Cracking The Autism Riddle: Common Sense About Vaccines And Autism

All sorts of arguments are thrown around to persuade parents that shots threaten their children with autism. I'd like to discuss 4 of the commonly repeated concerns, 3 flawed...and 1 that I think has merit.

1) Too many shots can overwhelm a child and cause autism. No!

Babies get more vaccines today than 30 years ago, but if you think that means more things are injected into their young bodies...you'd be wrong! That's because immunizations today are much more purified than those of the past.

For example, in 1980, the DPT shot (Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus) was made from a soup of blendarized bacteria (over 1000 different illness particles - antigens - all mixed together). And, the polio vaccine had live virus that actually protected children by triggering a minute case of...polio! Today, our modern DPT vaccine is highly purified, containing only 3-5 bacterial antigens and the polio shot has absolutely no live virus.

Actually, the current trend to give kids more shots is a win-win for them. They win because they're protected from many more illnesses and because they have fewer antigens put into their bodies.

But, some still worry, "Can too many shots overwhelm a baby's immature immune system?" That idea is pretty close to a baby urban legend.

The immune system is a superb multitasking, fighting machine. Every day, babies are bombarded by thousands of threats: irritating pollen; colonic microbes; bacterial invaders from the skin, eyes, nose, mouth; viral swarms; offending dietary proteins; damaged cells; even tiny, little cancers. The immune system's magnificent ability to protect against many, mild attacks at one time is exactly why most babies tolerate several shots at once with no reaction whatsoever. (In fact, a new theory suggests that allergies and asthma may be on the rise in part because we have made the world so clean it doesn't exercise a baby's immune system enough!)

2) Shots hurt the brains of extra-sensitive children. No!

Each of us has special sensitivities. Some have peanut allergies...some get lots of strep throat....and a very, very few get serious reactions to vaccines. I wish we had a test to detect which infants are susceptible to severe measles or big vaccine reactions, but no such test exists.

The good news, however, is that shot risks are tiny compared to the risks of full-blown illness. For example, influenza and chicken pox hammer the immune system 100-1000 times harder than the impact of the flu or pox vaccines. While most kids breeze through the chicken pox shot, even a mild case of real pox can weaken a child's immunity for weeks to months and lead to ear infections, pneumonia and, rarely, toxic shock syndrome. (And, it can often land an adult in the hospital!)

There is one special case of possible vaccine susceptibility that made headlines last year and became a major new focus for those who claim vaccines cause autism. A 19-month-old child developed autism after getting 5 shots. But - and this is a huge "but" - unlike most autistic kids, this one child also has a rare medical problem - Mitochondrial Disease (MD).

Recently, vaccine avoiders have floated the theory that perhaps many healthy looking kids have hidden MD. They suggest that it may be the combination of vaccines plus hidden MD that is triggering autism in so many seemingly normal children.

But, the research suggests that this is unlikely to affect more than a handful of kids. Here's why:

MD is rare (1 in 5-10,000 children). A Portuguese study found ~93% of autistic children had no evidence of MD (and even that 7% figure has yet to be confirmed). In a recent study, scientists from Harvard and Johns Hopkins could find only 25 children with both MD and autism. And, these kids had serious problems rarely seen in most cases of autism (like, delayed walking, acid reflux, liver disorder, severe fatigue, etc).

Fourteen of these kids seemed to be developing normally then suddenly deteriorated into autism during toddlerhood. But only 1/14 (7%) got worse right after shots. (Had 2 or 3 or 5 kids gotten worse after the shots, one could make the argument that children with MD are at increased risk for getting autism after vaccinations. However, as I mentioned in part 1 of this blog, 7% is very close to the number of cases one would expect to be diagnosed right after shots...just by chance.)

Another dramatic finding of this study argues against a link between MD and the national rise in autism incidence: classic autism spectrum disorder affects many more boys than girls (3-9 times more boys!)...but children with Mitochondrial Disease + autism are evenly split between the genders.

While it remains to be proven that children with MD are more vulnerable to shots, there is no doubt that they are super-vulnerable to illness. In other words, MD kids who skip shots can get very sick, very fast it they catch a vaccine preventable disease like influenza or pneumonia.

