‘This Question Has Been Asked And Answered’

What do you say to the families who believe their child's autism was triggered by vaccines?
It's very hard because people feel very strongly and love their families so much. But not all opinions are created equal. Some are based on fact and science and some are not. Do you remember when Jenny McCarthy went on Oprah? She said she doesn't need science. Her science is at home and his name is Evan. That's not science.

Here's another story. A few weeks ago, Jodie went to the pediatrician. She had Tdap [tetanus-diptheria-pertussis] vaccine, a flu shot and a vaccine against meningitis. The next day her teacher remarked to me that Jodie was much more attentive and participated in class much more than usual. Her gym teacher said that for the fist time Jodie was able to compete in an obstacle course. Should I start pontificating that vaccines are a great treatment for autism? Of course not, that's not science. That's called coincidence.

Some families want more money spent on services for people with autism. Thoughts?
I think that's true. There's a growing number of people with autism and they're going to need services and supports. We really need to think about autism as a lifespan issue. We need to start planning now for our children's future.

What about federal health officials? Some scientists have critiqued them for not being outspoken enough about vaccine safety. Do you agree?
I think the media has to start to change. In our culture, we love celebrities. We need to listen to experts and not actresses. The media culture, feeling compelled to give both sides of an argument has lent a legitimacy to the anti-vaccine movement that is very over-weighted. They're a small number of people with very loud voices. The vast majority of parents of children with autism are very supportive of the importance of vaccines. I've had hundreds of emails in last 24 hours from parents supporting me. The media need to show both sides to make it look like both sides are equal. One side is backed by evidence, one side is not.

I think the government needs to be more vocal and I think scientists have to be more vocal. Scientists are an interesting group. They are very reluctant to speak to the media. There needs to be change in that culture. Scientists need to be more comfortable speaking out about the good science being done. I think when we see the scientists speaking out more, we will see a change.

In an interview in 2006, you said, "I am planning to stay at Autism Speaks until the day we find a cure." Now what?
Now I'll revise that to say I plan to stay in autism advocacy. I plan to take all the energy and passion that I committed to Autism Speaks and apply it elsewhere in the autism advocacy community. I'm certainly not going to be leaving. If anything, I hope to be more vocal.

Will you become more vocal on the vaccine issue specifically?
I think by talking to you today I already have.

© 2009