I vaccinated all 3 of my kids according to the CDC schedule. The only one I intended not to is Stephanie—she's my youngest. I remember going to the 12 month visit thinking MMR was at 15 months. The kids were having meltdowns at the visit when the doctor said, "Time for a vaccine, just sign here." She gave me the papers and I just threw them in my bag.
Stephanie started regressing right after her 12-month vaccines. We were at the doctor's a month later because she was really sick and I said that we had decided not to do the MMR. The doctor looked at me and said, "You already did it, you did it last visit."
I thought it was vaccine injury and asked my pediatrician. "Was Stephanie vaccine-injured? Did the MMR cause the autism?"
The doctor said, "No way."
"My doctor sent us to a specialist for autism and that doctor looked at me and said, "I think your kid was vaccine-injured. Can I get her records?"
Upon looking at the records, the specialist said, "Your child was vaccine injured. Looking through your records I would venture to say that your other daughter was vaccine-injured in utero due to the flu vaccine. We can't prove it, but with Stephanie here is proof. She is vaccine-injured."
For us it ranges from sensory-processing disorder to very severe autism. And we've got a lot in between. My middle daughter has autism as well. And she didn't talk until she was 4. She did talk before her MMR in full sentences, and then lost all her speech by the time she was 15 months. When her speech did come back it was extremely difficult to understand.
"I am in awe at how much autism can cost a family. and how much vaccine injury affects everyday life."
We have 7 therapy sessions a month. We have OT speech. We have ABA therapy. Then we have doctor's appointments at least once a month. I've since started asking pediatricians to please give this information to their patients before the visit.