3) Doctors push risky shots on children to make more money. Please!

This accusation is as appalling as it is ridiculous. Pediatricians labor through 23 years of education; wake at all hours to help worried parents; and desert our own families on weekends and holidays to rush to the hospital to care for sick babies.

In fact, a greedy doctor wanting more money would actually discourage parents from giving their children shots...not encourage it! Why? Because doctors make more money caring for sick kids - needing repeat office visits - than caring for the well.

In truth, the only reason doctors cajole, beg and pressure parents to immunize their children is because we want to protect them - and other children - from the pain and suffering of preventable infections.

I agree that there are too many ties between doctors and big pharmaceutical companies. This must be stopped because it creates the appearance of conflict of interest and the real potential of collusion. However, the record of organized medicine is reassuring. Over the past 30 years, doctors have rejected many vaccines when concerns arose that they were not effective enough or caused unacceptable side effects.

4) Shots can be delayed. MAYBE...but only those risking your child's health.

This is one of the most critical issues facing parents: Are shots a personal choice or a civic duty?

As a pediatrician, I recommend all vaccines, but I suggest parents think of shots as falling into 2 different groups: 1) those given primarily to protect your child, 2) those protecting your child and your neighbors' children.

The first group of shots stops infections like, influenza, rotavirus, hepatitis A, chicken pox and hepatitis B. They help your child but don't give great protection to the community. That is either because the illnesses are very common (spread quickly through your neighborhood even if your child gets the shot) or hard to spread (difficult for your child to give it to others). (Note: Older kids, teens and adults are at risk for hepatitis B. It has caused thousands of cases of liver failure and cancer and so all citizens should eventually get this vaccine.)

The second group of shots stops infections that threaten your child and your community (your neighbor's baby, the elderly, chronic disease sufferers, etc.). These shots include, whooping cough, meningitis (Hib), pneumococcus (Prevnar) and measles. They miraculously halt diseases that are so contagious just one cough, one airplane flight or one germy doorknob can spread them like wildfire through your town.

I believe giving the first group of shots is a parent's personal choice because the suffering you risk is mostly limited to your child and family. Skipping the flu shot, for example, may cause your child to be one of the 36,000 Americans who die from influenza this year, but it probably won't stop a flu outbreak (although it may help to reduce it).

However, giving the second group of shots is an important civic responsibility., because delaying them creates a serious public health risk. By immunizing at least 95% of children with these shots we create "herd immunity" that can totally halt the spread of deadly epidemics in our communities. Herd immunity stymies the spread of disease the way that frequent rain keeps lightening strikes from starting raging forest fires.

Some doctors may fairly argue which vaccines should go into which groups, but the important point is that the shot schedule has some flexibility...it is not written in stone. In fact doctors have repeatedly tweaked this schedule to make it safer and more effective (for example, over the past 30 years, the measles vaccine was pushed from 9 months to 12 months...and now is recommended to be given as late as 15 months of age). However, the second group of vaccines is crucial if we are to protect children in our communities who are too young to get their own shots. Parents who skip these shots may not mean to harm others, but their action significantly increases the risk of avoidable suffering and death to innocent children.

For over 10 years, a huge amount of passion and debate about the cause of autism has focused on vaccines. But recently a totally new suspect has surfaced that warrants investigation as a potential autism trigger. In the last installment of this 3-part blog, I'll discuss the worrisome compounds known as...endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

Comments

[ottoschnaut01]

Dr. Bernadine Healy, as former director of NIH, past president of American Red Cross, and current member of the IOM, is one of the world's leading experts on public health.
She is totally supportive of a logical, large scale immunization policy as a necessary component of public health policy.
Dr. Healy has publicly supported the idea, through her direct statements on CBS News and in other forums, that the autism/vaccine controversy is not resolved. She has stated that the IOM is "scared" to study ASD kids; that vaccines are not exonerated in ASD; that a "one size fits all" vaccine policy is "medically indefensib­le." She states that she has read no solid evidence exonerating vaccines in ASD, and she has read several credible studies that cause her concern.
Poster here Josephius has denigrated Dr. Healy as a "commentat­or."
Please do not be fooled by the desperate attempts to whitewash away the considered and important viewpoint of Dr. Healy.

