My parents think that my autism was caused by a vaccine

Post Reply New Topic

I know for a fact that this is not true, since I'm officially diagnosed with AS and my younger cousin is officially diagnosed with HFA. Yet, my parents refuse to believe that my autistic traits are genetic. They insist that a vaccine I got as a kid poisoned me and has been causing my "issues" (as they call them, I don't see many issues) all along.

The only "issues" that I can see are that I can't write anything for school without help (well, anything in English anyway XD) without assistance and that I get As on all the (objective) tests but Cs and Ds because I can't do my homework. Most of the homework has to do with things that went on in class, which I can't remember because the teachers talk too fast and either don't provide (thorough) notes, a means to remember things outside of what they said, or the homework goes way beyond what they taught in class. Another thing, I can't take notes from nothing. In my English class, my teacher expects all the students to take notes on class discussions, which I can't do because I'm listening to the teacher. XD He also expects us to turn in 5 total pages of notes for each subject we take them on. Guess what I've gotten on every one of those scores? A big fat 0.

Sorry I got sidetracked... But your thoughts? How do I tell my parents that I strongly disagree with their reasoning without getting in trouble/making them look at me badly?

I hate it when I'm supposed to take notes on class discussions "Just write what you think is important"... ok but a lot of the stuff being said is important but everyone is talking too fast... all I can say is GARRR (thats what i say when im pissed)

Last edited by ShizzleMacDaddy on 07 Apr 2008, 10:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sadly so many people are wrongly informed, this is due to wrong information..
"MMR is not the cause and there is no cure for autism, it's a neurological disorder, and all you can do for it is train a person with autism to display more acceptable behaviors!, but for who I ask myself. I truly feel we should allow children to develop in their own way and in their own time..

Understanding really is essential to embracing these unique individuals, we may be different, but at least understand me before trying to change me.

"The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is safe and does not cause autism, the most comprehensive study carried out on the jab has concluded. To think there are people out there who seriously thinks it does? worries me. Maybe they want to climate me from this world I am on the autism spectrum."
Need more info - Vaccine and Autism:
http://asplanet.info/forum/index.php?topic=43.0"

Wrong Planet - Studies say no link between autism and vaccines:
http://www.wrongplanet.net/article74.html

It depends on what your parents do about their beliefs. If they complain about your autistic traits and blame the vaccines but only verbally, then it's really a self-esteem issue. You should tell them that it hurts your feelings that they talk about you like that. It makes you feel poorly about yourself.
If they are attempting biomed treatments then you may need to protect yourself. Chelation is unsafe and unnecessary for autistics.

My son was very late with his vaccinations for his 12 mos well baby. We moved days before his birthday and I was a bit overwhelmed and procrastinated his visits. So, he didn't get his MMR (and several other) shots on time. He was already autistic.
He was late with his boosters following another move.

Hmm. I don't believe for a second that vaccines cause autism. At least not all of it. Perhaps there are people that have odd reations and develop neurological symptoms similar to autism after a vaccine, but even that is open to debate, it seems.

I suspect your parents don't want to admit that their precious genes may have contributed to your autism. If they're anything like my parents, anything that had to do with "mental" or "psychological" was something taboo to be whispered about. God forbid *gasp* there's something genetic going amiss!

Well until the 50s USA was doing about a lot (LOT) of brain surgery.

Have you ever concidered the exhauts from your car? Or your fossile fuel heater?

Sorry about the rants. I have a cold with a 8y with 40 celsius.

I am quite sure that autism did not cause my son's issues, because it is very obviously genetic in our family.
But what I am starting to see is a weakened immune system component to the ones in the family who are affected- allergies, digestive issues, etc. And I am also starting to see a pollution/stress component as well.
So the probability that vaccinations contributed to that is not unimaginable. I always ignored the whole argument, until I started seeing how much diet and lifestyle changes (using natural household cleansers, etc.) not only affected my son's symptoms but also improved his allergies. So instead of coughing 9 months out of the year, he is breathing free and now has the energy to run around at the park, completely unmedicated (thanks to a very wise allergist).

So I am going to be a lot more careful this year about the last 4 shots that he needs to get before Kinder. He is not going to get them when he is sick or on antibiotics, I am going to give him vitamin C the day before/day of/day after, and I am going to do them one at a time and space them out, avoiding flu seasons.

But the vaccine argument is pretty much inconsequential for someone who has already been vaccinated, I would think.

My son had the MMR vaccine (I think thats probably the one your parents are referring to) but I know that the vaccine wasn't the cause of his AS. This is because although I wasn't aware of it at the time, he was already showing v strong AS traits prior to the jab. His AS is definitely genetic - his dad has it (undiagnosed) and so does my older sister so he's been hit from both sides!

I have 5 kids, 3 of which I gave birth to myself. My oldest (Devon, who is an Aspie) was different in the womb - more active, he responded to sounds and touch in different ways than the other two boys, etc. At birth he turned toward sound (babies aren't supposed to do that till a week old or more.) I didn't know it then, because he was my first, but looking back now, he was obviously different as a baby, before he was vaccinated. Most mothers that I have talked to, who have had more than one pregnancy, say the same thing.

There is autism all over the world, even in countries that do NOT vaccinate their children. Many of these countries don't eat food with chemicals or preservatives in them, and yet they still have a high rate of autism in children. (You can check out CDC and WHO websites for proof on this.)

I would try not to convince them. I have a lot of issues with other parents in my area because I do not believe vaccines caused my son's issues. Whenever the topic comes up, they try to convince me to see it their way. I just change the subject.

I actually have to avoid autism support group meetings because of this whole debate. I am outnumbered.

Whoa! I have my own little thread here now :p

If they knew that I was a member of WP I would definitely show them this thread and all the great responses, but since they don't know that I even visit this website (I leave virtually no trace when I'm on the Internet besides an uninformative IP), I'd rather show them things on other websites (like articles, etc.). I'll look at the asplanet thread that (ironically) asplanet posted, but things on other sites would be helpful as I'm not that good of a Google searcher. :p

Unfortunately to many people would rather believe Jenny McCarthy.

autism has so many theorys but vaccines aren't the cause of autism/adhd/hfa/aspergers.

based on thousands of research and medical documents,

my theory
I believe autism is cause by genetics/mental illness/other conditions in the family tree.

meaning i think it has to do with another family member having ptsd,ocd,adhd,personality disorder or another condition related that is genetically causing there children to have similar severe co-morpid conditions that are being diagnosed with autism/aspergers/adhd/etc as an adult.

I believe there's something to that as well.

That was my first thought as well!

The problem with the Autism Speaks forums is that they force everyone into believing that less than 7% of all autism cases are caused by genetics...

That can't be true. Someone show me some statistics against that please.