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E. Grogan's avatar

Mr. Conte: As an autistic person myself, I deeply appreciate this very excellent article you have written. I'm in my 70s now but back in 1960 when I was not yet 6 y.o. I was vaccinated. Back then it was VERY well-known that you NEVER vax any child under the age of 6, and hopefully not until the child is older than 6. This is because the child's brain was not developed well enough to protect against any harm vaxes may well do to the brain. At the time, my mother wanted to put me up for adoption. She truly never wanted me and wasn't a very nice person or a good mother. She left me alone for days on end when I was a baby in a crib. I would go for days with no food, no diaper changes, etc. This was told to me by my birth father who I later found when I was in my 30s. In order for me to be put up for adoption, I had to be vaccinated. My mother took me to the doctor's to be vaxed but he refused because I was too young to be jabbed. He knew it probably would cause harm. While there, my mother went on a very angry rampage and kept insisting I needed to be jabbed. I remember the doctor was very upset and concerned about this and got very quiet for a few moments. Finally, he turned to me and said "Young lady, I truly hope you will be able to remember this in the future. But I really think it's best that I give you the vaccine so you can hopefully be adopted by a loving family, because I think it's best that you get away from your mother." I'm very grateful to that doctor for making that very difficult decision. A couple months later I was adopted and shortly after I was adopted my mother thought I was autistic because I would rock back and forth a lot, which is one sign of autism. There were other things I did that was autistic as well and now late in life I realize those symptoms as autism. Vaccines cause autism, as well as other brain issues, too. I don't believe autism is genetic, I am suspicious of those "studies"; I am a researcher and do know that many "studies" are falsified.

When I was young, autism was not very well-known because kids weren't vaxed before age 6 and I never knew anyone with autism. Today, 1 in 33 kids are autistic. That number used to be 1 in 100,000 back in 1970. Just sharing my 2 cents worth of info.

Root Causes's avatar

"back in 1960 .. it was VERY well-known that you NEVER vax any child under the age of 6"

In 1960 the AAP consensus recommended;

DPT at; 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and at ~12 to 18 months and ~4 to 6 years

POLIO at 2 months, 4 months, 6 to 18 months, and at ~4–6 years

SMALLPOX at around 1 year of age (earlier in high-risk settings) with periodic boosters (e.g., school entry or every 2 years, depending on local rules)

annapolis73's avatar

Technically correct. But, by birth cohort perhaps only 50% were being vaccinated. Much less for minority population and rural children. Ask those of us born in the 1950's who did not rate a "pediatrician." 'Family" docs were the norm. I'm not sure I even trust the data anyway. Collection methodology was suspect.

Root Causes's avatar

Grogan is confabulating about 1960 onward. By ~1963 >90% of children had received at least one “core” vaccine, but full completion lagged behind in some rural and low-income regions.

By Age-6

ANY recommended vaccine; ~90% - 97%

Fully up-to-date by then standards: ~65% - 80%

Parental vaccination decisions in the 1960s were primarily driven by direct memory and fear of severe cases of childhood infectious diseases and visible suffering.

Polio fear was the strongest motivator. Many adults had known children who were paralyzed, seen iron lungs, and experienced summer “polio season” anxiety. And diphtheria and pertussis were still widely remembered as deadly.

I can provide citations, but you know how to find them.

E. Grogan's avatar

Sorry but no that isn't correct. Those are recommendations for the present, not from 1960. Nowhere did I find any recommendations in 1960 for the schedule you mentioned. I did find what you wrote but it is the schedule for the last few years, see this, which is from NIH etc:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6351022/

I've never come across anyone in my generation who got jabbed before age 6, it was most definitely NOT recommended. I am not making this up, ask anyone born in 1950s. i know what I'm talking about, I was there & I remember it clearly. Looks like you didn't read the recommendations clearly.

BikerChick's avatar

I went back to my baby book where my mother recorded my vaccinations (born in 1963) and I had DPT at ...she recorded it as Diptheria, Whooping Cough and Tetanus, when I was 3 mos, a booster one months later and a final booster one month later (YIKES!) I had small pox at 6 months and polio administered at the same time as my DPT shots (another YIKES). She has measles handwritten in the book but no date given. She also recorded that I had mumps, the disease, at age 4 1/2. She also recorded I had a visit to the dr at 9 mos for severe asthma.