Please research:

Dr. Herbert
Dr. A. Zimmerman, Pediatric Neurologist, Johns Hopkins
Banks v US
Poling v US

Dr. Healy is not an outlier. Josephius has commented on this forum that we should ignore Dr. Healy because she has no expertise. I am certain she is much more qualified to comment then Josephius.
Josephius does not want you to read the views of Dr. Healy, because she is a heavyweight in the area of public health. If Dr. Healy is concerned about vaccines/autism, you should be as well.

[Josephius]

" Josephius has commented on this forum that we should ignore Dr. Healy because she has no expertise.­"

No I didn't. I questioned YOU for giving this person so much credit, as an authority that "vaccines cause autism", even though she has no formal training in a relevant field and has never endorsed that claim. The only time, in her career, that she has come out and spoken on the need to further research in the area is after she was hired as a health news writer for U.S. News and World Report.

"Please do not be fooled by the desperate attempts to whitewash away the considered and important viewpoint of Dr. Healy. "

Yes, well I certainly hope that anyone else interested in reading her views can actually understand what she is and is not saying. Dr. Healy has never said that she believes there is a connection, only that research should continue. A big difference.

So, while you are at it, why not look at what researcher who are trained and actually work in the field say, and not the a contributor to USNWR.

[Josephius]

"I am certain she is much more qualified to comment then Josephius.­"
Maybe. I've never heard her speak about the mechanisms associated with the disorder, the specific concerns about vaccine formulation, or how the two are connected. Instead, she poses questions and always differs to the "we need more research", "it is theoretically possible", "we just don't know" dead-ends in her writings. She has never, ever made any contribution to the field through research or presentations at a major conference. Instead, she's called to speak for 2 to 3 minutes on TV talk shows, and never once provided any insight other than parroting the same rehashed talking points.

In short, take all information sources accordingly, but bestowing her with the title of "expert" is completely unwarranted.

[Principaldad]

I would point out that Healy is a single person, not the entire medical establishment. She does not speak for the medical establishment. In fact, neither does Dr. Karp. There is really no reason to accept the opinion of either one of them over the other EXCEPT by looking at their arguments.

The general scientific consensus is that science has shown no link and that such a link is unlikely. The research backs this up. The personal views of a small number of supposed authorities does not constitute a reason to reject such a large amount of scientific data.

Despite this, Healy's statements are not exactly earthshattering. She states that she thinks the jury is still out. This is not an indication of a vaccine-autism link. It is an indication of not knowing. The study that Healy mentions is being done. In the meantime, we do not change public policy because a few people believe something without proof.

[AutismNewsBeat]

"Dr. Bernadine Healy, as former director of NIH, past president of American Red Cross, and current member of the IOM, is one of the world's leading experts on public health."

Says who? PubMed lists 125 articles for Bernadine Healy - 124 are for US News and World Report. One is for the NY Times. Wouldn't a "world leading experts on public health" have at least a few peer reviewed papers to her name?

And why would a "world leading experts on public health" shill for tobacco companies, as Healy did in the early 90s?

[NetDude]

George H. W. Bush appointed Bernadine Healy as Director of the NIH , based on Healy's lifetime support of the Republican Party. Dr. Healy is no scientist, she is a career administrator.

Bernadine Healy was about as qualified for the job of NIH Director as Sarah Palin is to be President of the United States.

[NetDude]

http://tobaccodocuments.org/pm/2505646347-6368.html?zoom=750&ocr_position=above_foramatted&start_page=21

[tigerlyly]

Based on the extensive review presented, GACVS (Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety) concluded that no evidence exists of a causal association between MMR vaccine and autism or autistic disorders. The committee believes the matter is likely to be clarified by a better understanding of the causes of autism. GACVS also concluded that there is no evidence to support the routine use of monovalent measles, mumps and rubella vaccines over the combined vaccine, a strategy which would put children at increased risk of incomplete immunization. Thus, GACVS recommends that there should be no change in current vaccination practices with MMR.

http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/mmr/mmr_autism/en/

Measles is one of the most infectious diseases known. A cough or a sneeze can spread the measles virus over a wide area. Because it's so infectious, the chances are your child will get measles if he or she is not protected.

http://www.immunisation.nhs.uk/Vaccines/MMR

[dugmaze]

"no evidence" is their key phrase

[kwombles]

Signaling not that they do not know but that they have not found a connection. You are smart and well-read enough to know that this is standard scientific language. It is the key phrase because it is the correct phrase, Doug. What language would please you more?

