Unlike Measles, Autism is Not a Potentially Fatal Disease
In a letter in today’s Chicago Tribune—in response to an August 25th story, Kids’ vaccinations face risky resistance, Alexander Anderson—who notes that he’s worked with autistic children for more than six years—writes:
I know I’d rather have a child with autism than have a child who runs the risk of carrying, dying from or transmitting a potentially fatal disease.
Another thought to consider along with the luxury of choice about vaccinating, or not vaccinating. Measles is an infectious diseases; autism is not.
Once again, the comments box in the sidebar is not updating so I’ll be noting some recent comments in posts (and hope the problem is fixed, soon):
Jamie has some great news on Freedom of Movement: The Importance of Riding a Bike.
Lola has a comment about Minnesota having the highest autism rate.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, disabilities blog, disability, green, Health, immunization, measles, mercury, mmr, motherhood, Myth, natural, Parenting, pdd-nos, Science, shots, Vaccines
19 opinions for Unlike Measles, Autism is Not a Potentially Fatal Disease
Chuck
Aug 29, 2008 at 12:09 pm
And there are 250 comments when I last checked. The debate is as heated there as it is here. So what does that mean?
jonathan
Aug 29, 2008 at 12:12 pm
you discount the stories of drowning among children like ashley brock and children who elope and get run over by trains, so your post is not entirely accurate.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Aug 29, 2008 at 12:43 pm
@jonathan, but was autism the cause of those things happening?
@chuck, it’s a fierce debate of many opinions that seems to keep coming up against science.
Chuck
Aug 29, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Why can’t science defend itself?
Speaking Aut
Aug 29, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I made a post saying this exact thing a couple of weeks ago.
Jonathan: People who are neurotypical can still drown or get hit by trains. It’s not exclusive to the spectrum. People who are immune to infectious diseases, however, can’t die of those diseases.
(And yes, I know that some people can contract diseases after being vaccinated. It’s why I said “people who are immune to…” and not “people who have been vaccinated against…”.)
Regan
Aug 29, 2008 at 1:44 pm
It’s a false dichotomy…because, even with the best intentions it suggests vaccination as the cause of autism, and that forgoing vaccination will preclude that possibility.
Maybe it’s me, but I haven’t noted that having autism is Eleanor’s E-ticket to not becoming ill with colds, flus or other (rotavirus being one thing I clearly recall–that was pre-vaccine). I did notice that she did not contract pertussis from me, when I, and, then my husband, ended up with relatively mild cases last year, although I am sure there are those who might state that her being more recently being vaccinated with the DTaP had nothing to do with that.
Conversely, being NT has never been a full assurance on its own of not getting lost, hit by vehicles, accidental drowning, and other causes of injury or death to children, otherwise I would not read such on a regular basis in the daily news.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Aug 29, 2008 at 2:01 pm
@chuck, science can defend itself, but it’s way of doing this is not via rhetoric and argument.
@regan,
Charlie had a nasty case of rotavirus too as a baby, pre-vaccine.
Chuck
Aug 29, 2008 at 2:11 pm
“@chuck, science can defense itself, but it’s way of doing this is not via rhetoric and argument”
In many medical offices that a member of my family have been in, rhetoric and argument is all that is done.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Aug 29, 2008 at 2:31 pm
if that’s all, then the only harm would be an exchange of views and ideas.
Regan
Aug 29, 2008 at 5:00 pm
The debate is as heated there as it is here. So what does that mean?
Since it is a self-selected response and not a polling of a random sample–that those responding are more likely to respond? Also depends on how many of the comments are back and forth between the same commenters. It’s pretty clear that those who take the time to comment may have a stronger, more invested or more composed point of view than people who just choose to read, are indifferent to the article, or prefer to perhaps discuss the matter elsewhere.
(That’s not meant in as cheeky a tone as it may sound. )
Regan
Aug 29, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Just thought this might be of interest,
Talk of the Nation, August 29, 2008 17 min 49 sec.
Science Friday. Host: Ira Flatow
Guest: Paul Offit
jonathan
Aug 29, 2008 at 8:51 pm
absolutely autism was the cause of these deaths. It is a safe bet that if Ashley Brock had been neurotypical she would not have drowned. Elopment is very common with autism, Kristina Chew herself writes about it regularly in her own blog. So, yes, I attribute these deaths directly to autism, the fact the child was too impaired to know that they were in danger and it would not have happened to an NT child and an NT child would not have the problems with elopment.
Speaking Aut
Aug 29, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Jonathan:
That doesn’t cover the second half of the argument. How do you account for all the neurotypical people who drown or run away? There are a LOT of neurotypical people who sneak out of the house for a night and never come back, or who are injured or assaulted. There are lots of neurotypicals who drown every year.
But you can’t die of measles if you never contract it.
The two situations aren’t comparable. Don’t pretend they are.
Regan
Aug 29, 2008 at 9:43 pm
NT child would not have the problems with elopment.
Not necessarily true. My husband went on a mountain hike with my “NT” daughter and my daughter diagnosed with ASD. I received a late-evening call on a weak signal from the mountains. One of the girls was missing…I was sure that it must be Eleanor.
(Nope, it was the “NT” daughter that we had to call out search and rescue for, because she would not stay with Dad on the trail and got herself quite lost.)
been neurotypical she would not have drowned.
Our NT nephew drowned at the age of 3 1/2 in a neighbor’s pool after sneaking out of our in-laws’ yard during a barbecue. Did he have autism? Nope. But what he could not do is…swim.
The probabilities may be higher than for the general population, but don’t frame them as differential certainties based on medical status. I’m not trying to discount that we have to be more cautious and aware with those with special needs, but I think that some blanket statements are being made that just aren’t true.
Ed
Aug 29, 2008 at 10:28 pm
“I know I’d rather have a child with autism than have a child who runs the risk of carrying, dying from or transmitting a potentially fatal disease.”
My autistic son read this and does not agree.
Kristina Chew, PhD
Aug 29, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Just a few years ago, i was a likely candidate for drowning or at least an urgent water rescue, as I did not know how to swim. I can now swim reasonably well to keep my head above water for a good while, and can also swim in the ocean. The only reason I learned to swim is because of Charlie who, as is known, is autistic (with limited reading skills at the moment so I cannot have him, as Ed did with his child, read the sentence; one day,perhaps).
I learned to swim because I had to be able to be in the pool with Charlie, who soon could swim in the deep end. I am inclined to think, that had it not been for this journey raising an autistic son, I would never have learned how to swim.
And hence, drowning would have been more likely for me.
Emily
Aug 30, 2008 at 11:22 am
Ed, does your autistic son have a child?
Science is perfectly capable of defending itself, given that the evidence is all on the side of science. It’s a matter of getting the noisemakers to shut up long enough for the argument to be made. Scientists don’t rely on exclamation points as a substitute for data.
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Aug 30, 2008 at 4:27 pm
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Ed
Sep 1, 2008 at 12:01 am
Emily,
David does not have a son.
I taught him to swim because he had the wherewithall to learn and I had the wherewithall to teach him. David is 21 now and he attends college now. He is still autistic, but he has a lot going for him.
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