flu shots?? - Autism Spectrum Message Board

bmv4067 · 08-27-2005, 08:51 PM

with the cold and flu sesaon fast approching i just wonderd what you all thought about autistic children getting the shot or the flu mist?

AggieMom · 08-27-2005, 10:44 PM

I have read that the flu shot still contains the perservative thimerasol. Since I believe their might be a connection to autism I would probably skip the flu vaccine, but I've never had to make that choice. Other than my husband when he was in the military, none of us have ever gotten a flu shot. My childrens pediatricians (none of them) has never even recommended it and none of my kids (22yrs, 20yrs, 10yrs, 7yrs/autistic) have had the flu. I can only remember a couple of times in my life when I had flu like symptoms. So I don't know about the mist, but I'd weigh the risks and make sure about what's in that shot.

DrewsG · 08-28-2005, 11:30 AM

I have also read that the flu shot contains thimerasol. I also believe there is a connection between thimerasol and some autistic children. I would never take that chance. That is our opinion only. We simply would never do it. Our little guy did get one about two weeks before his autistic behavior began. We wish so much we had that to do over. But we don't. We just have to look forward. Pray and do all we can for him now.

laatkins · 08-28-2005, 01:45 PM

My daughter was just diagnosed with autism. Looking back through her records I saw the consent form for the flu vaccine. It asked if she was allergic to thermerisol or anything else. She had no known allergies and I had never heard of thermerisol and certainly didn't know it contained a known neurotoxin. She was 22 months. Looking back it was sometime around then that her language development stopped then started to regress. She's in treatment now and we hope we can reverse the damage. Of course we don't know for sure that thermerisol is the culprit or one of the culprits, but it angers me that they would ask if she was allergic to it. I wish I could go back and say with utmost sarcasm, "Allergic to mercury, a known neurotoxin? I'm not sure, what reactions should I look for? What are the symptoms of 'mercury allergy'?" I guess I am allergic to arcenic and neuclear waste too.