Childhood Vaccines Cleared of Autism, Diabetes Link in New Report U.S. Institute of Medicine finds "very little evidence" of serious harm

From Nature magazine

Vaccines are largely safe, and do not cause autism or diabetes, the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) said in a report issued today. This conclusion followed a review of more than 1,000 published research studies.

"We looked very hard and found very little evidence of serious adverse harms from vaccines," says Ellen Wright Clayton, chairwoman of the reporting committee and director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. "The message I would want parents to have is one of reassurance."

The report, commissioned in 2009 by the US Health Resources and Services Administration, covers the eight vaccines that comprise the majority of claims filed with the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which compensates people for adverse health effects from any of 11 vaccines.

Top Ten Expectations for Parents when Raising Children with Autism

1. Expect a lot of advice and suggestions from friends and family.  Understand some of this advice may not be productive, realistic, or made with a true understanding of the nature of the problem.

2. Expect that your child may have social challenges. He or she may not fit in with peer group.

3. Expect you may need to advocate for your child in some settings.The setting could be school or community

4. Expect that your child may place additional demands on your family system.

5. Expect that your certain tasks may not come easy for your child. He or she may need tasks broken down.

6. Expect your child may have trouble with transitioning from one place to another.

7. Expect that you may need to be proactive in addressing issues or challenges your child faces.

8. Expect you need to educate yourself more about your child’s diagnosis.

9. Expect you and your partner need to be on the same page regarding parenting issues. 

10. Expect that your child will bring great joy  to you regardless of these challenges.

      National Autism Association 

    

Mark Myers expert answer to: Is it possible for Autism to go unrecognized?

Usually, a diagnosis of autism is made when someone is a child, around age three or four years of age. Symptoms of this diagnosis become more obvious as a child struggles to meet the demands of his or her world. Social, language, and behavioral problems or deficits begin to stand out.

Often times a child may be given a diagnosis other than Autism yet still be Autistic. If the symptoms the child is experiencing are intense, the diagnosis of Autism may be overlooked as attention is given to the more overt symptoms.

An example would be a child who has Asperger (one of the five diagnosis that fall under Autism) may be missing social cues that could be interpreted as defiant. This could lead to a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder and therapy could go in a completely different direction.

Also, with Asperger, some of the challenges a child experiences may fall under the radar and not be quite as noticeable. Something may be going on in that person's life as a teenager that were not apparent earlier for him or her. This may make a diagnosis of Autism more clear. Autistic symptoms may stand out more, for example, if a child is put in a more challenging environment. As well, if a person has figured out ways to cope with some of the symptoms of Autism, it is possible they could go through life without being diagnosed.