Vaccine Support

I've been working in special education all my life, and have done a lot with autism support and I have never seen this to be the case (families being excluded from support groups because they do not believe in the autism link to vaxes). I can not imagine this happening...In fact, if anything, I would see the opposite to be true.

As a parent to a child with autism, I haven't seen in it in my local support groups IRL, but I have seen it on-line message boards quite often.  If one is not on board with the whole vaccines cause autism bandwagon you are accused of so many things.   If you are not in-line with all the quack treatments and DAN! protocols you are told that you are doing nothing to help your child, that you are a terrible parent.  I have even had someone tell me (not here on ivillage, I want to stress that) that vaccinating my youngest, after having a child with autism, was child abuse and how DARE I put my child in such danger.  It's ridiculous.  I guess hiding behind the anonymity of a computer is quite easy.  Funnily enough, my youngest is the most vaccinated child I have, and he's the only one of the 3 who isn't on the spectrum!!  Go figure.

The biggest problem with the whole controversy (of which there is none, there is no scientific evidence indicating that vaccinations play a role) is that it is taking good research dollars and support dollars away from REAL issues that autistic individuals face.  The likes of Jenny McCarthy put a terrible face on autism, make it out to be the most horrible thing that can happen to a child.  My child is described as poisoned, damaged, soulless and a drain on my family.  How is my child ever going to be a productive member of society, ever going to be seen for who he is and what he can do, when all that is displayed is that he is damaged goods?

I am quite sensitive to this subject as you can see.  I am sure you know, having worked with people on the spectrum, that there is so much potential in every single one of them.  There is so much to learn from these people...all the vaccines=autism talk just deters us from really helping autistic children and adults everywhere.  Make no mistake...there is a wide gap between those of us who don't believe in a link and those of us who do.

Judi   just a Genuine Canadian Gal   mum to my own A-TEAM Allen (8), Andrew (5), and Aaron (4)       How we talk about autism—how we talk about autistic persons—directly impacts on how the public, how people, think about autism, and how they perceive and act towards autistic persons.~ Kristina Chew ~ Autism Vox