Post a Comment On: Adventures in Autism

Well turns out our little book was in demand, so we have issued it in paperback.  It is updated and expanded.  Some great new material in there.  And my chapter on the government shenanigans on the vaccine autism question is updated.  A little preview below:

[Image]

Vaccines and Autism The current CDC web site offers this response to the question, “Do vaccines cause autism spectrum disorders?” “A: [There are] many studies that have looked at whether there is a relationship between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). To date, the studies continue to show that vaccines are not [sic] associated with ASDs.”[i] This statement does not accurately depict the state of vaccine safety science today. While some studies do not find evidence of an association between vaccines, heavy metal components such as thimerosal, and autism, many do. The peer-reviewed meta-analysis released by DeSoto and Hitlan, addressed in Chapter 7 (“An Urgent Call for More Research), found that 74 percent of the relevant studies support an association between autism and heavy metals such as thimerosal and autism. Contrary to the CDC’s statement, there are now approximately 60 studies that support the autism-vaccine causation theory.[ii] However, parents, attempting to make fully informed decisions about vaccinating their children, who Google “Do vaccines cause autism spectrum disorders?" will see the page containing the CDC's inaccurate claim as the first search result that is returned to them. The trust those parents have that the government is giving them accurate information is misplaced.             In early 2012, in preparation for the paperback version of Vaccine Epidemic, CDC was contacted directly to ascertain their current stance on vaccine autism causation.  Thomas W. Skinner of the Centers for Disease Control, Office of the Director, Office of the Associate Director for Communication responded: “Subject:          Re: MI-Normal-Book author-Autism/Vaccine Date:   Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:32:40 +0000 From:   Skinner, Thomas W. (CDC/OD/OADC) <tws3@cdc.gov> To:       'ginger@adventuresinautism.com'             Autism presents difficult challenges for thousands of families across the United States.  Scientists do not know what causes autism.  However, very thorough studies conducted by some of the world’s brightest scientists simply do not point to an association between vaccines and autism.  Hopefully additional research will someday provide answers as to what is the cause or causes of autism.”             Because this statement is inconsistent with current research, I sent Mr. Skinner a follow-up email, in which I brought to his attention a list of sixty studies (listed in Appendix) that point to an association between vaccines and autism.   I had three inquiries:  1) the list of studies that "do not point to an association between vaccines and autism; " 2) the reasons for the CDC’s failure to mention any of the studies that point to an association between vaccines and autism; and 3) the  person or panel responsible for approving his statement.             No reply was forthcoming from the CDC as of the publication of this edition.

[i]  http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/topics.html, Page last reviewed: May 13, 2010, Page last updated: May 13, 2010 [ii] Ginger Taylor “No Evidence of Any Link,” AdventuresInAutism.com, June 14th, 2007, accessed May 1st, 2012, http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2007/06/no-evidence-of-any-link.html