MMR & sensory problems

[stella]

While there is certainly an increasing amount of evidence which suggests that some vulnerable children could be adversely affected by the measles component of the vaccine there is also another aspect to the problems which has not yet received any attention.

 

while I don't wish to worry anyone this is the fact that the majority of people with autism - regardless of the what actually causes the problems - suffer from sensory problems of which the visual and auditory problems can be quite devastating.

 

Given that both the rubella and measles can affect the sensory systems - albeit in embryo - I strongly believe that this aspect of the problems also needs some investigation.

 

Is there anyone who is interested in investigating this aspect of the problems? I'd be happy to send more info about this if needed....

[Guest Guest]

Hi

 

That is interesting. Can you please post more relevant information on this?

[stella]

hi

 

sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. brief details below.

 

While I fully support the idea of vaccination I, like many others dealing with autism, am in favour of single vaccines. This is because I too have reservations about the MMR and the booster vaccination - albeit for slightly different reasons to many others.

 

IS THE VACCINE SAFE?

Obviously the jury is still out at present. What can be said though is that whilst the MMR vaccine may be safe for the majority of children, it is naïve to think (or suggest) that this necessarily makes it safe for all.

 

Although research is urgently needed to either prove or disprove such an idea it would seem that some children might be either genetically predisposed to develop ‘autisms’ or are, in some way, more vulnerable than others when vaccinated.

 

One possible factor which might support this idea is that years ago having more than one child with autism in a family was an exception whereas now it seems to occur more frequently - some families having several children with autism or Asperger’s syndrome.

 

While the new bowel disease is obviously of major importance and needs to remain a focus for research there is one other factor whihc i would like to see researched. These are abnormal sensory perceptions - which can be quite devastating.

 

Accounts of such problems have been cropping up for many years from the sufferers themselves and have been catalogued over time by people like Rimland, Delacato and Creak in the 1960's to Gail Gillingham and myself at the present time.

 

While initially many believed that people with autism demonstrated abnormal responses to sensory stimuli, a growing number now think that people with autism actually experience sensory stimuli in an unusual way - with the bizarre perceptual experiences actually causing the ‘abnormal’ reactions. This has led to the idea that, when severe, such perceptual problems could contribute to confusion, social withdrawal, communication and cognitive problems, stress and obsessive-compulsive behaviours.

 

SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH VACCINATION?

There might be a possibility that some children develop such problems after vaccination. One example being two brothers both of whom showed a marked auditory and visual problems after vaccination - with one child actually beginning to see double even though his sight had been fine prior to the MMR.

 

Without wishing to frighten people this does make me wonder whether, as illnesses like rubella and measles can cause sensory problems - albeit during embryonic development - there is a possibility that the vaccine could trigger or exacerbate sensory problems in particularly vulnerable children.

 

MY CHILD HAS HAD THE MMR. HOW CAN I TELL IF S/HE HAS DEVELOPED SUCH PROBLEMS?

The following checklists offer a indication of some of the sensory problems which might develop either gradually or suddenly and which are often particularly noticeable when they first begin to occur.

 

 

GENERAL SENSORY PROBLEMS

Becomes upset easily

Begins to dislike being touched

Becomes very fussy about the type of clothing s/he wears

Eating habits change dramatically:

Becomes a fussy eater

Starts eating anything including non edible substances

 

 

 

SEVERE VISUAL PROBLEMS

Develops any of the following:

Eyes become watery under bright light Suffers from headaches/migraine

Rubs, pokes or hits eyes Attracted to light sources; stares at the sun

Looks at things with short quick glances Looks ‘through’ people

Squints periodically Has bouts of blinking

Covers or shields one eye with hand when looking at things/people

Waves fingers in front of eyes Prefers to use peripheral vision

Finds eye contact difficult Seems startled when approached

Is slow to recognize people at a distance Misinterprets facial expressions

Has dilated or narrowed pupils Opens eyes wide/stares when looking

 

Has become/is becoming more clumsy than before

Starts to look at feet when walking

Begins to be afraid of/have difficulty with heights i.e. goes downstairs one step at a time, has problems using escalators, stepping off a curb, going over bridges etc.

Begins to stumble/fall (or even take an unusually large step) when moving from one floor surface to another eg when going through doorways or going over a zebra crossing.

