Thoughts on the Wakefield study
by Lisa Tate
Those of us providing services to children with autism here at Easter Seals Central Texas often find ourselves working with families who are also receiving services from Thoughtful House, an autism center in Austin. Thoughtful House was founded by Andrew Wakefield, the doctor whose research triggered a health scare over the MMR vaccine in Britain.
A recent article in Time Magazine discredited his study; the MMR vaccine is now deemed to be safe. Medical authorities in the U.K. have also ruled that the manner in which Wakefield carried out his research was unethical.
Wakefield has resigned from Thoughtful House, and after hearing news of that resignation Dr. Arthur Kingsman (known for his evaluation and treatment of gastrointestinal pathology common in children with autism spectrum disorder) also resigned.
The recent Time Magazine article has served to bring the questions about vaccines back to the forefront of the minds of parents in our community. Questions continue to arise from families on a regular basis regarding any connection between vaccines and autism. As I stated in my blog in December, 2008, the questions regarding a connection between Autism and vaccines is still quite controversial and a topic of conversation with almost every family we encounter when an autism diagnosis is received.
Here’s something that is beyond question, until a cause is found, Easter Seals is dedicated to doing what we’ve always done — supporting people with autism and their families today by providing supports and services to those living with a diagnosis.