* parenting question * autism and vaccinations

[bodhi_tree777]

hey there, fellow parents. This is waaay off topic (especially for a car site) but I'm trying to gather as much real-life opinion on this as possible. Any of you folks with kids have qualms about certain vaccinations? My daughter has a mild form of autism (possibly asperger's syndrome, but too early to really diagnose it) and is just starting to undergo some preschool special needs placement testing. We're kind of on the fence about public schooling, but we want to get the placement done so that we can make a better-informed decision. Our state also requires a full line of standard vaccinations to attend public school. This includes the MMR bundle, which is the one that has a bunch of parents in an uproar due to its' possible link to autism. Have to say we're nervous about it and we're aware of some of the issues raised on both sides of the argument. Some states offer waivers to parents so they can opt not to get MMR if they don't want to, but I don't believe my state is one of those.So did any of you parents have concerns about this with your kids? What decision did you make, and what helped with the decision? Did any of you okay the vaccination but notice changes in behavior afterwards? Links and info are always appreciated, but I really want to hear about personal experience. Thanks in advance, from a new and uncertain dad.

[psiu]

Okay...I'm not a parent *yet* (hopefully waiting until me and the wife are both done schooling/training).But I do think that this uproar is basically crap. The main "research" it's based on comes from a UK doctor who is a known fraud and his supposed research on this has been exposed as more fraud.I have no doubts that there are children who have been vaccinated and then started to show signs and symptoms of autism. Of course, those children also breathe air, drink water, etc. Of course the initial rounds of vaccination happen young enough that you wouldn't notice anything yet so there's no way of saying what caused it.I won't have any qualms about vaccinating our kids when they finally come around. I don't always trust all "modern things" but so far haven't seen anything to scare me away from vaccines. Best of luck and sorry I don't have any real experience to offer yet.

[Whelan]

http://www.autismworks.org/I hear about this site all the time, it's a consortium of parents and doctors who have children or patients with all different forms and severities of autism that come together to share opinions and findings in an effort to attain more knowledge.

[ehoff121]

It would seem that your kids are in caring hands if you're worried about this. My wife & I were initially concerned when ours were at that age, especially since it was a leading story in the news at the time.My understanding (not expert by any measure!) is that the issue was with vaccines preserved with thimerisal, which contains mercury. You can ask your doctor if they use vaccines containing the preservative.Our doctor didn't use them, so we had our children vaccinated.When you think about it, it's for their protection as much as the population's.Good luck!

[GMJAP]

I'm not convinced either way yet on a link between autism and vaccinations.However, it is very clear that vaccinations can cause fevers, pain, and other problems in kids. What I don't like is that they give all the vaccinations at once at each yearly checkup.We worked with our pediatrician to space the vaccinations out. For example, never more than 2 at a time, and a couple weeks in between. Our child had much less side effects and discomfort from the vaccinations than did neighbors and friends his age who didn't do this.I had also read some information saying some medical groups were concerned that doing all the vaccinations at once could "overload" the immature immune systems of kids - causing more side effects and perhaps limiting effectiveness.My opinion is that until there is more proof of a link to problems like autism, it's important parents continue to get kids vaccinated but it is worthwhile to work with the doctor to spread them out instead of getting all at once every year.

[lovemyraffe]

This is something I haven't even thought much about until I read this thread. Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions. I am going to discuss this in depth with my wife since our new baby will be going in a couple weeks for her 2 month check up and get some vaccines done.

[808 Vibes]

I printed this chart out and took it with me when I got my bloodwork done. They said I needed Tdap, so I checked the chart first and went 'OK!' LOL. Labwork showed my MMR was still current. All I have to get now is flu. http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm

[bodhi_tree777]

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP »However, it is very clear that vaccinations can cause fevers, pain, and other problems in kids. What I don't like is that they give all the vaccinations at once at each yearly checkup.We worked with our pediatrician to space the vaccinations out. For example, never more than 2 at a time, and a couple weeks in between. Our child had much less side effects and discomfort from the vaccinations than did neighbors and friends his age who didn't do this.I had also read some information saying some medical groups were concerned that doing all the vaccinations at once could "overload" the immature immune systems of kids - causing more side effects and perhaps limiting effectiveness.My opinion is that until there is more proof of a link to problems like autism, it's important parents continue to get kids vaccinated but it is worthwhile to work with the doctor to spread them out instead of getting all at once every year.we've had that same concern. Part of the issue with the MMR is that it's three vaccinations all at once. Our pediatrician initially told us that they could not be unbundled and administered separately because "that's how they came from the manufacturer". Not so sure about that, but I have heard and read that multiple vaccinations all at once can be quite stressful to a young'n. We've definitely spaced out the ones that our daughter has already received. For whatever reason, our pediatrician didn't like the fact that we wanted to make that call, and as a result we found another pediatrician. Thank you all for your responses. Good things to know, even if you don't have children yet.