[aliceautumn]

I know of several kids, born at home, never vaccinated who are autistic or have autism spectrum disorder. Did the monsters in the vaccines float from a child who was vaccinated and infected these kids with it? If vaccines caused autism then all kids who dont get vaccines would never have autism or spectrum disorders. Pretty simple to me.

[AutismNewsBeat]

The goal post keep moving, don't they? First it was MMR. Then it was thimerosal. Now it's the non-green schedule.

[blindjester]

Hypotheses change.

That's science.

A negative result is still a result. (I hear that a lot on Mythbuster­s.)

[CraigWilloughby]

That sounds like an unconfirmed anecdote.

Personally, I believe that some autism is completely genetic. However, I believe that there are some children that are genetically susceptible to adverse reactions to vaccines.

The real test of this is to see how many unvaccinated children have autism. If the numbers are close to the 1 in 150 (7 year old numbers, btw), then I will probably look elsewhere. If they are significantly lower (1 in 500, 1 in 1000, 1 in 10000), then there is a serious problem that needs to be further investigated.

[AutismNewsBeat]

Would you accept a study of unvaccinated children outside the US?

[IWantTofu]

The ability for most people to understand the statistics of scientific drug studies is fairly limited because of a lack of training in the science and statistics. For example, if a drug test gives a false positive 1% of the time (99% of the time there is drugs and 1% the test says there is but there isn't any), and employees being tested have a drug use rate of 1%, when a employee is tested positive for drugs, what are the chances that he/she is a drug user? The answer is that only 50% of the time that the employee is tested positive is the employee really using drugs. Half of the people testing positive are actually innocent.

Many layman (and some supposed experts) misinterpret the results, and have an honest but incorrect interpretation of the test data. In addition, there is a significant amount of people that have formed opinions on issues that have turned into a matter of faith, where the belief is not shaken by evidence. An example are the people that believe the world is only 7,000 years old. While many comments on "the vaccines causes autism" side accuse the other side of such beliefs, I content that there are many more "faith based" believers on the "the vaccines causes autism" side. And yes, there are also "faith based" believers on the other side too.

[dugmaze]

"Many layman (and some supposed experts) misinterpret the results, and have an honest but incorrect interpretation of the test data."

I do agree with you but are we taught to look at data from certain perspectives only? Do all of us have the ability to inject unkowns into data and see the results in our minds, not on paper.

What do experienced researchers know that rookie researchers don't? Unknown data that isn't taught in schools? Or data that is known in theory but not understood in practice?

Just maybe uneducated layman might see things on different planes or dimensions. Their minds are not steered or corralled by their limited education. I say everyone needs to work together to solve problems like autism.


Thomas Edison proves this point.

[Pteryxx]

"I do agree with you but are we taught to look at data from certain perspectives only?"

When you're asking "Does x cause y?" then, yes. There is only one perspective, the statistical one, to determine if an observed effect is random or if it's really due to the treatment or exposure being considered. People misinterpret things all the time, that's just how our brains are wired. That's why we have superstitions, bad habits, conflicts of interest, politics and advertising. Statistical analysis is the best tool to cut through our own foolishness.

But then you're talking about "Why does x cause y?" or "What would happen if I did z?" which are the CREATIVE parts of science, the part where new ideas get generated. Scientists don't get enough credit for being creative. But then the ideas have to be tested, and it doesn't matter how creative, poetic, or intriguing an idea is if it does... not... work.

Thomas Edison experimented with hundreds of different formulations of light bulbs before he refined one that was reliable and durable enough to mass-produce. Remember that inspiration is only 10% of creation.

[Hura]

Autism, both narrowly-defined classical autism and broad spectrum autism disorders, is known to be very strongly genetic in origin. For a review of the literature that can be downloaded free see http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/113/5/e472

There is simply no credible evidence of a link between autism and vaccinations.