E. Grogan's avatar

That was definitely not the norm then; you're the first and only person I've ever heard of getting jabbed so early. According to common wisdom and practice then, it never should have happened so early.

My point is that the one who posted the supposed conditions for vaxing in infancy in 1960 didn't know what he was talking about. I provided evidence he was incorrect, he did did not provide evidence.

BikerChick's avatar

I wasn't born to some privileged family, just a middle class family in a mid sized town in Iowa. Do you regularly ask people? I mean if you had asked me I would have no clue. I only know because I have my baby book and my mom happened to record the doses I got. I have no idea if I got MMR, I suppose I did but probably later.

Root Causes's avatar

These are facts. Just like the year ibogaine was made federally illegal (1967). What neuropsychiatric diagnoses do you have, beyond autism?

Your link covers 1990s on.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3495718/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK225580/

Find yourself a pre-1965 copy of AAP Red Book; ACIP began in 1964.

E. Grogan's avatar

Prove it by posting the website you found that on. You can't, it doesn't exist. You are rude and also ignorant of the facts, I'm done here.

Root Causes's avatar

I did, though you would have had to read. Since you need pictures ---> Tables 4, 5 and 6, and Figures 3 and 4 from April 3, 1971 MMWR

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/1753/cdc_1753_DS1.pdf

Get back to me when you'd like to further humiliate yourself.

Root Causes's avatar

Roughly 200 - 300 genes have strong, well-supported links to autism. If you include moderate and emerging evidence, the number rises to about 500 - 1,000 genes.

If you count all statistically associated variants from large genome studies, it’s effectively thousands of genes influencing risk in small ways.

Different evidence standards: Some genes (those repeatedly hit by rare mutations) have clear, high-confidence roles. Others show up only in large statistical analyses and have much smaller, less certain effects.

Polygenic architecture: Autism risk often comes from the combined effect of many variants across the genome - not a single “autism gene.” This is similar to traits like height or blood pressure.

Ongoing discovery: Studies like this one from Columbia keep adding genes, but usually at the margins - refining the picture rather than redefining it.

Core set (high confidence): a few hundred genes

Extended set (likely involved): up to ~1,000

Full genetic landscape (including tiny effects): thousands

So when you hear “60 new genes,” it’s not a jump from, say, 200 to 260 in a neat list. it’s more like filling in additional pieces of a very large, already complex puzzle.

Sonia Nordenson's avatar

I don't believe it's genetic at all.

Sonia Nordenson's avatar

That it's chiefly the vaccines.

Alex Andreasen's avatar

I wrote this, about what I can see.

https://thegoldenera.substack.com/p/the-cure-for-autism

"Vaccines and other sources, such as other medication or pesticides, cause bowel/digestion changes in the microbiome.

The microbiome produces enzymes that regulate filtering, digestion, management of clearance symptoms.

When the microbiome gets affected, the enzymatic delivery running those systems gets affected.

Antibiotics, medication, pesticides, vaccines. Can all upset the microbiome, leading to enzymatic delivery not working like before.

SCD/GAPS and other diets influence on autism because they accomodate the changed microbiome, different carbohydrates break/digest on different enzymatic processes. The most well known case being lactase. It is the same for proteins, well known cases being gluten and casein.

For the above reasons. Related to microbiome. FMT’s, microbiome transplants from healthy individuals, can alleviate autistic symptoms in people. Just like diets can. And not just autistic symptoms, autoimmune, nervous system, digestion and mental health diseases too. These all stem from the same source. The microbiome that is running large parts of the body through its enzymatic activity.

For this reason.

Your social cue ability to respond in accordance, elegantly, is regulated by these systems. It does not mean people cannot read them. But it does at times mean they cannot respond accordingly due misfiring processes as per the above.

So what is the cure? It depends on what level you look at. The microbiome produces enzymes and works with body pathways that does too. The enzymes work with the digestion, lymph system and more. Which in turn manages molecular positioning and transformation throughout you.

Where in the steps do you supplement or change? Ideally the microbiome, its a deeper step than enzymes, but less explored. So perhaps, enzymes are a safer working option until the FMTs are understood better. Or, one can look to foreign FMT options like those in Turkey and research their experiences with autistic traits treatments, perhaps they have some experience with that?"

