Vaccines Did Not Cause My Son’s Autism
By: Brenna, mother, Portland, OR
I do not believe that vaccination caused my son’s autism.
I do not believe it because a mountain of scientific evidence has established that there is no link between vaccines and autism. But on a much more personal level, I do not believe it because when I look at my son I do not see a damaged version of someone he was supposed to be. I see a sweet, bright, empathetic boy who is growing into a warm and loving young man. I see the son I have wanted since I was a little girl. My son has always been who he was meant to be.
But that is not how too much of the world sees autistic people. No one has ever died from autism, and in fact autistic people have made and continue to make foundational contributions to our communities and society. But the link between vaccine-hesitancy and autism exists in no small part because autism is more frightening to many people than diseases that claim lives. The thing that makes autism more frightening than measles, mumps, or rubella is stigma. That stigma bears much blame for the resurgence of vaccine-preventable disease.
In some ways, I can’t blame other parents for their fear. Parenting a child with autism is not easy. But the parents of any special needs child will tell you that the soul-crushing aspects of this experience aren’t caused by our kids, they’re caused by other adults. They are caused by the amount of time and effort and energy we spend justifying our children’s humanity to people and institutions who would deny them education, medical care, and the support they need to lead lives as members of their communities. We spend our days fighting school districts, state agencies, and health insurance companies, resisting the casual judgments of strangers, pleading with our elected officials to preserve what little social safety net there is, and worrying about what will happen to our children when we can’t fight these battles anymore. I can’t blame anyone for being afraid of this experience. But it is not caused by autism, it is caused by stigma surrounding autism.
No amount of posting or tweeting or righteous indignation is going to change anyone’s mind on the subject of vaccines. But there are things each and every one of us can do each and every day to combat this stigma. Reach out to the special needs family in your neighborhood. When you see an older child having a melt-down in a grocery store, instead of shooting judgmental looks at her parents then turning your back, offer to help. As parents, when your child has a classmate who is struggling, express your support to the teacher, the school, and especially your child. As employers, explore ways you can hire and retain neurodiverse individuals. You might find they add unique skills to your workforce. And most critically, vote for a robust and equitable social safety net.
Combating vaccine-hesitancy with autism awareness may seem counterintuitive. But in a society that embraces autism’s gifts and offers help with its challenges, there would be no reason to risk disease out of fear of autism. Even more fundamentally, a society that does not support all of our children does not truly support any of them. None of our children is guaranteed a smooth path to adulthood. All of our kids know that they will struggle sometimes, and they worry about how we adults will respond. Seeing kids who are struggling receive support and empathy from the adults around them is the best evidence we can offer our children that they are valued for who they are, and that makes them stronger, braver, and kinder. Disability generally and autism in particular have been a normal part of human experience for as long as we have been human. If we learned to embrace that reality, we would all be better off.