Recent news indicates that a British researcher Andrew Wakefield falsified information contained in his studies to tip the scales toward indicating a strong connection between the MMR vaccination and the onset of autism in children. His research caused a number of parents to halt vaccinations for their children and the number of cases of Measles and Mumps increased dramatically in the wake of the response.
MomsGetReal™ asked autism expert Amalia Starr for her response to the recent news. Amalia is the mother of an autistic son, an advocate for parents of autistic children, and a firm believer that regardless of the single study’s outcome, that a connection does exist. Here’s what she has to say:
Over the past several years I have had the privilege to speak to many audiences filled with parents who have children with autism. I am a mother of an autistic adult son, and I know that we as parents have no time to waste, make up stories, embellish, or fabricate anything. We barely have time to do what we have to do. So when parents tell me my child was perfectly fine until he was given the vaccine and then the following day he displayed symptoms of autism, I listen.
I place my focus and attention on the parents who had children who were once “normal” prior to giving their children the vaccine. For me, it is not about the numbers, it is all about our children who we love. For many parents, after giving their children the vaccine they are left to deal with their children’s newly acquired autistic symptoms for the rest of their lives.
This is truly a very sad and serious matter. Vaccines and autism, it has happened way too often to be a coincidence. I believe the connection is real. Hopefully one-day people will believe that the parents are speaking the truth and they will no longer have to make the connection of vaccine and autism a guessing game leaving our children at risk. We need to make sure our vaccines are safe for all children.
