Recent research is exploring the theory that Autism is caused by a virus (similar to polio)

That the cause is NOT vaccines, but rather, getting vaccines while the body is ALREADY fighting the Autism virus.

MD appts for vaccines can extensive, I recall my children leaving with 5 shots in one appointment.

If the body is already fighting the "Autism virus" and you over task the system with multiple virus given via shot to also build an immunity too, theory is, the body may not have as much of a fighting chance against the Autism virus.

Parents who believe this theory, get one shot at a time, and come back every month if needed to let the body recover and build an immunity to each vaccine before adding more.

My daughter was a little different from other babies but still a pretty bright, happy baby. Then at two she caught a viral illness and lost her speech, developed autism.

My 9 year old very likely has aspergers according to some recent evaluations

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/is-autism-associated-with_b_31...

http://soaringhorse.blogspot.com/2009/10/is-autism-caused-by-virus.html

I'm sorry, I won't read the responses before posting because I don't want to get sucked into the debate. You asked a question and I'm answering.

A lot of people believe vaccines cause autism because Jenny McCarthy wrote a book and went crazy telling everyone that her son had autism and it was caused by vaccines he'd gotten.

I hate her for the fact that it's since been proven that her son never had autism, he's got something entirely different that is apparently regulated by diet (I don't recall the details but after she started claiming that autism could be cured through diet changes it came out that her son is NOT autistic) but she's been fairly quiet and not shouting how wrong she was like I believe she SHOULD be.

There's nothing that's 100% safe in this world, but if you could prevent your child from 99.99% from developing one of the things that could kill then, would you? I mean polio, smallpox, meningitis--these things are not like a common cold. They killed indiscriminately. When we vaccinate, it is also to protect those who cannot protect themselves (immunocompromised children/babies/the elderly.) I wonder what those who choose not to vaccinate believe eradicated smallpox? I mean, if you choose not to vaccinate, what would make you feel would be safe enough to vaccinate? Remember, polio, smallpox, meningitis, and any of the diseases that cause high fevers WILL also cause neurological damage that could make your child autistic. I mean, do they figure they should just benefit from everyone else being vaccinated, because that's what's going on.

I also believe true autism food related, but in terms that it came through genetics. There have been numerous studies on how autistic children seem to improve when put on a special diet (I forgot what they took out of it) and how they would slide backwards if taken off of it.

One of my professors (I majored in Autism and Behavior Modification during college) said that it's also because so many parents/doctors are intent on diagnosing children with autism (many due to the benefits they could receive) and because they don't want to take responsibility for not finding the right "language" to improve their child's behavior (because every child is different) and that if their kid is getting picked on/bullied in school/doesn't have many friends, they'd rather blame something like being "on the spectrum" than having not taught their children how to make friends (Social "skills" which indicates its something that needs to be developed/practiced--eye contact/how to talk/how to notice other people's special features is something that needs to be taught too, for some.) He was a great professor who made huge leaps and bounds in the area of behavior modification for the austism by figuring out what the children really needed to feel safe and secure so they could make improvements. He and his wife died halfway through my last class with him--front end car crash by a drunk driver.