[JayZee]

"Julie Gerberding Admits on CNN that Vaccines Trigger Autism"

you must have missed this report...

busy counting all those beans, I guess.

lolz

[VicDaring]

Another lie.

She admitted no such thing.

[Josephius]

Every written press release on this issue from her or her office discredits your claim. Your interpretation of an edited YouTube snippet is hardly the "gotcha!" evidence to convince anyone that you're not a liar.

[SouthpawSass]

First, as a mother of three, my children only got shots required by law. Second, unless you're with the drug companies watching every ingredient they put in, you can't say for sure what is in the vaccine bottles. Finally, I've had pediatricians, and not one has ever been woken in the middle of the night. They have answering services that refer you to emergency rooms.

[Josephius]

Why are you blaming the physicians for a policy made by the insurance industry?

BTW, unless you work for the food industry, you can't say for sure what's in packages. Unless you work for the textile mills, you can't say for sure what's been used to treat it. Unless you work for a manufacturing company, you can't say for sure what it really made of. Unless you.......­...

The fact is, medications, particularly vaccine formulations, are heavily scrutinized by both state and federal agencies. What other products in your everyday life have those type of safeguards in place?

[dugmaze]

"Why are you blaming the physicians for a policy made by the insurance industry?"

Are you saying the insurance companies instruct our doctors on how to run their practice?

[ottoschnaut01]

Martha Herbert, who is assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and a pediatric neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, does not think the issue is closed. "Thousands of parents say their child became autistic in close proximity to a vaccine. It might not even be the vaccines themselves, but something associated with them. I just think we need to be neutral scientists who are, the way we were taught in school as children, not afraid to look wherever we need to look to do the science."

See also-
Dr. Bernadine Healy
Dr. A. Zimmerman
Banks v US
Poling v US

[Josephius]

In case you have difficulty with this concept...­advocating additional research is NOT the same thing as claiming vaccines cause autism. Bernadidn Healy is a vaccine advocate. Her concerns stem from parents not vaccinating their children. She would like to see more research performed to make the public feel more comfortable and make the proper decisions. The same goes for Dr. Zimmerman http://www.cecity.com/ncqa/immunization/zimmerman.html.

[ottoschnaut01]

You are projecting. Read my post. I said nothing about vaccines causing autism. All I did was quote Dr. Herbert, and direct attention to other data sources. Your attack on me is unwarranted.
You are incorrect on the facts. Your post is literally nonsense, non responsive, and inaccurate.
In case you have trouble with the concept, many scientists and other doctors have moved past this debate. In the real world, the focus is on how to attempt to recover the sick kids. That includes full medical evaluation and intervention when indicated.
Full medical evaluation is what Dr. Healy advocates- to screen for kids who may be damaged by vaccines, and to determine what the ASD kids have in common from a medical point of view.

[Anne1776]

Wow. Some of you guys really see no further than the walls of that box huh? Some famous doctor says there is definitely no link and you fall all over yourselves to say "SEE?!" Clearly Dr. Quack here has never known someone who had a "normal" child who became autistic within hours of getting vaccinated. Do I think all autism is caused by vaccines? No. Do I think there are some cases that are? Yes! I'm not so close-minded to believe that autism is caused by one thing and one thing only. Children with autism show such different symptoms and such a wide variability of how affected they are, it stands to reason that there are different causes. Has anyone ever done a study that involved testing genes and hormones and other fluids when a baby is born and then again after they get diagnosed with autism? What changes in a child that is born "normally"?The studies I've seen done are ridiculous and make me scratch my head at the conclusions they come up with.

[VicDaring]

Not a very useful post. Let's examine.

First, you start out all bluster and name-calling, even though I keep hearing about how the pro-vaccination people are so "snide."

Then you say this:
"Do I think all autism is caused by vaccines? No. Do I think there are some cases that are? Yes! I'm not so close-minded to believe that autism is caused by one thing and one thing only."

You don't provide any actual evidence to back this up. It's just what you feel. And you decide that automatically makes you more "open minded" than someone who dares to disagree. I would point out, that yes, it is important to keep an open mind. Just not so open that yuor brain falls out.

