AAAP Today

Research with or without thimerosol finds no link of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine to autism

Just two weeks after candidates for the Republican presidential nomination reprised the allegation that childhood vaccines may be responsible for the dramatic rise in the number of children with autism, new research offers additional evidence against such a link.

Multiple vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal, administered to macaque monkeys on the schedule that pediatricians followed in the 1990s, resulted in none of the key brain or behavioral changes linked to autism, a new study shows.

The same study also administered a wide range of vaccines including the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine–which never contained thimerosal–to rhesus macaques. Again, it found no evidence of changes in brains or behavior that would implicate either the much-maligned MMR vaccine or a combination of many vaccines as a cause of or contributor to autism.

Excerpted from the article by Melissa Healy in Science Now, Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2015. The study was published in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 9/28/2105))

Do you worry about what the future holds for your family member with autism or another special need?

Come to a symposium on October 17, 2015 to learn and share.


Four autism fathers and a financial planner will discuss the issues.

Title: FUTURE LIFE AND FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR PERSONS WITH AUTISM AND OTHER SPECIAL NEEDS

Date: October 17, 2015, 8 a. m. – 4 p.m; venue: Ateneo Law School, Rockwell Center, Makati, Manila, Philippines

Persons with autism and other special needs require lifelong assistance in their daily lives. These individuals typically receive considerable care and support while their parents are alive. The time comes, however, when that level of care is no longer available.

Thoughtful planning for the future of these individuals is needed. Financial support considerations are among the most important. Coping with demands of day to day care, often extreme, can prevent parents of persons with special needs from planning for their children’s future.

At a Fathers’ Forum, four fathers will share their life experiences and offer self-proven tips in growing, developing, and adapting to the unique needs of their respective children. The fathers are: Evert Malapad, job and life coach for persons with special needs; Grant Javier, Project Manager at UNILAB Foundation, Roy Cabrera, Technology Consultant at Cabwebs, Inc., New Jersey, U.S.A., and Victor Cham, Jr., President of Cham-Candelaria Designs, Inc.

At a Financial Planning Session, resources and strategies toward sustained financial support for and transfer of wealth and resources to persons with autism and other special needs will be presented by Randell Tiongson, Director, Registered Financial Planning Institute of the Philippines.

A discussion, open forum, and workshops will be held so that audience participants can pose questions, exchange ideas, seek recommendations, and plan resolutions.

Registration fee: Before Oct 1=Php 800; on site and after Oct 1=Php 1000; student (with ID) Php 500. For more information, contact Christine Siruelo at 63-917-867-9488; Cathy Cham at 63-917-500-7760; or Dr. Lirio Covey at adultautismphil.

The October 17, 2015 event marks the 4th annual symposium of the Association for Adults with Autism Philippines (AAAP) and is co-sponsored by Best Buddies Philippines and the One World School in cooperation with the Heart-to-Heart Program.

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, October 17, 2015; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ateneo Law School, Rockwell Center, Makati, Manila

Presented by the Association for Adults with Autism Philippines, Best Buddies Philippines, and One World School.