My thoughts on cause and cure.

When I get on the subject of Autism with someone and preceed to tell them that my little boy is autistic, I usually get a familiar question..."Was he always like that or did it start after he got his shots?" It makes me stop and think about this very long journey we have been on. My answer is always, "I am not sure". For as long as I can remember, Ryan was always different and there was just something about him. I did get more and more suspicious around the time he was 18 months, but I can not pin point a period where everything changed, or even, if there ever was a change.

My gut feeling is that this is the way Ryan was born and was meant to be. I don't know what to say about vaccinate or do not vaccinate your child? I think you have to do what you feel is right and there are risks and rewards with every decision that you make. I heard recently that it may not be the individual vaccinations that cause the rise in autism, but that children who are autistic tend to have compromised immune systems and when they are given their shots all at once, it overwhelms their little bodies and the autistic characteristics come out full speed ahead. I tend to agree with this suggestion. I don't regret vaccinating Ryan, but given what I know now, I would have asked for one shot at a time. I don't know if it would have helped or changed anything, but it would not have hurt.

We live in a society where reports come out weekly that food has been contaminated, or that kids watch too much TV and play too many video games, or the air we breath is unhealthy. Who really knows if anything causes autism. I think the best thing to do is to block out all of the negativity and do what your gut tells you to do for your children. I do look forward to the day when they find the cause and then hopefully a cure that brings my little one out of his "fog". For now, I will hold my little one tight and thank God for the blessing he has presented to me. My mother always tells me that "God doesn't give us more than we can handle". God has given me this gift to raise, and I vow to do it with love, hope and faith.