Autism Spectrum Disorders and the MMR Vaccination.?

My daughter who is now 11 y/o was diagnosed with PDD NOS when she was 4 or 5 y/o. I knew something was wrong and took her for testing.

I have had her in occupational therapy and play therapy. She has made great improvements. Most people wouldn't even notice anything is wrong anymore. It's almost not recognizable. There are still some things that are obvious to me because I'm her mom.



I have heard from some people that although she is almost "normal" she will never be 100% free of the PDD symptoms. One of the main things I still notice in her is little emotion, and sensory issues.



It's been a struggle for me because it's hard for me to tell if she is just misbehaving or if its part of the PDD.



I know some believe the MMR vaccination causes autism. Is this also the case for PDD and other spectrum's?



My younger daughter does have a few symptoms. She has some sensory issues. However, she has never been as severe as my older daughter. My youngest is also dyslexic.



I am really interested in more information regarding this.Autism Spectrum Disorders and the MMR Vaccination.?
If MMR could contribute to the development of autism, it most certainly could contribute to PDD-NOS, which is a more mild version of autism.



The school has a conflict of interest in accepting your daughter's diagnosis. Even with their limited funds, the school is legally required to pay for whatever special education your daughter needs for her diagnosis. So of course they have an interest in denying the diagnosis.



The occupational and play therapy are helping your daughter deal with and adapt to her limitations. If you want the limitations to go away, you'll have to treat her biomedically, with a DAN! doctor. http://www.autism.com/dan/danusdis.htm The sooner you get started on this, the better chance there is for recovery.



"sashs.geo," you are completely sure that MMR doesn't contribute to autism, yet you don't even know what PDD-NOS is. That's pretty funny. Bernadine Healy, M.D., former head of the National Institutes of Health, isn't sure MMR doesn't contribute to autism. http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/05/12/… So how are you so sure?
MMR does not and never has cause autism. I have no idea what PDD is.Autism Spectrum Disorders and the MMR Vaccination.?
i agree with helpnouts answer my daughter has autism and i believe hers is was caused by genetic and teterogenic factors not from a vaccine when i was pregnant with her i was working on a house that had horse hair plaster lead paint and such i did wear mask, i also years before worked with some potent chemicals and as you know a female has her eggs for life unlike a male who reproduces sperm doesn't pervasive developmental disorder fall under the umbrella of the autism spectrum?
The incidence of Autism has gone from 1;2000 in 1992 to a staggering 1:165 by 2005. Most experts agree that there is no SINGLE cause for the manifestation of Autism/PDD. They, instead, point to a variety of possible causes, which may simply act in conjunction with one another. Depending on your geographic area, things like lead exposure, flouride concentrations in public drinking water, neurological effects of radon poisoning, etc.

Don't give up. Go with an alternate opinion. A neuro-PSYCHIATRIST would be more costly, but could give you a more detailed assessment, including MRI's.

Good luck.

Ian H.

Special EducatorAutism Spectrum Disorders and the MMR Vaccination.?
Two things to say from experience about autism.



1) MMR vaccination is still a theory at the moment, thus not proved or disproved.

Even if it was MMR, cannot undo it, so I feel that worrying about this is pointless.

For most part, it would seem that MMR jabs are worth such risks.

Research should carry on until it is disproved or proved either way.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMR_vaccine…



2) How can you have problem being able to tell if she is misbehaving if you say she has already had a diagnostic?

There is no way to tell, haven't you worked that out yet?

You have no choice but to see if as something that is caused by her condition.

But at least you can talk to her about how her behavior can have an adverse affect on her life to see if this helps, so long as this does not lead to problems. You have to find ways that you have found make her better.



CREED
This is a bit long, but I hope the info provided will be of use to you.



