May 16th, 2008
With another round of vaccine court going on this week, the question of whether there’s a link between vaccines and autism is again getting a lot of discussion. Here’s five past posts on this blog that suggest how this one hypothesis about the cause of autism has become entwined in debates about research, the understanding […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 3 comments
May 16th, 2008
Here it was Charlie’s birthday yesterday (thank you for so many good wishes!) so I’ve been in something of a super-reflective mood: How was this tall boy once curled up inside me? How have we managed to help him through the years and some very tough moments? He’s 11 years old now and memories […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 22 comments
May 15th, 2008
Paul Offit, M.D., chief of infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He is frequently quoted regarding the controversy over a vaccine-autism link; he emphasizes the importance of vaccines for public health. Dr. Offit is, accordingly, not exactly a beloved figure among […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 19 comments
May 11th, 2008
Tomorrow brings yet another chapter in the annals of the U.S. “Vaccine Court.” Nearly 4900 families have filed claims with the U.S. Court of Claims alleging that vaccines caused autism and/or other neurological problems in their children. Two 10-year-old autistic boys, William Mead and Jordan King, from Portland, Oregon, will serve as the test […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 18 comments
May 10th, 2008
Do childhood vaccines cause autism? (KSDK, St. Louis)
No.
Vaccinations do not cause autism.
Source. Source. Source.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, Cause, Epidemic, Health, magical thinking, measles, mercury, mmr, Parenting, pdd-nos, savant syndrome, shots, VaccinesShare This
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 23 comments
May 9th, 2008
That’s how Dr. Steven Novella refers to various alternative medical practices used by parents on their autistic children in the May 8th Neurologica blog. Among those practices is chelation, in which medications are administered to remove “heavy metals” from a person’s body and thereby to “detoxify” his or her system. Dr. Novella discusses […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 6 comments
May 5th, 2008
What do TV, ultrasounds, insufficient vitamin D, air pollution, a mother having the flu while pregnant, mercury, have to do with each other?
All have been named as possible causes of autism. TK Kenyon looks at the puzzling spectrum of research into the cause of autism, some of which he labels as “just plain stupid”—the theory […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 28 comments
May 4th, 2008
Whether or not to try biomedical treatments is a question that’s perhaps unavoidable for parents with an autistic child today. One hears constant, albeit anecdotal, reports of a child who has “recovered“; the publication of Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism last fall by Jenny McCarthy further renewed attention on such […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 16 comments
May 1st, 2008
The biggest measles outbreak—72 cases so far—since 2001 is occurring across the US, today’s Reuters reports. No one who has caught the highly contagious disease has died, but 14 people have been hospitalized, mostly with pneumonia brought on by measles.
The CDC said 64 cases were reported from January 1 through April 25 in Arizona, California, […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 92 comments
May 1st, 2008
On April 11th, a new document in the case of Hannah Poling was filed. The document—Order Deferring Ruling on Petitioners’ Motion for Complete Transparency of Proceedings—-can be read here. The petitioners are Terry Poling and Jon Poling, the parents of “Hannah Poling, a minor.” The respondent is the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The […]
By Kristina Chew, PhD -- 19 comments
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