You conclude by demonstrating an utter lack of understanding of the scientific method, shotgunning all sorts of suppositions and wild guesses that don't even come close to rising to the level of hypothesis.

[SouthpawSass]

Are you a pediatrician? You're very defensive.

[Principaldad]

"Some famous doctor says there is definitely no link and you fall all over yourselves to say "SEE?!" "

I see very few people doing that here. What I see is many people offering the real and overwhelming evidence that so many vaccine critics do not allow to be heard on their blogs.

Are you any more qualified than "Dr. Quack"? The honorable "Dr. Quack" has given valid arguments based on real research and has fully explained the fallacy behind the anecdotes (in his first blog on the subject). What are your REASONS for believing as you do (other than unscientific anecdotes and unproven conjecture)?

It gets tiring when people keep making statements like "has anybody ever done a study about ......" with no real concept of what scientific study is. Scientists have to perform studies that are, a) ethical, b) feasible, and c) meaningful. Extensive and invasive testing of children before and after being diagnosed with autsim would require testing many thousands of otherwise healthy children in order to get a big enough sample. It is unethical to do invasive testing on so many healthy children and also not feasible to do this level of testing on so many.

Besides, ANY study that shows no link is always immediately dismissed by vaccine critics as biased. Not that they can ever point to any actual flaw in a study. They just say "it is biased".

[Anne1776]

BEING the parent of a child with autism MAKES me more qualified.

[LOCUTUS13]

I don't think that anybody here isn't concerned about Autism save the trolls and drive by posters. I have seen some really interesting posts and some that are so divorced from reality that nobody in their right mind would consider. Yes it's a very emotional subject for those with autistic children and I can understand their frustration. That said, I also think that it's lunacy to forgo vaccination based upon fear of something that has largely been disproved by the scientific and mainstream medical community. There is a lot of fear generated on the web by ideologues in the so called "alternative medical field" that are misleading, and unsupported by any scientific research, in fact many of their claims have already been debunked.
The most dangerous aspect of the paranoia these ideologues spread is the very real danger of spread of disease. Mumps, measles and chicken pox are NOT harmless childhood diseases they also have serious side effects including death. I invite anyone to take a look at some photos of the most dangerous diseases, it might change your mind. Are vaccines 100%, NO but it beats the alternatives.

Thank vaccines that there is no longer smallpox except in the lab!

http://users.tpg.com.au/users/tps-seti/baloney.html

[dugmaze]

The problem is vaccines do cause harm. Do all vaccines cause harm to all children? Absolutely not ! Does anyone want to see a return of preventable diseases? Absolutely not !

So why not use your resources (whatever they may be) to help save society by forcing our government to prove to parents that vaccines are safe. If they were so safe, why aren't they proving it?

All we hear is "trust us, we're the experts". or "Vaccines are safe because there is a LACK of evidence proving them harmful". BS.

It's not hard to see the ongoing corruption in our politics here in the US. So why would the CDC be magically immune from the corruption? Did it receive a vaccine? If you like I can give a brief history lesson (in layman's terms) of the CDC starting ~ 2001.

The sooner we reassure parents minds, the sooner we can avoid diseases from returning. But if it takes disease returning to wake up our government, then are parents to blame? We don't make the laws, we follow them. We don't make the policies, we follow them. We're just watching out for each other's kids.

[blindjester]

Thanks for your post. I appreciate you speaking forcefully. Keep it up.

[Pteryxx]

(continued from previous post)

Here's another PubMed commentary, one of three, attacking the study I just linked to:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18718106

Scientists tear into any weakness in each others' work all the time. Skimming Pubmed, you'll see groups that challenge each others' theories, studies that expose weaknesses, studies that fail to prove the connections they wanted to show. It's the only way to find out what the facts really are.

If the testosterone theory, for example, still holds up when other groups have replicated it, when the sample size is larger, and when all the objections of the commentors have been answered with evidence, then we might have an answer to the question of what causes autism.

[Pteryxx]

Yes, there is such a thing as reliable evidence that vaccines and autism are not linked. No, personal anecdotes are not evidence, because people are prone to assumptions, hysteria and bias. No, we don't know yet what causes autism. Yes, there have been hundreds of studies testing various "genes and hormones and other fluids" and so far we only have clues and a bunch of negatives.

