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California's autism mystery deepens
From Rusty Dornin
SACRAMENTO, California (CNN) -- Russell Rollens was a picture-perfect baby. Then at 15 months -- just like every other baby -- he got his measles, mumps and rubella vaccination, or MMR. "He had a physical reaction to those vaccines, including a high-pitched scream and days of high pitched crying and listlessness," said Russell's father, Rick Rollens. Ten years later, those problems continue. Russell is now autistic. How does one describe what it's like parenting an autistic child? "It's a living hell," said Rollens. "For my son who suffers from the disorder, for our family members and everyone who knows and loves Russel. It's a constant struggle." And it's a struggle that most autistic kids also go through in the classroom, like the one at ABC School for Autistic Children in Sacramento where classes are full. And the number of students is growing. "We probably have 50 more kids just this year," said Brenda Terzich, co-founder and CEO of the ABC School. And parents are asking questions. No one knows what causes the brain development disorder but Rollens, a lobbyist for autism and former secretary of the California Senate, thinks the MMR vaccine is connected. "Thirty-three percent of children in families with autism believe vaccinations played a part in the development of their child's autism," he said. But a recent study from the Danish Epidemiology Science Center following more than 500,000 children found no link between the two. Dr. Robert Byrd, epidemiologist and pediatrician at University of California, Davis, doesn't believe the measles vaccine is a problem. But he said concern about what's in some vaccines is justified. Byrd applauds the removal last year of a small amount of mercury preservative used since the early 1990s in a different vaccine -- the one for Hepatitis B. Mercury is found in several vaccines and some people suspect it may cause autism. "To have any potentially harmful toxin packaged into something that's supposed to be good is not a good package," Byrd said. Byrd wrote a recent study for the M.I.N.D. Institute at UC Davis that ruled out better testing and population increases as possible causes for California's dramatic increase in autism cases. The rate in the state increased 273 percent between 1987 and 1998, according to a 1999 report by the California Department of Developmental Services. Byrd believes what's happening here is probably happening nationwide. But California has the only system for registering autistic children. There is no biological test for the disorder. Some researchers believe there could be a complex connection between genetics and the environment. For example, genetics may predispose a child to autism, but certain environmental factors need to be present for a child to develop the disorder. Rollens feels certain vaccines are to blame. But he thinks other factors come into play as well. "I don't think anybody in any area of research believes there's one single cause," he said. As for Russel, "We worry every day and night about his future. ... Who's going to take care of him when we're gone?"
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