The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to devote research funding to the exposed myth that vaccines cause autism.
Matthew Shamberger, the father of a 11-year-old son with autism in Tennessee, says the myth is harmful because it “treates autism as a horrific disease to avoid at any cost.”
Parents in the Texas community, whose unvaccinated child died of measles last month, continue to resist the vaccine in the name of ambiguous potential harm, including autism.
Shallenberger finds this confused. “I hope my son is alive and healthy and autistic than dying from a preventable childhood illness. That’s not even a decision.
Parents, including Shallenberger, are in a strange position to defend their vaccination decision, despite the lack of evidence of a link between the vaccine and autism. The myth was later withdrawn based on a 1998 study, due to ethical concerns and counterfeit data, but has regained traction since Covid-19 sparked debate over vaccine safety. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., recently appointed secretary for US health and welfare, has publicly suggested that autism may be associated with vaccination.
Lynn Pesco Yang, a 34-year-old Massachusetts-based autistic journalist, says the tenacity of the myth shows something in the way about how the world sees people with autism.
“It fits very well with other kinds of beliefs about health that are truly summed up by morals rather than science,” Pesco Yang said.
Autism spectrum disorders can be shaped not only by increased sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, texture, and touch, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but are also defined by sustained social difficulties and repetitive behaviors and interests.
There’s really no decision. I have only one option: vaccinate my child
Matthew Schamberger, father of autistic son
“Spectrum” refers to the various ways people fit this definition. Many autistic people make it in adulthood without a diagnosis – despite the challenges placed in mild cases, they can live independently. Others require lifetime support. Autism as a disability is defined by the disability, but is also associated with strengths such as dedication, focus and creativity in the workplace.
Even in more challenging cases, parents of children with autism find themselves disliked that other parents are at risk of their child’s serious illness or death.
Kate Abarka, a retired occupational therapist in South Carolina, says it’s extremely rewarding to learn to understand my son’s autism. Caring for him made her a better therapist, and defending him helped her overcome her embarrassment. Her son, Benjamin Beals, now 35, is loved by his community. He lives in a semi-independent facility and is known for his karaoke performances.
Abarka quickly realized that her son’s difficulties stem from his inability to understand his needs. When he was a toddler, she says he would constantly scream and kick her and bit her when she was trying to take care of him.
“I have come to perceive his actions as self-defense against me, providing care that he perceived as an offensive,” she said.
Indiana podcaster Johnny Knapp, 71, is a podcaster known by the stage name Johnny Profan, and agrees that some of the difficulties associated with autism are easier to manage if you understand their cause.
“Every child starts screaming at a supermarket that has been given the right inspiration,” he said. Knapp, along with others who contacted for this story, suspects that anti-vaxxers view autism as a combination of exaggerated stereotypes derived from misunderstood behavior.
Knapp was diagnosed with autism at the age of 63. Although the diagnosis is still being criticized, Knapp says it is a blessing to understand why he felt that life was different in the whole of his life.
People need to be vaccinated. This is life or death. People are almost dying. The baby is almost dying!
Emile Lopez of Massachusetts
Emile Lopez, 32, who works in Massachusetts, also considers his autism diagnosis as a gift. Lopez said his parents hid it when he was diagnosed with the child. He connected Dot himself, who studies psychology at university. When his mother confirmed that he had autism, Lopez realized that there was actually “nothing wrong” with him. He was “normal” and only had autism.
Parents who hear the vaccine that causes autism “make me so angry,” says Lopez, “people with autism, we are so logical that my heart is blown even further.” Lopez remembers an example of how his father’s ex-girlfriend told him that he might not have autism if he hadn’t been vaccinated.
In the end, Lopez gets tired of the stigma. He decided to disclose autism on social media with the joke, “Vaccinations are computer updates for me.”
The 37-year-old autistic sound engineer, who discovered misinformation was very intrusive, lost sleep, adding that anti-Vaxxers are not “entitled” to “their own set of facts.” He reiterated Lopez’s feelings that this cognitive dissonance could be particularly painful for people with autism.
Knapp also said he lost the day to play social media conversations with anti-Vaxxers over and over again in his head.
Lopez is troubled by misconceptions about autism, but he says he is most interested in lowering vaccination rates.
“People need to get the vaccine. This is either life or death. People are dying. The babies are dying!”
