Thoughtful House Center for Children on Court Ruling: MMR Causes Autistic Disorder

Thoughtful House Center for Children on Court Ruling: MMR Causes Autistic
Disorder
Court Rules MMR Vaccine Causes Autistic Disorder
Decision Contradicts Findings in Controversial Cedillo Case

(Austin, Texas) - The controversial Feb. 12 decision by the US vaccine court
that there was no link between MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccines and
autism contradicts a ruling issued by the same court in June of 2007. In
addition, just days after its announcement denying the vaccine-autism link
in the Cedillo case, the court awarded an estimated $3 million dollars to
the family of 10 year-old Bailey Banks on Friday, February 20, 2009, and
confirmed that the child's acute brain damage was a result of the MMR
vaccine, which led to his autism spectrum disorder (ASD).



Although the US vaccine court continues official denials to the public of
any connection between the MMR shots and autism, it quietly settled the case
with the Banks family. Special Master Richard Abell wrote that the family
had successfully demonstrated "the MMR vaccine at issue actually caused the
conditions from which Bailey suffered and continues to suffer."
Awards have been granted to three families because the vaccine court has
decided there was in fact a causative connection between the MMR 3-in-1 shot
and brain damage in these children. That damage resulted in an autism
spectrum disorder. Vaccines have also been found to be causally related to
autism spectrum disorders in seven other known cases by the same court. In
the Banks decision, the court relied on a report based on a complete
neurological investigation, including an MRI scan sixteen days after his MMR
shot. He was diagnosed with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), a
neurological disorder characterized by inflammation of the brain and spinal
cord, which is known to follow immunization.
"I am personally aware of many, many parents who report these exact
symptoms in their children following MMR immunization," said Dr. Andrew
Wakefield, Executive Director of Thoughtful House, an autism treatment
center in Austin, Texas. "Very few children with autistic regression receive
the proper work-up that Bailey had during the early stage of the disease, so
a possible ADEM diagnosis may well have been missed in the other children.
The MRI findings often disappear after the damage has been done."
Signs of ADEM usually appear within a few days or a few weeks after
immunization or infection, often beginning with gastrointestinal or
respiratory symptoms. The disease progresses to neurological deterioration
including loss of eye contact, ataxia (poor coordination), changes in mental
status, delirium, lethargy, and seizures.

"The contradictory rulings from the vaccine court regarding vaccines and
autism demonstrate that we still don't have a definitive answer," said Dr.
Bryan Jepson, an autism specialist at Thoughtful House. "We need to realize
that the question of the MMR's possible contribution to autism remains a
matter of scientific debate. Ultimately, the correct answer will come
through honest, transparent, and rigorous scientific study, not from a court
bench."

About Thoughtful House: Thoughtful House takes a multi-disciplinary approach
to treating autism and supports a 'safety-first' vaccination policy that
gives parents the option of choosing a stand-alone measles vaccine for their
children. The research program at Thoughtful House is dedicated to
understanding the biological origins of childhood developmental disorders
and establishing best practices in treating children affected by these
disorders. www.thoughtfulhouse.org

http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/02/t...-disorder.html