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Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

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In the last decade, the rate of autism has experienced a dramatic increase (Gerber 1). There used to be a speculation of an apparent correlation between the numbers of vaccines children receive and the increase of autism. A predominant controversy regarding vaccinations was whether or not one of the side effects of vaccines is Autism Spectrum Disorder. The probability of vaccines in children resulting in autism was challenged by various researchers from around the world has proven to be untrue (Gerber 2, 3, 5). The importance of vaccination is being underestimated by a number of parents in today’s society and that has a large impact on the immunity herd.*talk about the 3 hyp* In general, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are …show more content…

The final hypothesis was that the simultaneous administration of multiple vaccines overwhelms and weakens the immune system (Gerber 1).
The most predominant hypothesis was regarding the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Studies conducted in Canada, Finland, Denmark, United States and United Kingdom all reached the same conclusion: the increase in the rate of autism is not directly correlated with the MMR vaccine (Gerber 3-4). This vaccination is given at an age where often the first symptoms of autism emerge. Typically around 15 to 18 months when toddlers start to walk and are expected to develop language. According to the studies made by Meldgaard and his team, “there was no sharp increase in the prevalence of autism after the introduction of the MMR vaccine.” (Meldgaard 2). For instance, the risk of autism in vaccinated and unvaccinated children is the same. People may associate these conditions to the MMR vaccine because of the timing of the vaccine and the first symptoms of autism (Meldgaard 4). This explains why the MMR vaccine was the predominant hypothesis of the cause of autism, even though it has been proven not to be true.
The second hypothesis that emerged was regarding a vaccine ingredient. One ingredient that has been studied specifically is thimerosal, which was used as a preservative in many recommended childhood vaccines. Thimerosal is an antibacterial compound that has been used effectively in multi-dose vaccine preparation for more than 50 years.

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