Doesn’t appear to look where going Bumps into things

 

Loses all fear of heights

Loses awareness of danger

 

Enjoys OR avoids:

being in the dark bright lights

going through tunnels going through an avenue of trees

night driving

 

Is fascinated with OR dislikes:-

shadows, reflections

certain colours, stripes/patterns

small items eg bits of fluff

 

Is very adept OR has great difficulty:-

picking things up

catching a ball

putting a peg/object in a slot/hole (especially if the hole is black)

colouring within lines

doing intricate work i.e. tapestry etc.

creating extremely intricate designs

 

When writing:-

has problems when copying (better with large print)

uses large letters; runs words together

stops frequently/becomes tired quickly shuts or rubs eyes

 

When reading:-

misreads or combines words repeats words/lines

skips words/lines

Has difficulty distinguishing letters/words on a blackboard, a whiteboard or on a page

 

Develops:

Dyslexia

Dyspraxia

 

SEVERE AUDITORY PROBLEMS

Starts to appear deaf - ignoring sounds/speech BUT hearing and recognizing the rustle of sweetpapers etc.

Develops speech difficulties -

speech deteriorates

begins to be echolalic;

still speaks clearly but only occasionally;

starts mispronouncing some words;

develops speech which then deteriorates either gradually or suddenly.

Starts to lose concentration so that if given two instructions is only able to carry out one task or does neither.

Begins to show a dislike of some noises and demonstrates this by:-

putting his hands over/in ears

moving away

getting upset or distressed

going into ‘a world of his own’

Becomes a very light sleeper - wakes easily.

Becomes frightened of some animals - especially household pets even though may have had no problems before.

Seems to hear noises which other people might not be aware of eg the hum of fluorescent lights, people breathing etc.

Starts to correctly identify distant noises (before others hear them) or can overhear distant conversations eg both sides of a telephone conversation.

Begins to dislike bathing, haircut's, shaving, teethcleaning etc. because of the noise of the water, scissors, razor etc.

Begins to dislike the sound of a toilet flushing/eg becomes distressed when it happens.

Begins to find mealtimes difficult as dislikes the sound of people eating

Begins to dislike shops, crowded situations, shopping, rainstorms, wind, seaside etc.

Learns/concentrates better in quiet surroundings.

Spends a lot of time listening to music - often quite loudly.

Begins to enjoy/seeks music or loud rhythmic noises i.e. washing machines, vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers.

Begins to enjoy being in control of noisy objects - eg likes playing with running water, flushes the toilet etc.

Begins to seek out/do things that make a noise; squeaking toys, tearing paper, banging doors etc.

Begins to talk or hum constantly/loudly.

 

 

There is also a possibility that some of the following may apply:

Excessive drinking.

Dry skin.

Sweating excessively (particularly at night).

Bad catarrh.

Diarrhoea/constipation, bloating, stomach pains.

Asthma, eczema, or urticaria (nettlerash) which is an allergic reaction produced by the skin to some substance (often food) to which the individual is hypersensitive.

Aches, cramps and tiredness.

May run a temperature for no apparent reason.

Disturbed sleep patterns.

Hypoglycaemia.

Possible petit mal epilepsy. This can also be a manifestation of a metabolic disturbance such as hypoglycaemia.

Has a strong tendency to become ambidextrous or even ‘change handedness’ at the same time as their behaviour deteriorates.

 

 

Look forward to your comments

 

stella

[stella]

hi

 

sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. brief details below.

 

While I fully support the idea of vaccination I, like many others dealing with autism, am in favour of single vaccines. This is because I too have reservations about the MMR and the booster vaccination - albeit for slightly different reasons to many others.

 

IS THE VACCINE SAFE?

Obviously the jury is still out at present. What can be said though is that whilst the MMR vaccine may be safe for the majority of children, it is naïve to think (or suggest) that this necessarily makes it safe for all.

 

Although research is urgently needed to either prove or disprove such an idea it would seem that some children might be either genetically predisposed to develop ‘autisms’ or are, in some way, more vulnerable than others when vaccinated.

 

One possible factor which might support this idea is that years ago having more than one child with autism in a family was an exception whereas now it seems to occur more frequently - some families having several children with autism or Asperger’s syndrome.

 

While the new bowel disease is obviously of major importance and needs to remain a focus for research there is one other factor whihc i would like to see researched. These are abnormal sensory perceptions - which can be quite devastating.

 

Accounts of such problems have been cropping up for many years from the sufferers themselves and have been catalogued over time by people like Rimland, Delacato and Creak in the 1960's to Gail Gillingham and myself at the present time.

 

While initially many believed that people with autism demonstrated abnormal responses to sensory stimuli, a growing number now think that people with autism actually experience sensory stimuli in an unusual way - with the bizarre perceptual experiences actually causing the ‘abnormal’ reactions. This has led to the idea that, when severe, such perceptual problems could contribute to confusion, social withdrawal, communication and cognitive problems, stress and obsessive-compulsive behaviours.

 

SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH VACCINATION?

There might be a possibility that some children develop such problems after vaccination. One example being two brothers both of whom showed a marked auditory and visual problems after vaccination - with one child actually beginning to see double even though his sight had been fine prior to the MMR.

