Funds going to look into autism-vaccine link wasted, says new autism advocacy group
It’s time to stop spending money looking for a link between vaccines and autism, says a co-founder of a new autism advocacy group called the Autism Science Foundation.
Many parents remain unnecessarily concerned that vaccines cause autism despite the results of a large number of studies that have found no evidence of such a link, said Alison Singer, president of the new group.
Singer had been an executive vice president of Autism Speaks, one of the largest autism advocacy organizations, but resigned in January after the group decided it would continue to fund research looking at possible links between vaccines and autism.
Singer said that after she resigned she was “inundated with calls and emails” from parents who did not want their donations to be spent on more vaccine-related research.
“We started the Autism Science Foundation because parents are really tired of the autism story being hijacked by the misconception that vaccines cause autism,” Singer said.
“The majority of parents are ready to move forward,” she said. “They want to fund studies that have a good chance of producing new and actionable information that will help their family members.”
Singer, who has a daughter with autism, made her comments this weekend at a press event launching the new group at the annual meeting the Association of Health Care Journalists in Seattle.
Co-founder Karen Margulis London, who founded the National Alliance for Autism Research, which merged with Autism Speaks in 2006, will be on the new foundation’s board of directors.
Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine researcher and a prominent critic of theories linking autism and vaccines, and Michael Lewis, an attorney and conflict-resolution expert, will also serve on the foundation’s board.
According to its website the Autism Science Foundation’s mission is premised on the following facts and principles:
- Autism is known to have a strong genetic component. Research must aim to discover the mechanisms of action that trigger autism, as well as safe, effective and novel treatments to enhance the quality of life for children and adults currently affected.
- Early diagnosis and early intervention are critical to helping people with autism reach their potential, but educational, vocational and support services must be applied across the lifespan. Science has a critical role to play in creating evidence-based, effective lifespan interventions.
- Vaccines save lives; they do not cause autism. Numerous studies have failed to show a causal link between vaccines and autism. Vaccine safety research should continue to be conducted by the public health system in order to ensure vaccine safety and maintain confidence in our national vaccine program, but further investment of limited autism research dollars is not warranted at this time.
To learn more:
- Go to Autism Science Foundation’s website.
- Go to Autism Speaks national website and its information page on its Seattle activities.
- Go to the National Library of Medicine’s information page on autism.
- Read LocalHealthGuide’s review of Dr. Offit’s book: Autism’s False Prophets.
Related posts:
http://www.fourteenstudies.org/index.html
Autism Speaks Comments on the launch of the Autism Science Foundation:
As the world's largest autism advocacy and research organization, Autism Speaks is committed to funding the most promising biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cures for autism.
Our science funding – more than $130 million to date – encourages researchers to take a range of approaches in the search for the many unanswered questions about autism.
The common thread is a strong basis in rigorous science and a belief in the importance of innovation and collaboration.
While this aspect of the organization's work is rooted in science, it is also influenced by the concerns and insights of individuals with autism and their families.
We welcome the establishment of any organization – large or small – that seeks to accelerate promising research and its practical application.
By encouraging the best scientists to focus on autism research, together we are moving closer to the answers we all seek.
I am sorry to hear that so much money an effort is wasted to speak against the vaccine-autism link. How can you ask parents to move on? Don't you see our children are getting better with the biomedical treatments doctor are doing? did you visited the group in the internets, the testimonies? they are not paid for. Thousands of parents are looking at their children improve with medical treatments. Please stop the nonsense. Please look at the environment. Please hear the parents. Truly listen.