Autism and Antibiotics

Has anyone seen any good articles online that pertain to antibiotics given at birth and their possible association with Autism? Or does anyone have any experience with this? How do you know what medications your child really needs at birth?

wow, it's like you're reading my mind. lately i've been thinking alot about autism --- not so much about antibiotics but rather all of the recommended shots that pediatricians give kids in their first 3 years. i know for years there have been strong correlations between the two. we are close to the point where we need to find a good pediatrician & don't want to do so until we really know where we are on which immunizations we are okay with in regards to what connor will get.

i'm curious as to the response this post will get.

I would be careful with antibiotics and definitely with vaccines. Vaccination did cause autism in my family. Just keep doing your research. There are many natural heath doctors out there that can help your children.

Katy-Anne

so can i ask then, what are you going to do in regards to vaccines for this child? which will he get and what will he not?

Yes, are there certain ones that you will definatley not be getting???

Just my personal thoughts having a child with Autism. There is no correlating evidence that any of those things causes Autism. My Personal experience is to receive treatment for my child. Autism usually does not show up until after one year of age so to say anything given at birth might cause it makes one wonder if that statement is false. Also we had some very dear friends of ours that chose not to get the "optionals" done at birth and they lost their baby at one week old due to a bacterial infection. Needless to say it was a hard lesson they learned. I think they would much rather have a child with Autism rather than no child. Besides that Autism is not a death sentence. With proper treatment and much parental involvement a child with Autism lives a normal happy life. Having a child with severe Autism is fairly rare most are mild cases. There is also literature out there that suggests the brain is wired differently for more intelligent ppl. Many have believe that Einstein had Autism. I have a very high IQ but my son at age 8 has an IQ higher than most adults. He ranks in the top ten percent nationally on the Iowa Tests. At the rate he is going he will surpass my IQ (let's just say only a small percentage of ppl have that high). Personally I don't look at Autism as a horrific disease but rather a genetic advantage. Sure he is a little bit socially awkward but so are the smart kids that rate above their peers. I am proud that my son can read on a 10th grade level and he will just start 4th this year. Autism is the lest of your worries, only ignorant ppl that don't truly understand what Autism is. They tend to think of the worse case. Sorry this is not meaning to sound like a rant although I know it does.

We don't vaccinate for moral reasons anyway...

Katy-Anne

I work with children with autism and am going to school to be a behavioral therapist for children with autism and even though there is no definitive link between vaccines and autism the recommendation is that you get all the vaccines that are neccessary but space them out, most doctors are willing to do that for you. The concern with vaccines are the mercury in them and they found that children with autism have difficuly metabloizing the mercury where typical children the mercury leaves there body normally. They have found that Children with autism have a gene abnormality that predisposes them to autism but it is also triggered by enviromental factors that they are not sure about. Kind of like an allergy. Most vaccines have reduced the amount of mercury in them. I would reccommend staying away from the flew shots if possible because that vaccine has not reduced its mercury content and is not really necessary considering it usually contains strands of the flu that were infecting people in the previous years and not the ones that are infecting people this year.

butterflybookworm wrote: Just my personal thoughts having a child with Autism. There is no correlating evidence that any of those things causes Autism. My Personal experience is to receive treatment for my child. Autism usually does not show up until after one year of age so to say anything given at birth might cause it makes one wonder if that statement is false. Also we had some very dear friends of ours that chose not to get the "optionals" done at birth and they lost their baby at one week old due to a bacterial infection. Needless to say it was a hard lesson they learned. I think they would much rather have a child with Autism rather than no child. Besides that Autism is not a death sentence. With proper treatment and much parental involvement a child with Autism lives a normal happy life. Having a child with severe Autism is fairly rare most are mild cases. There is also literature out there that suggests the brain is wired differently for more intelligent ppl. Many have believe that Einstein had Autism. I have a very high IQ but my son at age 8 has an IQ higher than most adults. He ranks in the top ten percent nationally on the Iowa Tests. At the rate he is going he will surpass my IQ (let's just say only a small percentage of ppl have that high). Personally I don't look at Autism as a horrific disease but rather a genetic advantage. Sure he is a little bit socially awkward but so are the smart kids that rate above their peers. I am proud that my son can read on a 10th grade level and he will just start 4th this year. Autism is the lest of your worries, only ignorant ppl that don't truly understand what Autism is. They tend to think of the worse case. Sorry this is not meaning to sound like a rant although I know it does.

