It’s not entirely implausible that vaccines could cause autism, true. But it’s also not entirely implausible that automobiles could cause autism. You have to see some sort of correlation before you start looking for causes, or you’re just shooting in the dark. And if you look at large numbers of children, as several studies have done, there is no correlation. What, then, is the point in looking for a causal link when no correlation has even been demonstrated?

(Yes, I know some parents have stories of the child getting vaccinated and then developing autism. But that doesn’t demonstrate that there’s actually a correlation rather than just a coincidence. You need large numbers to find the correlation, and when large numbers are studied, there isn’t an effect shown.)

Also, being that there is comorbidity between autism and seizures, I’m not comfortable with being so quick to dismiss that potential link. Furthermore, you say that swelling at the injection site is not going to cause autism. This is true. However, it is conceivable that the two things could be caused by a third factor in some way, namely a hyperactive immune system, possibly resulting in an autoimmune disorder, which attacks the brain, altering function and causing autistic symptoms. Yes, I know it’s a stretch, but that is, at least superficially, a plausible mechanism.

Now, as I already stated, I’m more or less just playing devil’s advocate here. It makes for an interesting intellectual exercise, considering that may visceral reaction is to scream any time someone mentions autism and vaccines in the same sentence. Just for the record, I do agree with you that it’s highly unlikely, especially given the attention the issue has had in the past decade or so. Of course, I also feel like it would be just my luck that i’d spend my time speaking out against what I think is a failed hypothesis and have there be something to it.

It is plausible that vaccines cause a reaction that triggers autism in some small percentage of cases, especially if you look at the parental reports of intense swelling at the injection site, followed by a night of seizures immediately after immunization. I have no idea how accurate these reports are or why they don’t seem to have been reported.

Actually, those have been reported to VAERS. In fact, swelling at the injection site is probably the single most common side-effect of any vaccination. (Not surprisingly, really, as it can occur in any injection, even of saline.) Seizures are less common, but are known to rarely occur, particularly febrile seizures (seizures brought on by fever). It is worth noting that any fever can lead to febrile seizures, and that infectious disease is far more commonly the culprit, yet no one seems to try to link autism to infectious disease.

It isn’t totally implausible that vaccines might, in some small subset of the population, lead to autism, but it would have to by some as-yet-undiscovered mechanism. Swelling at the vaccine site is not going to cause autism, and seizures happen often enough without autism that it seems unlikely to me that there is a real connection.

That makes a lot of sense. I’d forgotten my neuroanatomy for a bit apparently. However, it leaves me wondering what happens to the brain of an autistic child during intense therapy (talking ABA here, not “biomedical intervention” bs). I know a lot of it is learning to focus attention and learning compensation techniques and having proper social etiquette drilled into you head. But I wonder if and how, as a child moves up and even off the spectrum, brain anatomy changes. Also, you must concede that even if post-natal triggers (whatever they may be – vaccines are certainly no scared cow in my book) cannot alter the gross brain morphology, there are other factors involved that impact the severity of the presentation of the disorder. It may be that certain post-natal environmental influences can influence severity, even to the point of ‘causing’ an ASD diagnosis, vs just being a quirky kid. Also, isn’t the measles virus (ironically) thought to trigger autism in the children of pregnant women who get the disease? (To be clear, I’m 50% playing Devil’s Advocate, and 50% supporting the idea that science should take back environmental studies from the anti-vaxers… even though I’m studying to be a geneticist and basically advocating for a future loss of funding for my research)

One of the most characteristic symptoms of autism is a larger brain with a larger number of nerve cells arranged in a larger number of minicolumns. The number of minicolumns is set during the first trimester in utero, No vaccine given after the child is born can increase the number of minicolumns.

Science can’t “prove” that vaccination will never cause “autism”, but science also can not prove that vaccination will never give a child super powers like Spiderman.

The idea that vaccines can cause autism is not plausible (neither is the idea that vaccination can give spiderman-like super powers) because a vaccine causation is incompatible with much that is well known about the action of vaccines, of autism, and of how the immune system works.

The driving force behind the “vaccines cause autism” idea has been money, lawyers trying to (legally) extort money out of vaccine manufacturers.

I think researchers have shied away from environmental causation because there is no “conceptual space” for environmental causation because the anti-vax crazies have taken it over. There is such an “anti-science” mindset that actual honest research into environmental causation can’t be funded.

The actual known “triggers” of autism, thalidomide, valproate, and stress, all act during the first trimester, or maybe somewhat later for stress (second or third trimester). These are difficult studies to do, you can’t deliberately expose pregnant women to stress, but when there has been a stressful natural disaster, there is an increase in autism among children in utero at that time.

In David’s post on this same topic, he linked to a interview with Dr. Healy and I found myself agreeing with much of what she said (until she got into crazy conspiracy realm). It is plausible that vaccines cause a reaction that triggers autism in some small percentage of cases, especially if you look at the parental reports of intense swelling at the injection site, followed by a night of seizures immediately after immunization. I have no idea how accurate these reports are or why they don’t seem to have been reported. As much as I disagree with the anti-vax crowd, I’d find these reports compelling, if true, and warranting of further study of that specific population. This is just a hypothetical example, of course, there are probably 50 triggers out there, given the wide range of genes involved. Some of the associated genes likely to create susceptibility to something, which may be easier to modify than gene mutations in people, and I don’t see studies being done. Are we simply not there yet? Is there some flaw in my thinking that I’m not aware of?

He’s a moron. Or he’s gunning for a job at AoA.

Or both.