Anyone can search PubMed.com and read the abstracts of the latest research. One of your areas of concern, "Autism + hormones", turned up 389 citations. Here's one:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18547459

Researchers compared assessment scores of autistic children with the levels of testosterone measured in amniotic fluid before they were born. They found that higher testosterone was correlated with higher autism spectrum scores. 235 children were studied, and the authors call for a much larger study to confirm their results.

Does this study tell us what causes autism? No. It only gives us a clue, one of hundreds of other clues, being explored and narrowed down every day by researchers. But because of those hundreds of studies, we know that high testosterone, inflammation response, and genetic susceptibility all seem to be related to autism. We also know that vaccines and their adjuvants seem *not* to be related.

(continued in next post...)

[Pteryxx]

(continued from previous post, now in the correct place)

Here's another PubMed commentary, one of three, attacking the study I just linked to:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18718106

Scientists tear into any weakness in each others' work all the time. Skimming Pubmed, you'll see groups that challenge each others' theories, studies that expose weaknesses, studies that fail to prove the connections they wanted to show. It's the only way to find out what the facts really are.

If the testosterone theory, for example, still holds up when other groups have replicated it, when the sample size is larger, and when all the objections of the commentors have been answered with evidence, then we might have an answer to the question of what causes autism.

[JayZee]

in 1949 the WORST cases of polio took 72 hours to cure.Read on.

http://www.orthomed.com/polio.htm

[derangedwordtwister]

In so many ways, this illustrates Gilbert's contention that people automatically believe what they read; it is only with reflection and deliberate effort that one can counter misinformation. This is also one of the dangers in hearing or reading lies several times; the lies will be more readily believed; availability heuristic comes in; people thinking about a topic will more readily remember what they've heard the most. That is why it is important to counter misinformation everytime. That is why it is important to make sure accurate information is out there every bit as much if not more than inaccurate information.

[JayZee]

Who knew?

AUTISM-NEW­S-BEAT.COM is a quackwatch-quackpot operation.

Sheesh, these folks have done so much harm to humanity and then turn around and blame the victims.

Hey, if you ever wondered where Rove, Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld learned their disinformation tactics, now you know!

[Harvey Karp - Huffpost Blogger]

"in 1949 the WORST cases of polio took 72 hours to cure."

Tell that to my friend who has been paraplegic from polio since age 3 in 1954 (NYC)...or another friend who was a student at Stanford U who got polio in 1951 and lost the use of his right arm for the rest of his life...or my other friend who had polio as a child in 1952 UK and has had to use braces to walk ever since...

I hope parents who are honestly looking for real answers see the incompetence (at best) and dishonesty (at worst) of bloggers like yourself.

[derangedwordtwister]

Just wait until you read his latest comments where he gives you a long letter and signs it Richard Deth, " a neuropharm­acologist, a professor of pharmacology at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and is on the scientific advisory board of the National Autism Associatio­n." from Wiki

I hope that you'll have the time to address his letter to you in full at the top of the thread, because it certainly warrants the rebuttal, especially after all of his inflammatory posts. At first my conclusion was he was just baiting to irritate people, but to then post that he is a professor at a university makes one have to take the time to glance at http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=535 and http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=527 and remember that a PhD or an MD in and of themselves do not make the person's arguments sound, sane, or accurate (think Wakefield, Dr Geier, or for that matter Stoller from earlier, and Dr. Gordon).

[plaidsportcoat]

Respected doctors are not all convinced there is zero connection between autism and vaccines:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/12/cbsnews_investigates/main4086809.shtml

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/03/24/autism.vaccines/

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1721109,00.html

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=autism-rise-driven-by-environment&page=2

http://www.ageofautism.com/vaccines/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-and-david-kirby/autism-vaccines-and-the-c_b_161395.html

[MNmommy]

Are there any doctors outside of Gordon and Wakefield associated with AoA?

Neither David Kirby, nor RFK Jr are doctors.