I really liked your response.

I have 3 children already, one with autism. I allowed them all to receive their immunizations, or antibiotics if needed.

My son who is now 4 1/2, is considered a very high functioning autistic child. He gets tons of help with behavior consultants, occupational therapists, speech therapy and from us of course! He was a difficult baby from the second he was born, and just became more and more demanding, until when he finally turned 3 I looked for help with our Child Development Center and they assesed him and he got the ASD diagnosis. Since then, things have been slowly getting better and easier, due to the specialists.

Anyway, My thought is that years ago only a few children were given the Autism diagnosis, because most people thought autism = rainman. But with all the research the spectrum has changed, so the diagnosis Autism Spectrum Disorder came to be, and it allowed for so many varying types to receive this diagnosis and receive the early help they need. That is why I believe there are so many more children diagnosed today, a huge spectrum.

I am always looking for mommies of ASD kids to chat with, so if anyone wants to Pm me, please do so!

I have a nephew who is 7 and autistic. He is a cool kid. I personally dont beleive in the whole antibiotics causes it theory. I wont hesitate for my son to have any necessary immunizations when he is born. When AJ was born rignt away at the hospital me & my sister knew there was something just slightly "different" about him, but just thought we were being overly cautious. We didnt even really know what autism was. It wasnt until he was 3 until we knew what was different, since he seemed slower to communicate and was obsessive about certain things, among a few other signs, we started doing some research and everything just fit. Its amazing how diffferent autistic children are, if I understand correctly thats where "spectrum" comes in at, becuase there can be so many factors. Its also amazing how many children are autistic.Toledo has really stepped up the effort for Autism Awareness.

AJ is very interactive. Ask him anything about any animal and he knows it. He loves to swim and play army & video games with my other nephew who is 6 months older. I know it can be a struggle at times for my family, but we wouldnt have him any other way.

Heres a chart of the I assume, offered vaccines...

http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#t3


I started looking into this as well, hope it helps!

I just spoke yesterday with my dr. about this, you have to be really careful and know what is required in your state. In our state (KY) the only thing required at birth is antibiotic in the eyes--erthromycin. He said the Hep-B is usually given and is highly recommended at birth. My baby isn't getting any vaccines at birth. I don't believe that their immue system is ready to handle the vaccine. I personally know of 4 babies that have had adverse affects from the immunizations. Its a personal decision but it is definetly something to do research on. Here is a website that has some info, but there is tons of info on the subject...you just have to look.

http://www.vaclib.org/intro/hepbinfo.htm

There is also a book that really explains each vaccine, its called "What your Doctor may not tell you about childhood immunizations" I purchased this book, and have found it very informative.

I wasn't trying to say do or don't get immunizations done. If you have moral conflicts or other reasons that is great, It is your choice as a parent. I was simply trying to state that you should not base getting immunizations on the fear of Autism. I did my graduate studies on Autism. There is a genetic predisposition to Autism and environmental factors combined that they believe causes it. The problem is our world is so full of pollutants that it would be almost impossible to identify one single factor. Look at all the chemicals we use in our home for example. Pledge has petrol products. In several studies rocket fuel has been found in mothers' breast milk due to contamination of drinking water (Colorado river) that is then used in dairy farms and we drink the contaminated cow's milk. If you were to study public health and epidemiology you would realize that there is no way to get away from contaminates. I don't agree with mercury in vaccines but I also don't want my children to die from a preventable illness. optional things such as the flu shot I choose not to get for my children. I also space out vaccines just because I think it is a great deal harder for the body. The point was make your decisions based off of fact not fear. Autism is not the end of the world just a different beginning.

I have a lil cousin who has autism.. My aunt said they "thought" it may have been related to the medications given to him at birth.. I was too young to remember the whole story but I know it was a factor.. You can never be too cautious when it comes to your own child BUT you have to think, if it was such a HUGE risk factor, they wouldnt give the medications at the time of birth if they didnt think it did more good than bad... Who really knows though..