What is the definition of autism spectrum disorder?
Autism spectrum disorder is a general term for the complex neurological diseases that affect brain development. The common characteristics of the disease are difficulties in social interactions, speech communication and repetitive sounds and movements. In May of 2013, the DSM-5 diagnostic manual placed all autism disorders under one umbrella known as ASD or autism spectrum disorders. This merged all of the sub-types like Asperger syndrome, autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (autism speaks, 2014). Common characteristics of autism are intellectual disability, challenges in motor coordination, attention span
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Many believe the measles mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine triggers autism spectrum disorder in some children. Many Hollywood celebrities in the acting community that have birthed children that suffer from autism spectrum disorder have concluded that this is how their child developed autism. These celebrities being very vocal about this link between vaccinations and autism spectrum disorders and have in turn influenced the increase in many ordinary middle-class parents refraining from getting the medically recommended vaccinations for their children. The medical community has done extensive research on this theory. However, to this date no reliable study shows a link between autism spectrum disorder and the measles mumps-rubella vaccine. In fact, the medical community have continued to recommend childhood vaccinations and continue to emphasis the danger of a non vaccinated child catching and spreading serious diseases like whooping cough (pertussis), measles and mumps (Mayo Clinic, 2012).
What are the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder?
Autism spectrum disorder affects how a child perceives and socializes with other people. Children with autism spectrum disorder have problems in the area of social interaction, communication and behavior. Children may exhibit signs of autism spectrum disorder in early infancy. Some children develop normally during the first few months of years of life and then suddenly become withdrawn, aggressive or lose
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a name that is used for a group of developmental disorders. Children with Autism have great difficulty with bonding emotionally with others, they find it hard to make eye contact with others, communicate their feelings and express themselves to the people who are closet to them. Autism effects the brain which inhibits these children to interact, communicate, and concentrate. A child with Autism will display behavior such as, repetitive behavior, rocking, flapping hands, repetition of words, and will want to always arrange objects.
Today, parents are not vaccinating their children for a number of reasons, whether it is religious beliefs, it is not natural, and some parents are even trying to link vaccinations to the rise in autism. This however has been proven false and stated in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The increase in vaccinations and the increase in children with autism happened at the same time, which leads some parents to believe that is why their child was diagnosed with autism, but this is correlation not causation. There is no real scientific test to diagnose autism and it is based off of the child’s social and communication skills and their behavior. A retrospective study was done from 1980 to 1994 where scientist recorded the amount of children receiving the measles vaccination and the amount of children diagnosed with autism. Over this time span, there was only a 10% increase in the amount of children receiving the MMR vaccine and 572% increase in children with autism. If the MMR vaccine was the cause of autism, then they should have increased at the same rate and therefore concluding that autism is caused by other unknown factors.
But the most serious risks, such as severe allergic reactions, are rarer than the diseases vaccines protect against. Other people argue that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, in particular, might cause autism. The authors refute these ideas by saying that studies have shown that there is no link between the two. Their conclusion is “To counteract the fears and misperceptions associated with vaccine campaigns, the research community and governmental agencies need to be proactive with regard to continued vaccine education, guiding public perception with rigorous scientific research on vaccine safety and emphasizing the importance of vaccination in preventing unwanted and potentially lethal infectious
This article is based on the retrospective analysis between the timeframe of 1980 to 1994 with the data of the children in kindergarten who received MMR immunization and the children born and diagnosed with autism during these years from California Department of Developmental Services regional service center system. There is awareness raised a possible association between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. The MMR vaccine and autism onset can occur by chance alone, since MMR vaccine is typically given at age of 12 to 15 months of age and parents with autistic children first start to notice the signs at the age of 18 to 19 months. However, this does not necessarily proves that vaccinations may cause autism. Due to lack
However, several studies following Andrew Wakefield’s link between MMR and autism did not display any association. One example of these studies was conducted by Brent Taylor and his co-workers of University College London in 1999, entitled ‘Autism and measles, mumps and rubella vaccine: no epidemiological evidence for casual association’. Taylor investigated documentations of 498 children from 8 different health districts with autism; 261 of core autism, 166 of atypical autism, and 71 of Asperger's syndrome. Even though there has been a steady increase of cases of autism, there was no sudden increase after the introduction of the MMR. In addition, there was no age difference in diagnosis of autism in vaccinated and unvaccinated children before or after eighteen months.
Data has suggested that the MMR vaccination is not associated with the increased risk of pervasive developmental disorders. No increased risk of autism has been after following the exposure to wild measles as well as vaccinations with monovalent measles, and Urabe or Jeryl-Lynn variants of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. This fat there is no evidence that points to the onset of autistic symptoms or of regression is actually related to measles, mumps and rubella vaccination. Data does not support the association between MMR and
One subject that has been very controversial for many years is the role of vaccinations causing Autism spectrum disorder in children. Since Eric Gallup was a healthy baby until he received was his first measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination in 1986. His parent noticed his behavior and ability to communicate after took the vaccinated. Eric had a serious reaction to the vaccine, according to his parent. In the year of 1989, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Eric Gallup’s parents developed a hypothesis that childhood vaccine was responsible for Eric's autism spectrum disorder.
