One of 2008’s Top Unfounded Health Scares
December 25, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health, Parenting, Science, Vaccines
The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) has issued a list of Top 10 Unfounded Health Scares of 2008 and take a wild guess about one item, specifically #8……. it involves autism and a word that starts with a ……………………..v.
Stumped?
Hint: Something involving “greening.”
Hint: Something involving a certain former MTV starlet.
Yeah, it’s something that gets brought up too much in discussions about autism, namely, the hypothesis, unsupported by the scientific evidence, that vaccines can be linked to autism.
Here’s the ACSH’s bottom line:
Not only are childhood vaccines safe, they are necessary to protect both individual children and the larger population from dangerous diseases. Despite the ever-present nature of this scare, parents should trust their children’s pediatricians and comply with the recommendation that every child be fully vaccinated by the age of two.
And how about a resolution in the new year to start moving on from this issue which has captivated so much of the attention and energy in discussions about autism?
Jeff Stimpson
Jill Cornfield
I guessed by the title. My next research is into the ITP, which federal age is 16, but LAUSD does at 14. Nick turns 14 in March, but California Virtual Academy (CAVA) does it at age 16 and next yr is 8th grade and he wants to get into LA ZOo high school, so need to figure it out and be more active within LAUSD now that I am the secretary to the CAC.
Also got a ltr saying Matt might not graduate 8th grade, yet only in 6th and his gen ed class Horticultre teacher gave him a D and unsatisfactory on last progress report so now I have to sign this form and go see them at the schoool in Jan to see if she is using a modified curriculum for him and get that changed.
@Bonnie, that issue of graduating has never (yet) arisen for Charlie—-he moves onto the next year with the list of programs and items to learn and IEP goals, many of the same or “in progress.” Charlie takes the Alternate Proficiency Exam and he mostly scores “some”/no progress—–it’s modified academic skills—-he is certainly moving forward in daily living skills and in pre-voc ones.
Curious to know what curriculum Matt’s teacher has bee using——shouldn’t they have sent you that letter earlier…..
teh reort card/progress report was Dec 12th. Notes say grade based upon a modified curriculum, except for the Gen ed class he goes to for Horticulture - does not complete assignments/tasks. Yet they just gave me pics of hoe, shovel, rake, gardening can week before school out to have programmed into the Go talk 9+ . She gave him the only E for Excellent under Coop but U for Unsat under work habits and only D mark.
He does great pulling the weeds, but when they work with tools his aide says too dangerous plus the bricks. Lately due to an injury to teacher they have been watching videos.
Ltr - we are sorry to inform youu that based on the Dec 12th progress report there is a possibility that your child may not culminate at the end of the 8th gradee or meet the Criteria for Middle School Certification of Completion.
The listing shows cannot have more than two Us in work habits and in cooperation and must come from different teachers.
I have to sign it so will be going there in person to speak to special ed counselor and make sure the curriculuim in Horticulture is and has been modified per his IEP.
I can see Charlie pulling weeds but, yes, gardening tools would require some more instruction and a bit of supervision (at least a bit). We have tried to have Charlie help rake leaves, though there’s so many leaves that it’s only a small dent that he can make……..
Doesn’t seem right that they should just be watching videos?
It took me years to get the hang of using a rake. It still is not something that is easy to do.Pulling weeds was about it for quite a while.How I got to the point where I could do bonsai as well as I can now,I’ll never know.
What is the subject we’re supposed to be ignoring again ?
Hi Kristina -
Vaccines may be an unfounded health scare; but I’d be very skeptical of taking any advice from the ACSH, who apparently, has never met a chemical, or chemical manufacturer it doesn’t like (or who doesn’t contribute to their company). By way of example, anyone who has been paying attention knows that the concerns over BPA (unfounded health scare #2) are real.
You might peruse the angry toxicologists work up on ACSH, and why their ‘press releases’ should be taken with a pound of salt, here:
http://scienceblogs.com/angrytoxicologist/2007/11/asch_is_a_joke_no_really_like.php
- pD
thanks, pD—-always keep in mind the source!