Hope Chest Keepsakes

CINCINNATI - There''s more anguish for parents of autistic children.

January 8, 2011

by: Deborah Haas CINCINNATI - There's more anguish for parents of autistic children. An exceprt from the news story...."In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield claimed there was a link between the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine and autism...A local mother says he's right.  After her child was vaccinated, it changed both their lives and fueled the debate over whether vaccinations contribute to autism.  Some parents refuse to believe the experts who say vaccines don''t cause or contribute to autism. They say they watched autism attack their children and that the timing simply can't be coincidental.  "He had met every developmental milestone on time or early, upper end of growth chart, chubby, healthy," said Vicki Sotack.  Sotack's now 6-year-old son Nathan who went to the doctor and received shots when he was one.  "Within about five hours of that fateful day's well check, he lost his ability to speak," said Sotack.  Nathan goes to school at the Childhood Learning Center. He can communicate using a device that also lets him play games and read. He does not speak and, in spite of therapy and cross country trips to doctors, autism won''t ease its grip.  Sotack continues to search for answers for her son.  A group at the Cincinnati Center for Autism in Fairfield are taking a break from school at the best room in the house -- the swing room.  "The story is that there''s no known cause and no known cure for autism," said Amanda Tipkemper-Sparks, Executive Director at the Cincinnati Center for Autism.  Tipkemper Sparks says their job is to concentrate on the present and the possibilities with the whole family.  "The only thing we can do as professionals is support that family in the process of grief, healing, moving on and seeking treatment," added Tipkemper Sparks.  She understands it's difficult for parents to give up on what they believe is the cause, but that so little is known about why children who developed normally for the first year of two of their lives regressed into autism.  Nathan's mother is holding to her theory. "My son would tell you exactly what happened to him, except he can't speak anymore."  Sotack has another child, a daughter one year younger than Nathan. Her daughter has had only four vaccines of 36 that were recommended because Sotack said there were tests done to determine exactly which ones her daughter needed."  http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/local_news/Tri-State-parents-cope-with-autism

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