autism rates and Hep B

On Friday, Lewis had an evaluation at Vanderbilt in connection with the Baby Sibs study that Owen is part of. They needed to confirm Lewis' diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder so that Owen could continue to participate. Lewis enjoyed the eval, and their psychologists agreed with the original diagnosis of classic autism. I asked if it was possible to determine how severe or mild Lewis is at this point, and they said that at his age it is too early to tell. They do think he has a good personality for intervention and were pleased with how much he has improved since November. Unlike our first evaluation, I did not cry for days afterward. It was not news to us, and was exactly what we expected.

Sadly, we have become used to autism, and living with it day in and day out. It is still heartbreaking, and stressful....and our calendar is literally packed with therapy, school and interventions to help Lewis as much as possible. It is not easy!! But the small breakthroughs make it worthwhile, and of course we adore Lewis, and wouldn't trade him for anything or anyone else. Still, we are always interested in what is coming out about this disorder as people do their work to get to the bottom of it.

A recent study came out that suggests that autism rates could be as high as 1 in 91 kids today. It is scary to think about, and it makes me frustrated that less real research is happening to determine possible causes. I don't blame vaccines, but I do feel like certain kids are at risk and should not receive vaccines on the typical schedule. Recently, someone sent me THIS ARTICLE about a possible connection to the Hepatitus B vaccine. I had never heard about it before, and was sad that this is one that Owen received all the doses for. Regardless, I wanted to pass it on to those of you out there with kiddos, and grandkids, neices, nephews, friends or whatever who are trying to determine the best way to vaccinate and keep these kids healthy. The people who are struggling with vaccines are not all quacks! Until research proves them wrong, I think more should be done to check into these connections.