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From TODAYshow.com contributor and "Ask Kitty" columnist, Kitty Schindler -- It’s hard to believe that the debate about autism goes all the way back to 1943, when Leo Kanner of Johns Hopkins, a pioneer in child psychology, first observed a group of 11 youngsters whose parents had brought them to him for diagnoses. Kanner coined the term “infantile autism” at that time.
It was 27 years later that I first became acquainted with the writings of child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim. Bettelheim thought autism was caused by a mother's rejection of her infant; he believed the infant was socially withdrawn due to having been deprived of affection and a stimulating environment. Such mothers were referred to as “refrigerator moms.”
A few years later, when I was continuing my nursing education in a graduate program in special education, I had the opportunity to see Bettelheim lecture in person. He was expounding his theory on autism when several women in the audience raised their hands. When he acknowledged them, they began reading opinions by other professionals that contradicted his. Bettelheim became irate and refused to continue speaking until, to my shock, the women were escorted from the room.
Bettelheim’s “refrigerator mom” theory caused a lot of guilt and suffering among parents of autistic children before being largely discredited. Bettelheim himself committed suicide in 1990, after which his reputation declined as reports emerged that he had falsified some of his credentials and mistreated patients.
We have come a long way since those days, but the search for a definite cause of autism goes on. Research is being continued by such organizations as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and many local, national, international and private organizations. The most significant progress is being made in the areas of early diagnosis, intervention and education.
And I have seen that progress firsthand. In the 1970s I worked as a substitute teacher and volunteer in both public schools and private institutions for disabled students up 18 years old. In 1980, I began work as a nurse in a New York City public school for profoundly mentally challenged and physically disabled students. Here I observed a 9-year-old boy who was living in a group home and was assigned to an age-appropriate class. Let’s call him Boy A.
A very handsome child with no apparent physical disability, Boy A was nonverbal, self-stimulating, and self-abusive. He had not been diagnosed as falling within the autistic spectrum and not been placed in an autistic intervention program. To control his self-abusive behavior, his hands were tied with strips of cloth.
Contrast that treatment to today, when just recently I spoke with a relative about her 6-year-old son, whom I’ll call Boy B. He was diagnosed with autistic spectrum by age 2 and has been enrolled in a year-round autism intervention program ever since. Over the intervening four years he has shown continual improvement in social, emotional and physical abilities. He is affectionate and funny, swims, enjoys games and loves amusement parks.
Boy B has received all the resources available to children in the autistic spectrum. His school program is reinforced by his devoted parents and older sisters, who are dedicated to his progress. They also follow the current diet suggestions for autistic children. Although his speech is slowly improving, it is the area of weakest progress. It seems there are never enough speech therapists.
There has been tremendous progress in treating autism in the 30 years between Boy A and Boy B, but its cause remains a mystery – and an increasingly contentious one. A recent PBS documentary, “The Vaccine War,” spotlighted the controversy over whether the growing number of childhood vaccinations is at fault for the skyrocketing numbers of children being diagnosed as autistic spectrum since the 1980s. And Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who suggested a possible link between the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and autism, vowed on TODAY to keep fighting for his theory despite having his medical license revoked.
Even mothers of normal children are becoming afraid of vaccines; I have spoken with many such moms, and they do fear MMR most. And that is troubling, because many moms younger than my 86 years haven’t been around long enough to remember the havoc those diseases can cause – particularly the danger of rubella to pregnant mothers.
Related stories:
- Video: Controversial autism doctor: 'I'm not going away'
- Discuss: Do you think vaccines are related to autism?
- Study says many vaccines at once OK for kids' brains
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You have to educate yourselves on vaccinations and not rely on medical professionals who will never have to get office supplies or buy lunch on a friday. There is too much behind the scenes influence in our professional medical society that they are being swayed away from observation and just being a plain ol doctor who will not face his or her practice or AAP when a parent decides not to vaccinate their child.