 

Without wishing to frighten people this does make me wonder whether, as illnesses like rubella and measles can cause sensory problems - albeit during embryonic development - there is a possibility that the vaccine could trigger or exacerbate sensory problems in particularly vulnerable children.

 

MY CHILD HAS HAD THE MMR. HOW CAN I TELL IF S/HE HAS DEVELOPED SUCH PROBLEMS?

The following checklists offer a indication of some of the sensory problems which might develop either gradually or suddenly and which are often particularly noticeable when they first begin to occur.

 

 

GENERAL SENSORY PROBLEMS

Becomes upset easily

Begins to dislike being touched

Becomes very fussy about the type of clothing s/he wears

Eating habits change dramatically:

Becomes a fussy eater

Starts eating anything including non edible substances

 

 

 

SEVERE VISUAL PROBLEMS

Develops any of the following:

Eyes become watery under bright light Suffers from headaches/migraine

Rubs, pokes or hits eyes Attracted to light sources; stares at the sun

Looks at things with short quick glances Looks ‘through’ people

Squints periodically Has bouts of blinking

Covers or shields one eye with hand when looking at things/people

Waves fingers in front of eyes Prefers to use peripheral vision

Finds eye contact difficult Seems startled when approached

Is slow to recognize people at a distance Misinterprets facial expressions

Has dilated or narrowed pupils Opens eyes wide/stares when looking

 

Has become/is becoming more clumsy than before

Starts to look at feet when walking

Begins to be afraid of/have difficulty with heights i.e. goes downstairs one step at a time, has problems using escalators, stepping off a curb, going over bridges etc.

Begins to stumble/fall (or even take an unusually large step) when moving from one floor surface to another eg when going through doorways or going over a zebra crossing.

Doesn’t appear to look where going Bumps into things

 

Loses all fear of heights

Loses awareness of danger

 

Enjoys OR avoids:

being in the dark bright lights

going through tunnels going through an avenue of trees

night driving

 

Is fascinated with OR dislikes:-

shadows, reflections

certain colours, stripes/patterns

small items eg bits of fluff

 

Is very adept OR has great difficulty:-

picking things up

catching a ball

putting a peg/object in a slot/hole (especially if the hole is black)

colouring within lines

doing intricate work i.e. tapestry etc.

creating extremely intricate designs

 

When writing:-

has problems when copying (better with large print)

uses large letters; runs words together

stops frequently/becomes tired quickly shuts or rubs eyes

 

When reading:-

misreads or combines words repeats words/lines

skips words/lines

Has difficulty distinguishing letters/words on a blackboard, a whiteboard or on a page

 

Develops:

Dyslexia

Dyspraxia

 

SEVERE AUDITORY PROBLEMS

Starts to appear deaf - ignoring sounds/speech BUT hearing and recognizing the rustle of sweetpapers etc.

Develops speech difficulties -

speech deteriorates

begins to be echolalic;

still speaks clearly but only occasionally;

starts mispronouncing some words;

develops speech which then deteriorates either gradually or suddenly.

Starts to lose concentration so that if given two instructions is only able to carry out one task or does neither.

Begins to show a dislike of some noises and demonstrates this by:-

putting his hands over/in ears

moving away

getting upset or distressed

going into ‘a world of his own’

Becomes a very light sleeper - wakes easily.

Becomes frightened of some animals - especially household pets even though may have had no problems before.

Seems to hear noises which other people might not be aware of eg the hum of fluorescent lights, people breathing etc.

Starts to correctly identify distant noises (before others hear them) or can overhear distant conversations eg both sides of a telephone conversation.

Begins to dislike bathing, haircut's, shaving, teethcleaning etc. because of the noise of the water, scissors, razor etc.

Begins to dislike the sound of a toilet flushing/eg becomes distressed when it happens.

Begins to find mealtimes difficult as dislikes the sound of people eating

Begins to dislike shops, crowded situations, shopping, rainstorms, wind, seaside etc.

Learns/concentrates better in quiet surroundings.

Spends a lot of time listening to music - often quite loudly.

Begins to enjoy/seeks music or loud rhythmic noises i.e. washing machines, vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers.

Begins to enjoy being in control of noisy objects - eg likes playing with running water, flushes the toilet etc.

Begins to seek out/do things that make a noise; squeaking toys, tearing paper, banging doors etc.

Begins to talk or hum constantly/loudly.

 

 

Look forward to your comments

 

Stella

[Guest MikeD]

I used soft-e-lotion for my eczema problems and I have yet to get any flare-ups. Been using it for about 9 weeks now. My daughter has eczema too and it has also worked well for her.