I'm the dad of an autistic boy. I'm well-aware of the powerful desire to find some "cause" for autism. It's very hard to simply accept the random nature of some problems, but sometimes that is exactly what we need to do. A theoretical link between autism and thimerisol has been exhaustively studied and no researcher has found any correlation between the two. To keep grasping for a non-existent cause is pointless. We'd be better off putting our attention toward getting school districts to meet their legal obligation to provide a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for these handicapped kids. School districts are notorious for warehousing special ed kids because it takes money. All they have to do is show the tiniest amount of progress and courts will side with the districts in declaring that the special ed is "appropriate." Wrong. Most of these kids are capable of learning skills that will make many of them capable of gainful employment and independent living as adults. But it takes effort that school districts don't care about. If we want to help the kids and families impacted by autism, forget frivolous suits and turn to pursuits that have a greater return.

To refute the comment above, the truth is that the autism-thimerisol link issue hasn't been exhaustively studied. Until the government, the CDC, and AMA publish the study that compares autism rates among unimmunized children with autism rates among immunized children, parents shouldn't be satisfied. There have been smaller studies that show alarming results, so please publish the national numbers and let parents decide.

Good comment. It's true that a thimerisol link has never been found. To wait, as Gus proposes, for the CDC to reach their own conclusions wastes time that these kids don't have. Teach them skills while they are young and can get the best benefit of ABA therapy or a similar program. The autism spectrum is so vast that looking for one single trigger is probably naive. And about putting our focus on schools instead of suits, I like the idea. We should expect more of our schools, and insist on compliance with federal law.

THese are all great comments. Immunizations are personal and should be researched by each parent on the bad and the good. The link is not going to be found. Read the CDC statments on adverse reactions to immunizations and see that what your Doctor tells is normal is acually an adverse reaction. We are one of the only nations that immunize so young and we still don't have the highest mortality rates. I wish the CDC would publish their numbers and let parents decide.

The fact of the matter is that since thimerosol was taken out of the vaccines, autism rates have skyrocketed! How do you explain that one?

Additionally, these small number studies that Gus refers to are truly very small (14 patients in one study). How can you make any conclusions based on a study of 14 patients? Nonetheless, this study concluded that autism was linked to vaccines (1998). Since the study was published 10 of the 12 authors have rescinded their assertion linking autism to vaccines. Furthermore, the lead author is being disciplined for not disclosing that during the time of the study, he was receiving money from groups that allege this autism-vaccine link.

Meanwhile, without proper vaccination, measles rates have climbed to the highest they've been in decades and whooping cough is becoming the killer of infants that it once was. This is all in the United States!

Those epidemigoligists that get federal money to do their research are very dishonested, just ask the honest ones who get out.

As well as working with the kids where they are, we do need to research possible causes of autism--we watched a normal little boy develop Asperbergers following vaccination--may be chance, may not. We also had doctors say that the medication that he was given in the NICU might cause future neurological problems--none arose until after the vaccinations. If there is ANYTHING we can do to prevent autism, we should surely be looking at it.

And for working with kids, I highly recommend the NACD--check out their web site. Miracles do happen.

The federal government has mandated that the 501 programs must be made available to behaviorally challenged children IN A NORMAL CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT. If that school district does not make the program available the school district can get sanctioned by the State school board who in turn will be cut off from matching federal education funds if they don't comply. Also, parents have one helluva case to make in court for discrimination if a school district doesn't pony up the program. Fact is, parents with behavioral challenged children are in an incredibly powerful position with schools, administrators, teachers and district nurses (who actually have final say so, even trumping principles and superintendents where these issues are concerned).

To exercise a child's/parents rights simply requires getting hold of the Affirmative Legal Action in SLC and working with them. They deal with this crap from stupid-to-purposefully-maligning teachers and principles everyday. Parents just need to take a firm non-negotiable stance on this one and not let teachers, school administrators bluff you, and never allow them to try circumventing around through your church leaders, which happened to my wife and I with our behaviorally challenged 10 year old child. Don't knuckle under whatsoever!

It may not be the thimerisol causing the problem...but there is a link between vaccinations and autisim. That link could be the way some little bodies react to the vaccinations themselves, or some other chemical in the vaccinations. Or it could be that autisim begins to manifest itself at around the same age that vaccinations are recieved. I'm not smart enough to know for sure, but the link does exsist. The trick is to find out how to pinpoint exactly what it is instead of playing the blame game. The fact is, way too many of our children are autistic.

These people conveniently are ignoring the latest study coming out of California that showed Autism rates are still on the rise, despite the state not using thimerisol in vaccines since 1998.

I interviewed a young mother just last week. Her daughter was perfectly healthy, received an immunization at 2.5 years and two days later her daughter had a seizure. That had never happened prior, and now happens almost weekly. She is unable to start work the day I hoped because they are traveling to Ohio to a specialist.

This is by no means conclusive proof of anything. It is just that the timing is very questionable. And I have heard lots of stories similar to hers.

I would guess that for 99% of the people this shots are perfectly fine. For that 1% it is a problem.

I hope they find an answer.

WARNING- Junk science and greedy trial lawyers at work!

No doubt this is a tragedy, and everyone hopes to find a cause and correct it, including the [evil!] drug companies. But, how many lives have been saved as a result of vaccinations? Is there an acceptable risk/reward ratio there? Or do we let huge numbers of kids suffer by refusing vaccination drugs to them to avoid a miniscule number or regrettable adverse reactions.

As for crooked epidemiologists, I am sure that every [junk] scientist for the plaintiffs is both ethical and a good scientist... or at least a good witness getting a hefty fee for their expert testimony.

And the ever helpful lawyers? How much of their obscene fee will be donated to help the kids and families who are victims, or even to promote further research into better drugs?

Our legal system that encourages jackpot justice does nothing to help the sick, only enrich the greedy trial lawyers.

John Edwards made his fortune with similar cases, persuading jurors who could not pass a high school science course that a tragically crippled child can ONLY be blamed on the [evil!] drug companies.

Gimme a break. Shakesepare was right!

The study I'm referring to would compare the rate of autism among immunized children with the rate of autism among unimmunized children. If we could get the national numbers (instead of just small samples), then we'd really have a great piece of information.

The government, however, won't allow this study to be done, regardless of how easy the info could be gathered.

I love the person who posted "measles rates have climbed to the highest they've been in decades" as they have climbed from 30 cases a year in the US to 80, yet there is no mention that in that same time the cases of autism has gone from 200 a year to one in 150 births.

Which of these two is cause for concern?

As the mother of an autistic boy, I would love to know why my boy is the way he is, or how I can prevent his siblings from having similar problems. However, I don't think the courtroom is the place to get these answers.

Money would undoubtedly be put to better use through research rather than paying lawyers to point fingers.