Why I Don't Think Vaccines Cause Autism

It's really amazing how many people are convinced there is an "autism epidemic", who seem to be in a panic over statistics like "1 in 88 children" or "1 in 50 boys". Most point to vaccines as the cause. I really don't think that's the case. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Increase in cases of autism may actually be attributed to a change of diagnostic criteria. In fact, autism rates appeared to skyrocket when the DSM-IV came out and the diagnoses of Asperger Syndrome and PDD-NOS were added, and included in "autism" statistics. So, ironically, the increase was in higher-functioning cases of autism.

2. People think autism is a new disorder, but maybe it isn't. Until just a few decades ago, people who had what we call autism now, were given other labels like childhood schizophrenia. Also, until fairly recently many people with mental and other disabilities were cloistered away in institutions, so nobody saw them. That is why I'm skeptical of educators who testify that 30 years ago, they hardly saw any children with autism or other learning disabilities, and now they see them all over the place. Could it simply be that those children had not been in the education system before? Maybe they were in institutions or special schools where they were ignored. Also, I think it extremely likely that perhaps in medieval times autistic children were labeled "changelings" or "demon-possessed" and possibly killed or moved to almshouses, with maybe some higher-functioning individuals passing for "eccentric". (Incidentally, I also think another simple reason we see more disability today is that more disabled people are surviving conditions that would have killed them before. Premature babies used to die, now we have the technology to save them and often they end up having disabilities. Before insulin was discovered, people used to die of diabetes, and now they survive to pass on their genes, so I don't necessarily think increases in type 1 diabetes are caused by vaccines either.)

3. I think that the argument that autism is caused by "toxins" in vaccines will always tend to portray autism in an unnecessarily negative light. If being autistic meant that your brain had been "poisoned" then there would be nothing good about autism, when in fact there are many things autistic people are better at than neurotypicals (along with things we have more trouble with, of course). I think that particular argument is ableist by nature.

4. If there was an "autism epidemic" you would expect to see just a smattering of autistic adults and zillions of kids being diagnosed. But many people say that adults are being diagnosed at the same rate as children. That sounds like the diagnostic criteria are broadening, and adult autistics who were able to "pass" in society but maybe still had some struggles are being diagnosed now.

5. Lots of studies have shown that autism has the same prevalence worldwide. Now, I would imagine that different countries would have slightly different vaccine schedules, so if autism was caused by vaccines the prevalence would be different for each country.

I think people make a big deal about autism because the cause is unknown. It seems likely to me that autism will turn out to be something like Down syndrome, only way more complicated genetically, and maybe some environmental factors as well. It would be ridiculous to say anything "caused" Down syndrome because we know that it is present from conception. But we don't know that about autism, so everyone has their own theory on the "cause", and each one is different. Hopefully science will sort that out one day.

Finally, I want to make a clarification. I think that just as we are expected to respect the religious and political beliefs of others, we should be respectful of other people's opinions on the topic of vaccination. I don't believe the issue is as black-and-white as many people make it out to be. I don't think anyone really "wants their children to die". I myself think that the flu shot isn't effective and the Gardasil vaccine isn't tested enough, but think most childhood vaccinations are a good idea. Others may disagree with me, and that is all right. I really want the "bashing" on both sides to end!