Autism fraud

Autism is a disorder with more questions than answers.

And this week one possible answer is being called a fraud. A new report now discredits the original study that claimed a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

One editor at the British Medical Journal called the study “an elaborate fraud.” The article in his month’s issue claims that the facts in the original study were altered, particularly the fact that some of the children in study already had developmental problems before receiving the measles, mumps and rubella shot.

Its pretty disillusioning if this original theory was really based on corrupt data (or corrupt people.) The idea had garnered a lot of support, and even had many moms rejecting vaccines. Although I had my children vaccinated, it made me nervous every time they got immunized. Was I making the right decision? Would my daughter somehow be “different” after her shot?

The saddest part of this revelation is that it only leaves frustrated parents even more in the dark about autism. If this week’s news is true and the original study was nothing more than a fraud, than whom can parents trust? If doctors are lying for fame, money or whatever reason, then who is looking out for these children who are struggling to find an answer to autism?

What do you think of this most recent information about autism? Can we trust it, or is it just one more stab in the dark? If you’ve been touched by autism in your life, where do you turn for answers?