• Vaccines, measles and science cause issues in 2016 Republican presidential primary

    Vaccines, measles and science cause issues in 2016 Republican presidential primary

    Feb 03, 2015 02:55 PM EDT

    ... was three years before the study that caused all of this controversy was retracted. And they were calling for more research. That’s something even Autism Speaks, the leading advocacy group for bringing attention to autism, was calling for. Academic, scientific medical research is conducted to rule in or out ...

  • Tracing the origins of the anti-vaccine movement

    Tracing the origins of the anti-vaccine movement

    Feb 03, 2015 12:50 AM EDT

    ... the U.K. ZACHARY GREEN: The paper, written by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, claimed there might be a connection between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism. SETH MNOOKIN: In his press conference, Andrew Wakefield stood up and said parents shouldn't give their children the MMR vaccine, period, until we ...

  • White House to parents: science shows vaccines are effective

    White House to parents: science shows vaccines are effective

    Jan 31, 2015 07:13 PM EDT

    ... about vaccinations should be left to parents, but the science on vaccinations "is really clear." Some parents continue to believe debunked research linking vaccines to autism and refuse vaccinate their children. "I'm not going stand up here and dispense medical advice," Earnest said when asked whether the president supports ...

  • Gwen's Take: When movies are more than reality

    Gwen's Take: When movies are more than reality

    Jan 30, 2015 04:54 PM EDT

    ... quick visit this week to the Sundance Film Festival. “How to Dance in Ohio,” a film by Alexandra Shiva, takes you inside the world of autism -- but through the eyes of autistic teens preparing for a formal dance. The camera mostly follows three risk averse, shy girls with varying degrees ...

  • You could get the measles, even if you're vaccinated

    You could get the measles, even if you're vaccinated

    Jan 28, 2015 06:47 PM EDT

    ... that fuels the spread of the disease. Some parents opt out of the MMR vaccine, often due to thoroughly discredited studies that link it to autism. Simply put, if everyone got the vaccine, the virus would have nowhere to go. The unvaccinated keep the measles alive. But let’s back ...

  • 'Completely avoidable': Vaccination could have prevented Disneyland measles outbreak

    'Completely avoidable': Vaccination could have prevented Disneyland measles outbreak

    Jan 26, 2015 12:06 AM EDT

    ... not true. Because the evidence that was put forth years ago about various adverse events associated with measles vaccination, from different types of disease to autism, have been completely disproven by a number of scientific bodies, independent bodies, that have shown that. And yet they still cling and reinforce each ...

  • For last minute Christmas baking needs, see … your local library?

    For last minute Christmas baking needs, see … your local library?

    Dec 25, 2014 05:50 PM EDT

    ... lends out other non-traditional items including cookie cutters, puppets and, starting sometime next year, sensory toys for special needs patrons such as those with autism. According to the American Library Association’s 2014 State of the American Libraries Report, more than 90 percent of people who responded said that ...

  • Empowering students with disabilities to find exercise they love

    Empowering students with disabilities to find exercise they love

    Oct 28, 2014 12:48 AM EDT

    ... outdoor classroom. MAN: Good job, guys. Way to go. APRIL BROWN: And though you may not notice at first, all of them are students with autism. DANIEL HERNANDEZ, Student: We grab a boat. We put them right in the water. We get the paddles, the seats. We set them up ...

  • What can be done to help parents of autistic adults?

    What can be done to help parents of autistic adults?

    Sep 30, 2014 09:26 PM EDT

    The picture you probably have in your mind of autism is that of a child. But autism is almost always -- if not always -- a condition that lasts for life. We are the parents of a 22-year-old young man with autism. He barely recognizes our presence, but clearly knows us better than most other...

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    FDA considers ban on electric shock devices used to curb self-harm

    Sep 14, 2014 08:50 PM EDT

    Self-injury is one of the most difficult behaviors associated with autism and other developmental or intellectual disabilities, and a private facility outside Boston that takes on some of the hardest-to-treat cases is embroiled in a major debate: Should it use electrical skin shocks to try to keep patients from harming themselves or others?