The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) theory of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
The initial theory of MMR, in connection with ASD, being due to an article published by Wakefield et al., (1998). The editorial, that was published in ‘The Lancet’, caused a worldwide panic. Godlee, Smith and Marcovitch (2011) explain how Wakefield’s 1998 paper was fraudulent, and also seen as an unethical research project. Furthermore, Wakefield’s paper was retracted from ‘The Lancet’ and has since been stripped of his credentials (Godlee et al., 2011). The manifestation of ASD is well before birth, usually in the last two trimesters (Gholipour, 2014). Children with ASD do not matured in the normal cognitive pattern, because the cells are not correctly layered in the brains frontal and temporal cortex (Gholipour, 2014). …show more content…
After receiving the shot he started to show side effects, which included; diarrhea, loss of appetite, and the use of his spoon. It later turned out that he had a bowel condition, usually found in children with autism. With an adjustment to his diet, the parents were able to subdue the side effects; however, he still ended up with autism. At the age of 9 he is still unable to talk.
Dales et al., (2001) argues that there is no relationship linking MMR and ASD. Researchers looked at samples of between 600-1900 children per year between the years of 1980-1994, who had been immunized with MMR, and children diagnosed with ASD. The coverage rates of MMR immunization were between 17-24 months. Results found that the increase of children with ASD from 1980-1994 was 373%. However, immunization coverage in the same time period only increased by 14%, concluding that the data showed an unequal trend and therefore, no connection between MMR and ASD(Dales et al.,
The initial theory of MMR, in connection with ASD, being due to an article published by Wakefield et al., (1998). The editorial, that was published in ‘The Lancet’, caused a worldwide panic. Godlee, Smith and Marcovitch (2011) explain how Wakefield’s 1998 paper was fraudulent, and also seen as an unethical research project. Furthermore, Wakefield’s paper was retracted from ‘The Lancet’ and has since been stripped of his credentials (Godlee et al., 2011). The manifestation of ASD is well before birth, usually in the last two trimesters (Gholipour, 2014). Children with ASD do not matured in the normal cognitive pattern, because the cells are not correctly layered in the brains frontal and temporal cortex (Gholipour, 2014). …show more content…
After receiving the shot he started to show side effects, which included; diarrhea, loss of appetite, and the use of his spoon. It later turned out that he had a bowel condition, usually found in children with autism. With an adjustment to his diet, the parents were able to subdue the side effects; however, he still ended up with autism. At the age of 9 he is still unable to talk.
Dales et al., (2001) argues that there is no relationship linking MMR and ASD. Researchers looked at samples of between 600-1900 children per year between the years of 1980-1994, who had been immunized with MMR, and children diagnosed with ASD. The coverage rates of MMR immunization were between 17-24 months. Results found that the increase of children with ASD from 1980-1994 was 373%. However, immunization coverage in the same time period only increased by 14%, concluding that the data showed an unequal trend and therefore, no connection between MMR and ASD(Dales et al.,