Autism / Autism Spectrum Support Group
Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder which manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior. Although the specific etiology of autism is unknown, many researchers suspect that autism results from genetically mediated vulnerabilities to environmental triggers.
Autism suit puts others at risk
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Parents of nearly 5,000 children with autism or related disorders have opened their court case claiming that vaccinations caused those diseases. As much as we sympathize with their plight, there is little science on their side.
The parents claim that the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine, or a mercury-based preservative that was used in it until 1999, is responsible. There is simply no evidence of that, despite massive searches for it extending over thousands of children in four countries for many years.
We are aware of nothing that justifies changing the conclusion of a special committee of the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, three years ago: The body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism, and ditto for vaccines containing the preservative in question, thimerosal. In plain English, children get autism at the same rate whether vaccinated or not, whether the vaccine contains thimerosal or not. The committee could find no evidence to support various postulated mechanisms by which autism might result from vaccination.
If the preservative were a cause, discontinuance of its use should have resulted in fewer cases, but that did not happen.
A judgment for the parents would persuade many more parents to skip the MMR immunization than do so now (only about 7 percent of children go unvaccinated). That would mean many more sick children and adults, too.
Backers of the vaccination hypothesis often claim that autism is reaching epidemic proportions, but there is plenty of evidence that recent increases in diagnoses for autism spectrum disorder simply reflect the renaming of disorders formerly bearing other names.
Paul T. Shattuck of Washington University and Maureen Durkin of the University of Wisconsin reported in The New York Times [NYT] recently that from 1994 to 2003, in schools of 44 states, the increase in autism was completely offset by a decrease in the prevalence of children considered cognitively disabled or learning disabled.
None of this means that autism is not an agony for all involved; it ought to be a very high priority in research indeed. But damage awards ought never depend on sad stories and unsupported opinions.
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Parents of nearly 5,000 children with autism or related disorders have opened their court case claiming that vaccinations caused those diseases. As much as we sympathize with their plight, there is little science on their side.
The parents claim that the mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) vaccine, or a mercury-based preservative that was used in it until 1999, is responsible. There is simply no evidence of that, despite massive searches for it extending over thousands of children in four countries for many years.
We are aware of nothing that justifies changing the conclusion of a special committee of the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, three years ago: The body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism, and ditto for vaccines containing the preservative in question, thimerosal. In plain English, children get autism at the same rate whether vaccinated or not, whether the vaccine contains thimerosal or not. The committee could find no evidence to support various postulated mechanisms by which autism might result from vaccination.
If the preservative were a cause, discontinuance of its use should have resulted in fewer cases, but that did not happen.
A judgment for the parents would persuade many more parents to skip the MMR immunization than do so now (only about 7 percent of children go unvaccinated). That would mean many more sick children and adults, too.
Backers of the vaccination hypothesis often claim that autism is reaching epidemic proportions, but there is plenty of evidence that recent increases in diagnoses for autism spectrum disorder simply reflect the renaming of disorders formerly bearing other names.
Paul T. Shattuck of Washington University and Maureen Durkin of the University of Wisconsin reported in The New York Times [NYT] recently that from 1994 to 2003, in schools of 44 states, the increase in autism was completely offset by a decrease in the prevalence of children considered cognitively disabled or learning disabled.
None of this means that autism is not an agony for all involved; it ought to be a very high priority in research indeed. But damage awards ought never depend on sad stories and unsupported opinions.
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DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!