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Can the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine cause…

Can the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine cause Autism?

It has been shown that the evidence for the causal link between MMR vaccine and Autism was weak at best, and incorrect at worst. Andrew Wakefield, who published this evidence has been exposed as fabricating his data. For a really quick overview and lots of extra reading on this go to his Wikipedia page.

Parental doubt and confusion is caused by the fact that first symptoms (if not diagnosis) are often observed at the time of, or shortly after, the vaccination, so there is a temporal link but not a causal link between vaccination and observation of first symptoms. Current research indicates some brain differences as early as six months in children who are not yet showing signs of autism but go on to do so in the second year of life.

By Dr Elfriede Ihsen

Published July 2019

Is there a link between Rubella and Autism?

We are aware of just one study by by Libbey, J., Sweeten, T., & Fujinami, R. (2005, PDF 93.6 KB) has summarised the evidence for a causal link between prenatal maternal Rubella and Autism.

Read more “Is there a link between Rubella and Autism?” →

Can I pass Aspergers on to my children?

This is a very difficult question to answer, because there are different causes for Autism and Aspergers, with some of these conditions being highly heritable and others are not.

Read more “Can I pass Aspergers on to my children?” →

Is Autism caused by gut bacteria, as suggested by…

This is one theory among many others put forward to explain the enigma that is Autism.

Some Autistic children appear susceptible to gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. However, this research is in the early stages, with the findings to date providing no evidence that gut bacteria and their by-products cause Autism, even a subgroup of them, or that treating the gut can alleviate the specific symptoms of Autism.

Read more “Is Autism caused by gut bacteria, as suggested by ‘gut theory’?” →

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  • About OTARC
  • News
  • OTARC Participant Registry
  • OTARC Research Findings
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Supports and practices for daily living
  • Educational and vocational engagement
  • Identification and diagnosis
  • Studies Recruiting
  • Autism perspectives