Dr Andrew Wakefield who made a report released in 1998 and published in The Lancet claiming that the MMR caused autism was found to have faked his reports and was paid to do so, by a solicitor and a legal aid board. Dr. Wakefield and some of his associates are currently facing charges in court because of the false report. The majority of the children used in the study had signs of autism documeneted in their medical records before recieving the MMR vaccine. Many of Dr. Wakefield's associates have discredited their report about the MMR, including The Lancet. Not long after this report was made, Japan removed all MMR vaccines from it's country but yet in March of 2005 they noted that the cases of autism continued to rise . The top 2 links are excellent articles relating to the MMR and Dr. Wakefield.

http://briandeer.com/mmr/lancet-summary.…

http://briandeer.com/mmr/lancet-paper.ht…

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_an…

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet…



About 15% of autism cases are caused by a known inhereited genetic factor. Then there is a region on chromosone 16, where a section of DNA, was either deleted or duplicated, which has also been linked to causing autism, however these changes in this chromosone are not believed to be inheritable but rather occuring in the embryo during development. Chromosome 16 deletion/duplication accounts for an estimated 1 - 2 % of autism cases, adding to the 15 % of cases of autism with known inhereited genetic causes. Now in reality, those %'s would be higher because not every person who has a form of autism have received any sort of genetic/chromosome testing. Some of the indenifiable genetic disorders known to have a link to causing autism include Fragile X syndrome (most common known cause of autism or "autistic-like" behaviors), tuberous sclerosis, 15q duplications and down syndrome. (you can search this info)



I have 3 sons, the youngest has autistic disorder, he was diagnosed with autistic disorder before he received his MMR shot. I do not believe his autism was caused by any vaccine.

Autism affects boys 4 times more than girls, that would be a genetic issue not a vaccine issue.



Did the school do their own evaluation? (this is info is for public schools) They cannot make a medical diagnosis, they can only evaluate her for educational purposes, but when doing the evaluation they must take into consideration anything you provide about your daughter's disabilities whether it be orally or in written form, but it is always better to have stuff in written form so you have documentation of everything. If she has not been evaluated by the school, request an evaluation for your daughter for special ed services, they cannot refuse to evaluate her, granted she may not meet the requirements for special ed under IDEA (individuals with disabilities education act) for an IEP (individual education plan)....but she may receive a 504 plan, which allows her to receive some help, but not all that is available under IDEA.....Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires public schools to provide accommodations to students with disabilities even if they do not qualify for special education services under IDEA. The definition of a disability under Section 504 is much broader than the definition under IDEA. All IDEA students are also covered by Section 504, but not all Section 504 students are eligible for services under IDEA. If she does receive special ed services under IDEA, that does not necessarily mean she'll be in a special ed class, they have what is called least restrictive enviroment (LRE), which basically states that to the fullest extent possible children with disabilities must be educated with children who do not have disabilities. Depending on her needs will determine which educational setting is best for her. Regardless, you will be either a part of the IEP team or the 504 planning committee.

If she has already been evaluated by the school and you do not agree with their evaluation you can request for an independent education evaluation (IEE) and have the school pay for it. Also if she was evaluated by the school, they should of, by law, provided you with procedural safeguards, which covers the parents right to challenge decisions about their child's eligibility, evaluation, placement, and the services that the school provides to the child, which is all covered under IDEA. If you did not receive them, they can be found here: http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croo…

http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croo…



Always remember you know your daughter better than anyone including the school or any professional, never doubt yourself about what you know and see in her even if they don't know/see the same.



Has she been evaluated by a speech language pathologist (speech therapist)? The reason I ask is because you stated when you ask her about something she did, she really don't understand and that you notice little emotion in her....there's a possibility she may have receptive and expressive langauge disorder (a language disability that causes impairment of both the understanding and the expression of language) in which a speech langauge pathologist can help her with. Her occupational therapist should be helping her with any sensory issues she may have with the exception of food sensory (oral aversion) in which the speech lanaguage patholgist would help her with, however the speech therapists in a school setting are not trained/qualified to help with food sensory issues. Both a speech therapist and an occupational therapist outside of a school setting will help her in a wider range of areas rather than just the educational aspect of it.

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This is for Mel =), you asked if pervasive developmental disorder fell under the autsim spectrum, it's actually the other way around...Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) is a category of neurological disorders characterized by “severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development.” Under this category there are 5 disorders: Autistic Disorder (aka classic autism, what most are referring to when saying autism); Asperger's Disorder (some refer to it as high functioning autism); Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS aka atypical autism); Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD); %26amp; Rett's Disorder.