Vaccine-related beliefs and practices of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders.
Half of autism parents stop vaccines after diagnosis because they think shots caused the autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bazzano et al. (2012) asked parents of children with autism about vaccines. They used a simple survey. Parents answered yes or no questions about shots their child had received.
What they found
Half the parents said they stopped or changed vaccines after the autism diagnosis. These parents believed shots caused the autism. The other half kept the normal shot schedule.
How this fits with other research
Kocher et al. (2015) asked the same questions three years later and got the same result. Parents who saw their child lose skills were more likely to blame vaccines.
Höfer et al. (2017) looked at twenty studies and found skipping vaccines is now listed as a complementary medicine practice. This shows the behavior is common.
Austin et al. (2015) asked regular people, not just autism parents. One in ten still believe the vaccine myth. The false idea spreads beyond families living with autism.
Why it matters
When you meet a new family, ask about vaccines early. Find out if they stopped shots. If they did, you can share kind facts without shame. Keep the door open so they return to full medical care. This builds trust and keeps the child safe from real diseases like measles.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although the assertion of a link between vaccines and autism has been scientifically rejected, the theory continues to be popular and may influence the attitudes of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders. The authors sought to assess how often parents change or discontinue their child's vaccine schedule after autism spectrum disorder diagnosis and whether beliefs about the etiology of autism affect their decision to do so. The authors surveyed 197 (43%) of 460 eligible parents of children under 18 years of age with autism spectrum disorders who were enrolled in a state-funded agency that provides services to those with developmental disabilities in western Los Angeles County. Half of the parents discontinued or changed vaccination practices, and this was associated with a belief that vaccines contributed to autism spectrum disorders, indicating a potential subset of undervaccinated children. Educational tools should be designed to assist physicians when talking to parents of children with autism spectrum disorders about vaccination.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-117.3.233