3 ms·

According to the study I found, 1 in ~300 Amish have autism. 1 in 90 of the regular population have autism. The fear of autism shows people are in fact paying

According to the study I found, 1 in ~300 Amish have autism. 1 in 90 of the regular population have autism. The fear of autism shows people are in fact paying attention; whether vaccines "cause it" of course is really the question...

tedunangst 14y ago
Try plotting the incidence of autism and number of reality television shows on the same graph.
eckyptang 14y ago
Apparently, the quality of men's sperm declines as they get older resulting in various genetic abnormalities. The Amish seem to have families quite young whilst the rest of us are slaving away trying to get a house in the suburbs before we have children. I'd consider that to be a better correlation than vaccines.
- sliverstorm 14y ago
  Not to mention, the Amish are a fairly isolated genetic pool. The Amish could simply have a lower prevalence of autism the same way those of Northern European ancestry have a higher prevalence of red hair.
  - eckyptang 14y ago
    That's a very good point. Genetic diversity brings good and bad.
bwaldrep 14y ago
No, it's not the question. Vaccines don't cause autism. This has been established beyond doubt. Further speculation about a link between the two is nothing other than dangerous. http://arstechnica.com/science/2010/02/the-lancet-retracts-paper-linking-mmr-vaccines-and-autism/ http://arstechnica.com/science/2010/02/the-lancet-retracts-p... http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003140 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjourna... http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7076 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7076 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajmg.a.31846/full http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajmg.a.31846/full http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/vaccine_safety/misperceptions.htm http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/vaccine_saf...
patrickgzill 14y ago
Don't understand the downvotes - thought that the quotes around "cause it" would make it clear that I am not subscribing to any theory. That autism has increased is not questioned, what causes the increase is still unknown...
ars 14y ago
Assuming the study is correct, then you should really say: "1 in ~300 Amish are diagnosed with autism." Amish are far less likely to take their kids to the Dr. and the Amish family life is quite different from the rest of America. So behaviors that cause problems in public schools are not a concern there.

tedunangst 14y ago

Try plotting the incidence of autism and number of reality television shows on the same graph.

eckyptang 14y ago

Apparently, the quality of men's sperm declines as they get older resulting in various genetic abnormalities. The Amish seem to have families quite young whilst the rest of us are slaving away trying to get a house in the suburbs before we have children. I'd consider that to be a better correlation than vaccines.

sliverstorm 14y ago
Not to mention, the Amish are a fairly isolated genetic pool. The Amish could simply have a lower prevalence of autism the same way those of Northern European ancestry have a higher prevalence of red hair.
- eckyptang 14y ago
  That's a very good point. Genetic diversity brings good and bad.

bwaldrep 14y ago

No, it's not the question. Vaccines don't cause autism. This has been established beyond doubt. Further speculation about a link between the two is nothing other than dangerous. http://arstechnica.com/science/2010/02/the-lancet-retracts-paper-linking-mmr-vaccines-and-autism/ http://arstechnica.com/science/2010/02/the-lancet-retracts-p... http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003140 http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjourna... http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7076 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7076 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajmg.a.31846/full http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajmg.a.31846/full http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/vaccine_safety/misperceptions.htm http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/immunization/vaccine_saf...

patrickgzill 14y ago

Don't understand the downvotes - thought that the quotes around "cause it" would make it clear that I am not subscribing to any theory. That autism has increased is not questioned, what causes the increase is still unknown...

ars 14y ago

Assuming the study is correct, then you should really say: "1 in ~300 Amish are diagnosed with autism." Amish are far less likely to take their kids to the Dr. and the Amish family life is quite different from the rest of America. So behaviors that cause problems in public schools are not a concern there.