicates that one of the primary causes of Autism involves introduction to toxins early in development, including perservatives and mercury in childhood vaccinations. Pediatric and developmental researchers who have been researching this spectrum of disorders for decades now believe that there has not been a rise in Autism at all. Instead, many scientists now conclude that there has been an increase in diagnosed cases because of better systems established in school for early detection, as well as broader definitions of symptomatology. Furthermore, many researchers now believe that the connection between the rise in Autism and the use of perserveratives such as thimerosal in vaccinations is coincidental and not truly correlated.
So with these concerns, should parents have their children vaccinated? Talk with your pediatrician. Most pediatricians have been reading and following the research and have also concluded that there is no concern about getting your chld vaccinated. Indeed, many physicians suggest that it is far more dangerous and complicated to expose children to potent diseases that can now be prevented with simple immunizations.