Autism is the main form of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Autism is a developmental disorder that is manifested in problems with communication, impairment of social functioning, and repetitive behaviours. According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), ASD diagnoses must meet four different areas of criteria. There are three symptoms of "deficits in social communication and interaction across contexts," four symptoms of "restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities," "symptoms must be present in early childhood," and the symptoms must "together limit and impair everyday functioning" (Carpenter, 2013). There are many theoretical positions on the causes of autism spectrum disorders. Some of which have been discounted by empirical studies that have been researched and performed.
Do vaccines cause autism is a question that has been bouncing around for over twenty years. The increase in the number of diagnosed cases of Autism Spectrum Disorder has increased significantly and due to the impact this has in people’s lives several studies have been done in an effort to determine the cause. More specifically the MMR, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, vaccination has been accused of being the cause of autism. This accusation then contributed to families not vaccinating their children. Even though science disproves the link between vaccines and autism in several studies done in the United Kingdom, California, and Canada, many people cling to the vaccination-autism connection (Gerber, 2009).
Vaccinations for common illnesses and disease have been around since the early 1900s. They seem like they would be a very common practice amongst common people because they are used to prevent said illnesses. Well, for a lot of parents in America, this is not the case. The MMR vaccination came about when the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccines were all combined (Cave 54). After the release of this new vaccination, the number of kids being diagnosed with autism rose tremendously. Some people were very interested in this sudden spike of autistic children and decided to follow up on it. Many studies were done to see if there was any correlation between the MMR vaccination and the increasing diagnosis of children with autism. Some findings contradict one another. What I believe is that there is no statistical evidence to prove that there is a correlation between the administering of the MMR vaccination and the autism diagnosis increase associated with those who have received the MMR vaccine. Many bold claims have been made over the years and some of them have been rather controversial, others have been more accurate.
In spite of the evidence that the MMR vaccine provides protection against these illnesses, scientists and parents alike argue that it causes autism. Autism is a disorder with an early onset in life in which the development of the central nervous system is disrupted. The pathophysiology and etiology are not known at this time (Singh). According to an analysis published in the Journal of Biomedical Sciences, “Researchers discovered that because many autistic children harbor elevated levels of measles antibodies, they should conduct a
Vaccines have been a very controversial topic amongst the medical field and parenting bodies, led by scare tactics from anti-vaccination activists. One of the most contentious vaccine debates to date is the proposed causal relationship between the receipt of the measles, mump-rubella vaccine and autism. The fears created by the anti-vaccination activists are making parents question the safety associated with the vaccine. A study published in the Lancet in 1988 by Andrew Wakefield suggested that the measles and the mumps vaccine could trigger autism, sparking an anti-vaccination campaign and activism. After the introduction of the MMR vaccination, the incidence of MMR among 2-year- olds in England dropped below 80%. However, the parental refusal
The term autism spectrum disorders derive various definitions depending on the type of professional is questioned. A medical definition of autism spectrum disorders provided by the Mayo Clinic in 2014 states, “an autism spectrum disorder is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs a child 's ability to communicate and interact with others. It also includes restricted repetitive behaviors, interests and activities. These issues cause significant impairment in social, occupational and other areas of functioning.” This is not the definition that will be referenced in this paper. The definition that is applicable to this paper is the educational definition, mandated by federal law to be used in public schools. The educational definition of autism spectrum disorders according to the book Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special Education by Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen is “a disability wherein symptom fall on a continuum from relatively mild to severe; DSM-5 divides them into two general domains: ‘social communication impairment’ and ‘repetitive restricted behaviors.’” A
One reason that is resurging in the media is the notion that vaccines can be linked to autism. In the middle is the result: cases of measles, mumps and rubella are occurring and populations of children are at risk to contract these preventable viruses. It is therefore important to examine whether vaccinations are indeed safe, if such vaccines pose adverse health risks, and exactly what the nature of reasons are as to why some children do not receive their immunizations. Much of the controversy initially arose out of a study published originally in 1998.
This article discusses the much debated concept of whether vaccines are correlated to causing autism. The controversy began in 1998 when a MMR vaccine – used to fight measles, mumps and rubella in children – was linked by a fraudulent research paper to disorders related to autism (Bearman 2010). As a result of the claims of the paper, there was a sharp drop in vaccination rates where the research was first originally reported – in the UK and in Ireland (Bearman 2010). As a result, there was a significant increase in the occurrence of measles and mumps, resulting in significant casualties as well as significant permanent injuries (Bearman 2010). Subsequently, a variety of research institutions have undergone significant testing of this “hypothesis” and have concluded there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.