[Josephius]

None of these are of any respectable value (except Sci Am, which did little more than convey a report on one study where it said: "The UC Davis researchers have been studying autistic children's exposure to flame retardants and pesticides to see if there is a connection­." Does that sound like vaccines cause autism to you? No, not me either. Why did you use this as evidence to back up your claim? ) Can you show us articles published in journals and not news reports. I like the CNN article too. It basically states nothing more than a court case is going to weigh 4,000+ claims in one hearing on the issue of vaccines and autism...a­nd we all know how that worked out. They were laughed out of court! And certainly not from the blow-hard propaganda machine at AoA or from ambulance chaser RFKjr or "investigative journalist" David Kirby who's career is based on the debunked thimerosal-autism 'link'...o­h, now it's vaccine-induced mitochondrial predisposition link, I forgot he's changed his tune...aga­in.

[tigerlyly]

I think this stood out amongst the evidence:

"Another dramatic finding of this study argues against a link between MD and the national rise in autism incidence: classic autism spectrum disorder affects many more boys than girls (3-9 times more boys!)...b­ut children with Mitochondrial Disease + autism are evenly split between the genders."

Moreover, Doctors and research labratories ALL OVER THE WORLD (as confirmed by the WHO) have unanimously found no link between vaccines and autism.

[plaidsportcoat]

Many well-respected doctors disagree with this, so get informed.

[Josephius]

Name one "Well Respected" doctor that has expertise in this field.

[JayZee]

"unanimously found no link between vaccines and autism."

you're wildly misinforme­d....

...but you earned you 30 cents a post.Good on you!

[Principaldad]

I have a question about this accusation that anyone who disagrees with your false position is automatically a "pharma shill".

How much are you being paid by antivax profiteers to make these allegations?

(I figure if baseless allegations are allowed, then they go both ways).

[tigerlyly]

Based on the extensive review presented, GACVS concluded that no evidence exists of a causal association between MMR vaccine and autism or autistic disorders. The committee believes the matter is likely to be clarified by a better understanding of the causes of autism. GACVS also concluded that there is no evidence to support the routine use of monovalent measles, mumps and rubella vaccines over the combined vaccine, a strategy which would put children at increased risk of incomplete immunization. Thus, GACVS recommends that there should be no change in current vaccination practices with MMR.

http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/mmr/mmr_autism/en/

[Texas Aggie]

I read a study this morning where a survey of over 200 kids with autism were checked for a variant MET gene, a gene that is responsible for intestinal tract epithelial integrity and has been found associated with autism. They found that in families with kids with autism and intestinal problems, the kids had a particular variant, but the rest of the family had the normal gene. But in another 96 families, both the autistic kids and the family had the normal gene. In those families, the autistic kids did not have intestinal problems. Since a number of genes have been associated with autism, it looks as if there is a very strong genetic component to the problem.

[sv90066]

Doctor Karp rocks...

Happiest Baby on the Block...

If you're planning on having a baby, or know somebody who is about to have a baby, give them the book, the DVD and the CD. They will love you forever.

It truly works...

And it all makes sense...

[jimrs6]

They don't know what causes autism, and they don't know what doesn't cause it.

[Josephius]

They? Or you?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617154407.htm

[NetDude]

"More gene mutations linked to autism risk

More pieces in the complex autism inheritance puzzle are emerging in the latest study from a research team including geneticists from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and several collaborating institutions. This study identified 27 different genetic regions where rare copy number variations -- missing or extra copies of DNA segments -- were found in the genes of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), but not in the healthy controls. The complex combination of multiple genetic duplications and deletions is thought to interfere with gene function, which can disrupt the production of proteins necessary for normal neurological development. "

"By further refining the genetic landscape of ASDs, the current study expands the findings of two large autism gene studies published in April, led by Hakonarson and co-authored by Gerard Schellenberg, Ph.D., professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Bucan and others. One study was the first to report common gene variants in ASDs. The other identified copy number variants that raise the risk of having an ASD. Both studies found gene changes on two biological pathways with crucial roles in early central nervous system development. Hakonarson and Bucan said the latest findings reinforce the view that multiple gene variants, both common and rare, may be interacting to cause the heterogeneous group of disorders included under autism spectrum disorders.­"
http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pgen.1000536