What Causes Autism?

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BlueRon7

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 Nov 2009
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I'm having this debate with a co-worker the other day.. Autism these days is getting more and more common to the point it's more common then diabetes and is heading towards being as common as Ashtma.

So what causes it? we still don't know, is it vaccines? is it natural occurrences? is it genetic?

I think most people fall on the spectrum somewhere, but only slightly. The ignorance is that everyone with Autism has to be non-vernal and sit in the corner, but that isn't the reality.
 
Oh it's definitely vaccines. Don't trust those statistians who have carefully gone over the data and have definitively ruled out vaccines as a cause - they're part of a huge world conspiracy. Trust me - it's vaccines - just ask the ultra knowedgeable Jenny McCarthy - she for sure knows - trust her far more than any professor.
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Just sigh.

Why does this even come up. It's been fucking looked into. Vaccines don't cause autism.

If you don't believe this - you must believe that there's a world-wide conspiracy to conceal the fact that vaccines do contribute to autism - and moreover that otherwise trustworthy scientists have been bought off to lie.

For fucks sake.
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OtOH the evidence for autism being caused by vaccines is overwhelming. Let's listen to Jenny McCarthy - my son was vaccinated. And he developed autism. Case shut. It's clear that autism is caused by vaccination.

OtOH let's substitute "vaccination" with "breathing"

McCarthy - My son was breathing - and then he developed autism. Case shut - autism is caused by breathing!

This last claim makes actually more sense than the first claim since it's harder to disprove.
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Edit - this question raises an even more important point - how do we as a society know what's what?

Here's the simple answer - trust that the majority of people have the best interest of society in mind. So...

We should trust the experts in their field.

Scientists - who have no dog in any particular hunt - but who strive for truth.

Is this alone enough?

I think not.

A second requisite for knowing what's what is the ability to think critically.

Who opposes a particular view? Is the opposition partisan? Are the opponents of a view largely comprised of lay persons? Or are they knowledgeable in the field/scientists? If the later - were they paid? Are they respected by their piers? Are their views commonly shared?

Lack of critical thinking will rapidly lead you to believe that:
Vaccines cause autism.
Climate change is a hoax.
The telecommunication industry in the US is a competitive enterprise and market competition in this area benefits the US consumer.
Etc.
 
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_autism

"vaccines have attracted much attention, as parents may first become aware of autistic symptoms in their child around the time of a routine vaccination, and parental concern about vaccines has led to a decreasing uptake of childhood immunizations and an increasing likelihood of measles outbreaks. However, there is overwhelming scientific evidence showing no causal association between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism, and there is no scientific evidence that the vaccine preservative thiomersal causes autism"

Also, the perceived increase in cases should be attributed to better diagnostics.
 
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I don't think it's becoming more common, I think it's just more recognised now. A kid growing up in the 80's would have just been labelled as a bit quiet, not very sociable whereas now that same kid will be diagnosed as on the spectrum.

Same reason you didn't see any metatarsal injuries in football in the 70's, it was just called a broken toe.
 
dickie davies said:
Imho the majority of cases it's vaccines
However the risk of autism compared to what a baby may contract by not being given the MMI is tiny
Click to expand...
Here's my advice to you - unless you're an expert in the field, trust those who are expert.

The experts have carefully studied this issue, conducting a detailed statistical evaluation, comparing those who where vaccinated against those who were not. The conclusion is, that with 99% confidence or higher, vaccines do not contribute towards autism.
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If you disbelieve the above, you assert that you're more knowledgeable than the experts in the field. The world academic community awaits your sage insights - please publish a paper detailing your thoughts on the matter.
 
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CityInWashingtonState said:
Here's my advice to you - unless you're an expert in the field, trust those who are expert.

The experts have carefully studied this issue, conducting a detailed statistical evaluation, comparing those who where vaccinated against those who were not. The conclusion is, that with 99% confidence or higher, vaccines do not contribute towards autism.
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If you disbelieve the above, you assert that you're more knowledgeable than the experts in the field. The world academic community awaits your sage insights - please publish a paper detailing your thoughts on the matter.
Click to expand...

Have to applaud your composure :)
 
CityInWashingtonState said:
Here's my advice to you - unless you're an expert in the field, trust those who are expert.

The experts have carefully studied this issue, conducting a detailed statistical evaluation, comparing those who where vaccinated against those who were not. The conclusion is, that with 99% confidence or higher, vaccines do not contribute towards autism.
=======
If you disbelieve the above, you assert that you're more knowledgeable than the experts in the field. The world academic community awaits your sage insights - please publish a paper detailing your thoughts on the matter.
Click to expand...

So you're asking me, just a normal fella, to disprove all those health professionals and multi billion dollar drug companies!

I think the odds are slightly stacked against me
 
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