Do your reading, research, and ask questions if your not sure. You probably aren't sure for a reason. Look for adjusted schedules if you have a child that you are not sure about their allergies, or if you are reading between lines and see that there are indeed no studies on the effects of the entire recommended schedule of vaccinations for the first 4 years of life. Hard to beleive with all the heat on this that one can not be put together between a vaccinated and unvaccinated group. Plus the effects must be measured alittle better than a few weeks after the vaccinations as well. Allergies and behavioral patterns take a while to be develop or be diagnosed.
My opinion, and first hand experience is based on my now 9 year old son. His life changed at 18mts, and I know why. His 1 year picture lit up our family picture wall, and that was taken away from us, along with a number of things that I will not mention in the interest of keeping this short.
I've got many blank faced pictures of him up from 18 mts until he was 3 when we finally got a diagnosis and began treatments. He now smiles, tells jokes, and draws these incredible mazes. He's gifted but different.. Did he need to be this way? What happened to my son? That's my life mission, and I don't beleive it is shared by the FDA, CDC or Big Pharm. Someone please, prove me wrong!
I appreciate your story big Mike 111. Who is to say if there is or not a link. It is scary though if we don't vaccinate our children at all. But we do need to look at how and when we schedule the vaccinations and what is in them. Years ago children died or suffered anomalies due to now preventable diseases. Our son now 17, who knows...a combination of factors..he is who he is and makes him unique. He is special and we are lucky he can do what we can but will always be unique. One child w/Autism is one child w/Autism. All different, all the same but treatments or preventions are not the same for every child.
As the mother of a 17 year old autistic son, I am always troubled by the amount of attention given to the vaccine and autism debate. For my precious son, we can not point to a particular cause of the regression of what appeared to be a normal 3 year old to what we now know as autism. So the vaccine debate is not part of our focus for our child. I do know that we followed our pediatrician's advice to save him from all of the other terrible conditions that the vaccine help us avoid, and he was vaccinated. I, however, know that debating other important issues is needed. For example, why can't we focus on providing behavioral intervention techniques in all of our public schools? How about searching for appropriate programs for these special children when they become adults? Why do parents spend a tremendous amount of money to improve their special needs child and parents without that same amount of money can not access programs that will benefit their child? I decided years ago to stop searching for a cause and even the answer, and spend my time and energy developing the best possible quality of life for my son and his special needs.
Very well put.
This issue should be top priority, but instead is relegated to the sidelines. We are writing off generations of kids and the medical profession has nothing to offer parents of children with autism. Moreover, these children are being shortchanged by the system which views them as a drain on funds and administrators seek to contain costs at the price of necessary individualized treatment. If you are a parent you must take an active role. You must seek the truth using your own funds and resources since government and medicine have nothing to offer at this time.
We have and we haven't.
We know that vaccines don't cause autism, but people are still ignorant of how people who have autism react to situations.
They still don't get the fact that their loud-mouthed three-year-old can trigger a behavioral episode due to the issue of hypersensitivity that many people with autism have.
Shut your kid up, for God's sake! He's causing my friend to freak out!
Too many cops still don't understand the phenomenon of self-mutilation or the fact that many who have autism possess a higher threshold of pain.
He's not on drugs, you dumbass, so put the gun away.
Too many business owners don't understand that they occasionally need to jump up and down across the room.
As long as no one gets hurt, what the hell do you care? He does it and it's over with-chill out, idiot. He has some imbalances. Then again, don't we all? Ever been sued for discrimination, @!$%#?
Your friend gets a pass because he's autistic, but a 3 year old doesn't? Please, controlling three year olds is a challenge at the best of times, and if there is an adult having a meltdown, too you gone and created a LOVELY feed back loop. Granted if my kid even hints at a tantrum in public, we're leaving the area, but even at her best, she's loud!! Three year olds are still very much self centred creatures learning how to behave in public.
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The most recent "study" regarding vaccines & autism does not pass 7th grade standards for conducting a scientific experiment.
There was NO CONTROL GROUP. All the current study does do is again establish the reality that NOT all children who receive Thimerosal-preserved vaccines get autism.
The science for proving the safety and efficacy of vaccines simply does not exist.
Here's an excellent 11 part video series that is worth watching if you have a truly objective approach to vaccines:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2IgLj2If44&feature=related