Autism is known as a type of special needs. Vaccinations are known for the needles you slide into your arm to prevent you from getting sick. How do these two concepts link? For the past two decades, families and few pediatricians have come to the conclusion that vaccinations cause babies to develop autism. This statement alone sounds ludicrous. Autism is not a disease. Vaccinations do not cause autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is caused by abnormalities in the brain structure or function. Scientists and researchers believe that autism comes from heredity, genetics, or medical problems. Regularly, autism can’t be diagnosed before the age of two. Symptoms of autism include: avoiding contact, flap hands, rock back and forth, unusual reactions to senses, minor changes or events upset them,etc,.

Where does vaccinations come to play? According to New York Times authors Gardiner Harris and Anahad O’Connor, parents blame thimerosal, a local antiseptic for abrasions and minor cuts, in vaccines the cause for their children having autism. In their defense, every parent with an autistic child want an explanation to why their child has the disorder. But blaming something that every child, teen, and adults need to better their immune system, is perplexing and impractical. Research and answers to this argumentative debate have proven that vaccinations have nothing to do with autism.

Every Child By Two (ECBT), a campaign for early immunization, conducted a seven year span of studies about the most controversial vaccine that is supposedly linked to autism; Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccination. From 2001 to 2008, all studies and research concluded that this vaccine isn’t linked to autism in any aspect. Another study was done by Kreesten Madsen for the New England Journal of Medicine. Madsen and her team wanted to find out the truth behind the MMR vaccine and its relationship to autism. In Denmark, from January 1991 to December 1998, they recorded a total of 537,303 children. 738 were identified with autism or an autism spectrum disorder. Out of the total number of kids, 440,665 received the MMR vaccine. In conclusion, the study provided strong evidence against MMR causing autism. In fact, studies against this argument suggest that all parents need to vaccinate their child because of the dangerous risk you are causing not only your family, but everyone around you. 

Yes, nearly 95% of the U.S. population in kindergarten received all the required and necessary vaccinations (some states are not included in this percentage). However, that 5% of kids not vaccinated could be going to school with your child, sister, or brother. In fact, out of the ten vaccinations you can give to a child before entering kindergarten, New York only requires five of the ten. Connecticut is the only state that requires all ten vaccinations. Even though having all ten vaccinations is not a requirement, CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommends that everyone receives all vaccinations. Having another child in risk of receiving a deadly disease because you believed that your child could develop autism is ten times worse. You are putting others in danger. Parents not giving their children vaccinations aren’t changing the number of children diagnosed with autism. From 1970 to 1980, 1 out of 2,000 children were diagnosed with autism. In 2014, 1 out of 68 children were diagnosed with autism. 

Overall, vaccinations have nothing to do with autism in any shape or form. Going against vaccinations does not change the rates of autism. They only thing you are changing is the rates of the diseases you are allowing to outbreak in the world again.