The Bohner Research Study :-)

Part 2 of Vaccine Controversy!

Today I went to Stephen's last IEP meeting and signed off on his release from speech therapy. His therapist sat there with tears in her eyes and told me she felt he was now on the upper end of cognitive abilities for his age! Hearing this just reminded me of how much progress he has made and I had to continue his story.....

I know I probably threw a lot of you for a loop when I dared to mention vaccinations in the last chapter. It is a controversial subject and one I frequently avoid in conversation because I don't want to appear crazy or 'different'. But you know what? It is ok to be different! Different when it means that a child who previously couldn't name his colors, or communicate with friends, or tell me he was hungry....when that child is now blowing everybody away with his progress....It is ok to be different!

In the last chapter I listed four options for parents to consider with the vaccination schedule but here is another one.....avoid them all together! Ok, now you are probably really gasping :-) Dave and I decided to do our own family research. Obviously not every child is autistic or reacts to vaccines as harshly as our kids do. I learned that some children have genetic tendencies that make them more susceptible to a compromised immune system....vaccines are one of the triggers that push them over the edge. Obviously our children had that problem. Anyway, when Hannah was an infant she had one shot and then we refused any more. I was curious if we would see a different in her growth, development and health compared to Stephen and Ruth. Here are the results!

Stephen: 3-4 severe breathing/asthma attacks with multiple nebulizer treatments, constant skin irritation, frequent ear infections, Severe speech and developmental delays, multiple food intolerances and severe behavior problems

Ruth: Multiple asthmatic attacks with breathing problems including two hospital stays, ear infections, 6-12month speech and developmental delay, stomach issues(including a month-long hospital stay) and major sensory issues including likely auditory processing difficulties.

Hannah: NO asthma or breathing problems ever. Limited illness as a baby, No delay—6months ahead of her age. No sensory issues.

Ruth only completed two-thirds of the vaccination schedule but we believe it contributed to her pancreatitis. I found multiple reports on the Vaccine Adverse Reaction website connecting pancreatitis and the MMR vaccine or other vaccines. Because doctors don't report a reaction if it is over 24hrs from the time of injection I think many other side effects often are missed.

Again I am not opposed to modern medicine; pediatricians and surgeons have helped our family many times. I feel it is just important to make informed decisions and be aware of the risks to vaccinate as well as the risks of declining them.

Now onto the good stuff! In the next chapter I am going to discuss Stephen's breakthrough and detail some positive things you can do to make a difference in your child!