The Rant

It just doesn't make sense for people to keep thinking that there is an association between the vaccine and autism. There is tons and tons of evidence to back up that their is no association. Parents are just looking for an excuse or someone to blame for this unfortunate disease. The fact that parents are suing the vaccine companies is just stupid. They are trying to get money to make them feel better about the struggles that they're going through with their autistic children.

Just the Facts: Top 10

• New studies reveal a genetic cause and find no connection to shots containing thimerosal.
• Dozens and dozens of studies and tests have shown no link between the MMR vaccine and Autism. Parents are encouraged to vaccinate their children because the risks of not vaccinating are far worse than being vaccinated.
• Food allergies and sensitivities have been shown to produce a variety of neurological signs associated with autism.
• Results from human and animal studies have indicated that the presence of Candidiasis in their diets can depress the immune system and produce toxins that attack the brain.
• Results from other studies have indicated that a constant exhaustion of the immune system by Candidiasis can result in a range of disabilites, including autism.
• Dietary diseases such as Celiac Disease can cause autism beahviors to become present in an individual. Children with autism benefit when gluten is taken out of their diets.
• Women who live near California farm fields sprayed with organochlorine pesticides may be more likely to give birth to children with autism, according to a study produced by state health officials.
• Years of birth records were examined and scienties found that women of Central Valley, California who lived within 500 meters of sprayed fields were six times more likely to give birth to an autistic child than mothers who did not live near the fields.
• 1% of people with autism had variations in their chromosome 16. This is just a little piece of the puzzle, but it helps to find the cause of some autism cases.
• 89% of autism causes are still needed to be solved, but scientists are optimistic that future research and technological advances will give us the answers needed.

What Experts Say

There are many qualified people presenting information to the public about Autism. I recently went to a presentation at the public library. The speaker was Kenneth F. Reeve PhD, BCBA, who is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at Caldwell College. He is a certified behavior analyst who specializes in studying the behavior of Autistic children. He said that the MMR vaccine did not cause autism. He did say, "Dozens of studies have proven that there is no link between the vaccine and autism. I feel more strongly that certain diets can cause autism." Mary L. Hediger, Ph.D., a biological anthropologist in the National Institutes of Health and Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center's Division of Epidemiology, Statistics and Prevention Research agrees with Dr. Reeve. She says, "Parents of [Autistic children] may wish to include a dietitian in their children't health care team, to ensure that they receive a balanced diet." There have been other known discoveries of causes and have dismissed the vaccine cause. Pesticides in California farm fields have recently been linked to an increase in autistic children. Susan Kegley, senior scienties of Pesticide Action Netweork North America said, "This is one of the first papers that links the use of pesticides to incidence of [autism] and the findings are very strong. There aren't too many studies that have findings such as this." The risks are much higher for these Californian residents. Dr. Mark Horton, director of the California Department of Public Health stated, "The good news is we've used a new research technology to generate hypotheses and possible associations, so we are making progress in the battle to get more information about the cause of autism." Andrew Zimmerman the director of medical research at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders in Baltimore found that certain genes have been noticed in children with autism. He said, "This finding [that children with autism share a variation on chromosome 16] really nails it." He stated that researchers triple-checked their work and also found the same genetic anomalyh in people checked in hospitals in Boston and even Iceland. Eric Fombonne, an autism researcher who is the head of the department of psychiatry at Montreal Children's Hospital hopes the new evidence will enrcourage all parents to get their children vaccinated. He says, "I think the situation will change dramatically in the next few years, as we discover more genes." There are tons of experienced officials doing research to find answers to this complex illness.

Argument #2: Genetic Disease

Autism is a genetic disease, according to scientific research. Autism is an upsetting disorder and parents may feel the need to blame it on the MMR vaccine. Scientists have found links between certain chromosomal mutations and autism. Money is being raised all the time to support autism research. Several genetic scientists predict that within the next couple years more answers will come with the outbreak of advanced genetic testing.

My Argument #1: Scientific Facts and Tests

There is enough scientific evidence to prove no connection between the MMR vaccination and Autism. Although there has been a recent increase in the number of children diagnosed, it has nothing to do with the MMR vaccine. Parents feel the need to blame something for their chidren's unfortunate illness. Experts in the medical field and key researchers have been working hard and have performed many tests to test this theory. None of their research has proven a link between the vaccine and Autism. Scientists are now working hard to find a cure.

The MMR Vaccine and Autism: Pros and Cons

There are both pros and cons of this controversial issue. Scientists and evidence support the pro side, that the MMR vaccine does not cause Autism. Others, especially parents of Autistic children believe the vaccine does cause Autism; thus presenting the con side of the issue. I have joined the pro side, but there are reasons to support the con side.

The con issue is that the vaccine does cause Autism in young children. Parents of Autistic children have done their research. They noticed that their children were developing normally, until shortly after they received the MMR vaccine. As infants, children are given the MMR vaccine to protect them from the mumps, measles, and rubella. Parents noticed that after getting vaccinated, their children developed the symptoms and signs of Autism. High doses of mercury in the vaccine are known to cause certain neurological diseases. A parent has every right to "point a finger" at the vaccine. Autism is a disease that doctors and researchers are working hard to pin-point. Parents want answers, and many feel the vaccine is to blame.

On the contrary, the pro side states that there is no evidence to conclude that the MMR vaccine causes Autism. Scientists have done many tests repeatedly and none have shown that the vaccine is to blame. Researchers did find high levels of mercury, but the vaccine has been moderated since those findings. It is a possibility that the vaccine MAY react with certain metals in a child's body and trigger the Autism, not cause it to develop.

One question does remain: Why is the rate of Autism increasing? One thing is for sure, the MMR vaccine is not the likely cause of increase.

Does the MMR Vaccination Cause Autism?

Autism affects the lives of many children and their families across the world. Many parents blame the cause of their children's development of Autism from the MMR vaccination. As a baby, a child is given the MMR vaccination to prevent all different sorts of diseases. Some say the vaccination contained high levels of mercury, thus resulting in neurological damage, such as Autism. Scientists have done many tests and extensive research and have concluded that no evidence supports their claims. A family friend of mine was diagnosed with Autism several years ago. She is doing great, however, and is improving every day. I wanted to do this topic because it interests me. Autism is such a devastating disease and researchers and parents have been working hard to find a cure. I participated in an Autism walk several years back at Giants' Stadium to race money for a cure. There were so many people working together to achieve a common goal. I wanted to do research on this topic to find out if not receiving the MMR vaccination can prevent many from developing Autism.