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Autism

Autism

Claims that vaccines cause autism have led some parents to delay or refuse vaccines for their children. The most common claims are that autism is caused by MMR vaccine, vaccines that contain thimerosal, or too many vaccines. Many scientific studies have been done to test these claims. None has shown any correlation between vaccines and autism.
Autism Resources
Immunize.org
Handouts on Vaccine Hesitancy
Handouts on Vaccine Confidence
Immunize.org's collection of handouts for staff and patients
Clear Answers & Smart Advice About Your Baby's Shots
Clear Answers and Smart Advice About Your Baby's Shots by Ari Brown, MD, FAAP
MMR Vaccine Does Not Cause Autism: Examine the evidence
MMR Vaccine Does Not Cause Autism - Examine the Evidence!
Need Help Responding to Vaccine-Hesitant Parents? Science-Based Materials from Respected Organizations
Need Help Responding to Vaccine-Hesitant Parents? Science-Based Materials Are Available from These Respected Organizations
   
View All Handouts for Parents View All Handouts for Parents
View All Immunize.org Handouts and Staff Education Materials View All Immunize.org Handouts and Staff Education Materials
Click this arrow to watch A Practical Guide to Improving Adult Vaccination Rates in Your Practice
Ask the Experts: Vaccine Safety
Immunize.org experts answer challenging questions about vaccines
Click this arrow to view Immunize.org's collection of vaccine information statements
Vaccine Information Statements
VISs are information sheets produced by CDC that explain both the benefits and risks of a vaccine to vaccine recipients
Click this arrow to view Immunize.org's collection of unprotected people reports
Unprotected People Stories
Real-life accounts of suffering and loss
Click this arrow to view the vaccine safety websection on vaccineinformation.org
Vaccine Basics: Vaccine Safety
The Vaccine Basics web section on vaccineinformation.org provides information about importance of vaccines and answers many common questions about vaccines and getting vaccinated
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Click this arrow to view CDC's Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism
Vaccines Do Not Cause Autism
Statement from CDC, includes links to many resources and references
Click here to view CDC'S autism spectrum disorder website
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Basics, treatments, research, diagnosis, data, free materials, and articles
Vaccine Education Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Click this arrow to view VEC's Do Vaccines Cause Autism?
Vaccines and Autism
Examination of the "Wakefield studies," studies showing that MMR vaccine does not cause autism, as well as other causes of autism; includes references
Click this arrow to view VEC's Vaccines and Autism: What you should know
Vaccines and Autism: What You Should Know
Deals with three main concerns: the MMR vaccine, thimerosal, and the idea that babies receive too many vaccines too soon
>> Spanish-language version
Click this arrow to view the book: Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure
Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure
Author: Paul A. Offit, MD (Columbia University Press, 2008: 328 pages)
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Click this arrow to view AAP's Vaccine Safety: Examine the Evidence
Vaccine Safety: Examine the Evidence
List and links to articles that reject link between vaccines and autism
Click this arrow to view AAP's facts for parents about autism and vaccine safety
Vaccine Safety: Get the Facts
Information to help parents and caregivers better understand the issues
Click this arrow to view AAP's children's health issues: autism
Autism
Information for parents
National Academy of Medicine
The National Academy of Medicine, formerly known as the Institute of Medicine (IOM), is an impartial group of the world's leading experts that advises Congress on science issues. After reviewing more than 200 studies in 2004 and more than 1,000 studies in 2011, its consensus report strongly stated that the evidence did not show a link between vaccines and autism.
Click this arrow to view the 2011 IOM study: Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality
2011 Study: Adverse Effects of Vaccines - Evidence and Causality
Click this arrow to view the 2004 IOM study: Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism
2004 Study: Immunization Safety Review - Vaccines and Autism
Vaxopedia
Vaxopedia
Autism and Vaccines
A series of brief articles on vaccines and autism that have been published on Vaxopedia
Expert Statements on Vaccines and Autism
Expert Statements on Vaccines and Autism
More than 20 organizations state there is no link between vaccines and autism
Autism Science Foundation
Click this arrow to visit the Autism Science Foundation website
Autism Science Foundation Website
Nonprofit organization supports autism research and provides information about autism to the general public and serves to increase awareness of autism spectrum disorders
Click this arrow to view the Autism Science Foundation's Autism and Vaccines websection
Autism and Vaccines
The data show there is no relationship between vaccines and autism. Links to several studies are provided.
Making the Case for Vaccines
Making the CASE for Vaccines
Use this material for guidance about how to talk to parents about vaccines
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TALKING ABOUT VACCINES
Adjuvants
Religious Concerns
Alternative Medicine Responding to Parents
Alternative Schedules Thimerosal
Autism Too Many Vaccines?
Importance of Vaccines Vaccine Safety
MMR Vaccine
 
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     Featured Resource
Vaccines and Autism: What You Should Know
Vaccines and Autism: What You Should Know
Two pages of questions and answers about vaccines not causing autism accompanied by a lengthy reference section
 
      VIDEOS
Vaccine Hesitancy and Autism: A Family's Story
Vaccine Hesitancy and Autism: A Family's Story
In this video from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, a parent of a child with autism shares her family's story of educating themselves on vaccine safety and addresses additional concerns present in the Hispanic community.
Video: Healthcare Triage: Vaccines and Autism
Healthcare Triage: Vaccines and Autism
Watch this excellent video about the lack of evidence for an association between vaccines and autism from Healthcare Triage, a blog and video series about healthcare issues hosted by pediatrician and health policy expert Dr. Aaron Carroll.
Video FAQs - Vaccinate Your Family
Video FAQs - Vaccinate Your Family
In this series of brief video clips from Vaccinate Your Family, Dr. Paul Offit, Dr. Mark Sawyer, Ms. Alison Singer, and Dr. Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco, experts in the fields of immunization and autism reply to common questions about vaccines and autism.
Video: Do Vaccines Cause Autism?
Do Vaccines Cause Autism?
Paul A. Offit, MD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, discusses common concerns related to vaccines and autism and reviews some of the scientific studies
Videos & PSAs
more videos for parents
Videos & PSAs
more videos for healthcare professionals
      JOURNAL ARTICLES
Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccination and Autism: A Nationwide Cohort Study
Ann Intern Med. 2019;170(8):513-520
Principal Controversies in Vaccine Safety in the United States
Clinical Infectious Diseases February 12, 2019
Autism Occurrence by MMR Vaccine Status Among US Children With Older Siblings With and Without Autism
JAMA. 2015;313(15):1534-1540.doi:10.1001/jama.2015.3077
Early Exposure to the Combined Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine and Thimerosal-containing Vaccines and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Vaccine, January 3, 2015, Vol. pii: S0264-410X(14)01689-2
      BLOGS
Left Brain/Right Brain
Autism news, science, and opinions
Neurodiversity.com
This is an archived site and is no longer maintained. It is of historical interest and is full of excellent information on autism research, as well as investigations into dangerous treatments for autism.
vaccineinformation.org
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• Email: nipinfo@cdc.gov
• Contact: State Immunization Program Managers
 
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This page was updated on March 8, 2023.
This page was reviewed on March 8, 2023.
 
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