MMR Shot

For the sake of your son and everyone else around him, get his immunizations. This is one of the most important ways to prevent your child from getting sick, and from bringing the disesases these shots prevent to everyone else.

Having been a teacher of students with moderate to severe autism for many years, I understand the worry. However, most parents...including my own (I have an autistic younger brother)...felt as if they knew that something was different from very early on and that when their child was just a few months old, they could see subtle differences in their behavior/development than other normally developing babies. These differences were apparent before shots were administered.

Additionally, there are researchers who may have discovered the genetic marker for autism which would suggest that autism is a genetic issue rather than one caused by environmental factors.

Good luck!

OMG! It is not from the shots! My sons pedi explained to me that in Japan at one point they stopped giving children vaccines due to fear of them causing autism. Guess what? They autism rate did not fall it stayed the same but more and more kids were getting very ill from not getting the vaccines.
When your child is not vaccinated then my child runs the risk of possibly catching a virus your child got from not getting their shots.
Is your nephew on a special diet like no wheat, gluten, dairy that type of thing? Look at Jenny McCarthy's son he is on a special diet and doing very well & now talks!
Western medicine does not believe it is a diet issue so some times we need to look into further types of medicine like maybe homeopathic/holisitic/chinese. Check out this website:
www.maxhealing.com
Also I have a son & had the same worries you do! He is 20 months old, fine and had all his shots! No autism at all for him. Also autism his more common in boys than girls for some odd reason. Trust me I know your stress, but again my son is fine and some times we need to have faith in God (if you believe in God) to get us through these stressful times. Gets your daughter the shots because it is not going to cause autism & not getting shot can make her very sick! If you are so concerned go to that website above and make an appointment they can test your daughter for food type "sensitivities" or you can wait see if she has symptoms of autism & they can tell you what is causing it and you can fix it! NO WORRIES. Please feel free to e-mail me I can answer any ? you have about the website & doctors.

I also work with severely autistic children and understand your fears. We still went through with all shots, and the research out there has currently debunked the idea that the immunizations cause Autism - even if they are genetically predisposed. Many families will still argue it, but the research is the proof. If you are still fearful, you can insist that your doctor separates the shot rather than giving it all together, but you'll have to pay out of pocket for that. You can also ask to read the ingredients label to ensure that there is no thimerisol (Sp?) in it - which there SHOULD NOT BE anymore. But again, they have found that immunizations are not the cause. Many times the parents of children with autism begin to NOTICE the symptoms around the time of the immunizations because those times are around language development and social / play skill development. So, people fear the link because that's when they recognize symptoms. Coincidence. Good luck!

P.S. No offense to the previous person who posted, but there is currently no "cure" or "fix" for Autism, or a known "cause". Please don't be misled by Jenny McCarthy's bold statements either.... she is not a doctor or a specialist despite her son having Autism. Many children w/ Autism DO have food sensitivities and special diets can HELP, but they don't "fix" Autism.

With all due respect to previous posters, if "When your child is not vaccinated then my child runs the risk of possibly catching a virus your child got from not getting their shots." what is the shot doing then? Immunizations are suppose to protect children from the disease they are offered for whatever the source -whether that is my un-vaccinated child or other naturally occurring source of the disease in question.
I think every parent has a responsibility to make informed choices about all health services. To not vaccinate because I don't, because Jenny McCarthy says you shouldn't or because your pedi says you should is irresponsible. Do you research, consider both sides of the debate & evaluate your child's risk (for the disease & the vaccine) then make your decision. If you can't do that before the appointment, don't forget that you can also choose to delay the vaccine for now.

Have you tried calling your Pedi and talking to him/her about your worries? I too had concerns with both of my boy's at the tender age of 15 months or so. The Peditrician we chose for our boy's was more than willing to talk about and describe all the pro's and con's. Needless-to-say, both my boy's ended up getting the shot(s) after careful consideration.
As far as I know, which could or could not be much, i think they removed the mercury from all shots???? that is a good question to ask.
I am happy to say i have two very healthy boy's five and three years of age.