Pediatricians do not know what causes autism or autism spectrum disorders, but we do understand the frustration of families who want to know the answers.
Children with autism are not all alike but they have many of the same features. They may have social problems such as not keeping or making eye contact, not reacting to a smile, or not looking at objects that we point to. They may have communication problems such as no words by age 2 or not responding to their name. They may have behavioral problems such as rocking, spinning, or flapping hands.
There are many ongoing studies looking for the cause of autism. Some cases have already been linked to genetic conditions, but most are still unknown.
While we are searching for the cause of autism, we want to continue to protect children from other diseases that we do know the cause of, specifically, vaccine preventable infections. There are many bacterial and viral organisms in the environment just waiting to make children sick. Pediatricians want to make sure that parents do not rely on incorrect or incomplete information about the safety of vaccines when deciding to get vaccines.
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I really get tired of this
I really get tired of this "all or nothing" battle that keeps going on. For it's part, the medical community simply refuses to consider a delay a viable alternative. Every article encouraging parents to vaccinate seems to take this "all or nothing stance. It's vaccinate young babies or "you're being unreasonable and risking public health by not vaccinating."
Why don't they assess the risk of infection separately for young babies (who generally have a limited number of people they are in contact with for the first year or so). Why don't they say - "If you're just staying home with your baby and all they ever see is Grandma, Grandpa and a few relatives (who have been vaccinated already), the risk of infection is really low, but be sure to come back in a year or two when your child's brain and nervous system is more fully developed and when your child is entering school or daycare. If, however, you're planning to put your baby in daycare or to travel around, etc. you might want to consider vaccinating sooner." Maybe regional infection rates should play a greater role in considering which vaccines are "priorities" to give to our young infants.
One size does NOT fit all, so our parents should be allowed to make a reasonable choice (that considers many personal factors including lifestyle) to protect BOTH the public's health and the well-being of their children. Until we know more about identifying autism and it's numerous "strains" in general, there is unlikely to be any satisfactory "test study" to correlate possible causes (including vaccines). I think a delay in the vaccine regimen can be effectively implemented with very minimal risk of increasing infections rates in the interim - so, why not do it as a temporary solution and POSSIBLY avoid disabling even a small percentage of our future children with autism? ALL or NOTHING is simply NOT GOOD ENOUGH in this case.
I think that is the most
I think that is the most reasonable response I've heard yet. The "all or nothing" mentality is what prevents us from making positive strides in finding the cause and cure for Autism.
Http://FreePrintableFun.Org
Free Printable Activities for Children with Autism
Thank you!
Thank you!