These include the original Wakefield papers, reviews, summaries, organizations, and all sorts of material to support the text under the node. 

Vaccines and ASD Citations Library

In 1998, Andrew Wakefield and colleagues published a study in The Lancet that suggested a potential connection between the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella) and autism. Since this publication, the anti-vaccine movement swelled, largely serving as the spark that lit the powder keg of existing mistrust and doubts in vaccines. A second paper by Wakefield (2002) fanned the flames. 

- Wakefield (1998)
- Wakefield (2002)

Where the Theory of Vaccines and ASD Came From

Fear and opposition of vaccines goes as far back as the 18th century, and is hardly a new phenomenon. Prominent religious figures opposed vaccines as going “against God’s will to punish” and calling them “the devil’s work” (see Reverend John Williams of Massachusetts). Outside of religious arguments, people have argued about their personal liberties against mandated vaccines, spurred on by influential figures and politics. 

- The Psychology Behind the Anti-Vaxx Movement 
- Triggers of Anti-Vaccination Propaganda
- Technology and its Effects on the Anti-Vax Movement

History of the Anti-Vax Movement: Origins

Despite persistent public concern, extensive scientific research has consistently found no credible link between vaccinations and autism spectrum disorder. For example, a large-scale study compared the vaccination histories of children with ASD to those of a control group, specifically examining the total number of immunogens (substances that trigger an immune response) received in the first two years of life. The findings clearly showed that the quantity of immunogens was not related to the development of ASD, reinforcing the broad scientific consensus that vaccines are not a cause of the disorder.

Scientific Evidence Refuting the Vaccine-Autism Link

The belief in a link between vaccines and autism persists despite scientific refutation due to several key factors. One significant reason is the psychological appeal of a simple explanation for a complex condition like ASD. This desire for a straightforward cause can make the vaccination theory attractive to some. This issue is compounded by the internet's ability to rapidly spread misinformation and the inherent difficulty for non-experts to evaluate complex scientific research. While science has made progress in understanding ASD, it is acknowledged that there are no simple causes and a complete understanding has not yet been reached.

Factors Contributing to the Persistence of the Vaccine-Autism Myth

Despite a broad scientific consensus that there is no link between vaccination and the development of autism spectrum disorder, this belief continues to circulate. Analyze the primary psychological and social factors that contribute to the persistence of this scientifically unsupported claim.

Analyzing the Persistence of Vaccine Misinformation

One of the most controversial and frustrating movements regarding ASD theories revolves around the idea that vaccines could cause ASD. Where this came from and why it prevails is an interesting study in itself that delves into human psychology and our desire to find blame for thing we don't entirely understand.

- Where the Theory of Vaccines and ASD Came From
- History of the Vaccines Cause Autism Movement
- Why Vaccines Absolutely Do Not Cause Autism
- Vaccines and ASD Library

University of Rochester

Google

This list includes different theories or concepts that are used to explain, define, or otherwise provide further insight into the workings of autism spectrum and related disorders. These include:
- TBD

Note: There is a separate subsequent node specifically for theories & concepts that are outdated and/or discredited. 

Theories & Concepts Relevant to Autism Spectrum and Related Disorders

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Executive function refers to functions such as planning, working memory, impulse control, inhibition, and mental flexibility. Traditionally, these functions have been tied to the frontal lobe, particularly the prefrontal cortex. Many signs of autism that are observed are related to disrupted executive function, causing repeated behaviors and rigid schedules among other behaviors. Executive Dysfunction seems to be a product of differences in the frontal lobe, caused by injury or neurodevelopmental disorders. It can also contribute to difficulties with emotional/behavioral regulation.

Executive Dysfunction

Discredited

The is the belief that autism is a manifestation of the male brain to an extreme level. This is because the female brain was expected to show high levels of empathy compared to the male brain which supposably showed high levels of systemising. People with autism scored high levels on a systemizing scale with low levels on empathising. In addition, people with autism tend to prefer structure and are good at noticing patterns. Other evidence for this theory is a male parent's supposed lack of affection to children, which showed a disinterest in the child. Children with autism are less likely to look at people's faces. 

Outdated statistics show that boys are far more likely to have autism than girls, and that boys naturally gravitate to systems, i.e. toy cars, after one day of life.

Extreme Male Brain 

Central Coherence is a person's ability to focus on the big picture instead of only the small (local) details. For example, a person wearing a shirt can focus on each individual strand of fiber or the shirt as a whole. People with weak central coherence have difficulty looking at the whole and tends to hyperfixate on the local. This tends to appear in people with autism at higher rates than people with other neural abilities.


Areas that show weak coherence

- face recognition

- music processing

- visual stimuli

- low suseptability to illusions

Weak Central Coherence

Vaccines and ASD: Why the Connection?

This literature review paper examines evidence supporting the Mind Blindness theory of autism. It was published in 2001, though, so it is important to keep in mind this publication and its citations are pre-DSM-5 and potentially outdated. 

- Theory of Mind's Innate Mechanisms and ASD Children
- ASD and the False Belief Task 
- Functional Brain Imaging and the Neural Substrate of Mentalizing

Mind Blindness and the Brain in Autism

* What is parallel play?
* Benefits of parallel play
* Parallel play and the autistic community
* References

Learn Before

Related

Learn After