Eloise Gilland's avatar

There may be genes with "strong, well-supported links to autism," but changes to gene expression can occur with exposure to toxicants. That's why the link between vaccines and autism is compelling -- the increase in autism rates skyrocketed after the number of vaccines on the childhood schedule increased because vaccine manufacturers were protected from financial liability after passage of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986.

Laura Bono's avatar

Your paragraph is a perfect summation of how I feel: >> “I do not find the pretty blue lights or bright puzzle pieces charming in any way. To me it has all become signaling to accept the terms of surrender. In my opinion, Autism Awareness has mutated over the past 20 years into Autism Surrender.”<<

This April, I actually saw a puzzle piece ribbon with “Autism Acceptance Month” written on it. ACCEPTANCE? Really? … “Awareness” is bad enough. But “Acceptance”? Reminds me of the old saying “just deal with it.” And we certainly have. Every therapy, discovery about better health, treatments and more have come from parents and others who deeply loves a person with autism. Nothing substantial has come from the bureaucrats who are only in their position to collect a paycheck.

Thank you for your article. I choose not to surrender either. I will continue to fight for the truth, good science and data, my son’s rights and the rights of others, better treatments, therapy, housing and more.

annapolis73's avatar

Once our due process rights are restored, either I or a successor heir will step back up and lead plaintiff's once again. If not in my lifetime, we will pursue the vaccine makers to the end of the earth.

Truth Seeker's avatar

A spread the word article. The vaccine damaged children is simply because people falsely

believed their Medical Doctors who worked as the delivery crew.

The Medical Cartel is chasing genes as usual, it is an absolute kick the can down the road

fabrication. Believing health comes from needles takes health comprehension to the lowest possible level.

Jon Rappoport has been in these trenches for many decades, today he reports:

"In a recent Telegraph article about autism and ADHD, famous British researcher Dame Uta Frith blew a very loud whistle:

“One of the main issues in appropriately diagnosing patients with autism is that there is no objective, provable biomarker that confirms whether someone has it or not, she says. Those seeking a diagnosis must first go to their GP before referral to a clinician such as a psychiatrist. But without a biological blueprint for what the condition entails, ‘it makes it a social diagnosis, to some extent’, says Dame Uta. With an established biomarker, ‘we would know how many cases there are and when to start treatment—but we don’t have that. So that is why cultural factors come into the idea of what autism is’.”

BOOM.

Too bad the author of the article and the Telegraph didn’t stop there and say, WAIT, WHAT??

No biological marker? No test that would back up the diagnosis? This is INCREDIBLE.

No, the author and the Telegraph just moved on with the rest of the article.

And of course they didn’t reveal the fact that “no biological marker” applies to every so-called mental disorder—all 300 of them.

The autism label exists to protect vaccines:..."

Freedom Freak's avatar

Yet Conte embraces Bobby's claims that one-third of people with autism are "profoundly disabled," requiring lifelong institutionalization.

"People with autism navigate their lives in quirky, often creative ways. They use everything from keypads to spelling boards to sign language to no language, but, somehow, carve out meaningful lives."

"People with autism are to be respected. Their lives are of value.... This is not to minimize the pain, the suffering, the isolation, the judgmental looks of others."

annapolis73's avatar

Louis probably knows me, even with my pseudonym here. Our family lives are very parallel. I'm an "OG" as the kid say. Our son is 33. Non verbal, low functioning, severe autism.

My history goes back to PDD-NOS and wait "it's autism." Isn't that 'Rain Man."

I'm an attendee at the original House hearings and Dan Burton and "CAN." "Unlocking Autism", anyone."

We sued Phrma in 2002 v. Thimerosal. They escaped. Help from those they bribe in Congress.

Then onto USCFC and the "kangaroo" system with a 36 month statute of limitations for claims. Who the hell even knows of they have even heard the evidence of 1% of those injured by vaccines.

Who gives a fuck about "table injuries" or the nomenclature of diagnosis when your child is vaccinated, has 104 fever for days and then your entire family's lives are ruined forever?

At 74, I am resigned to the fact that there will never be justice for these crimes in my lifetime. Forget compensation. Forget research that identifies one or more causes. We know the obvious ones already. It's vaccines, stupid. Toxic metals and elements that create cytokine storms.

Americans writ large just don't give a shit. It didn't happen to them. Like Nazi victims they simply avoid the knowledge of how close they are to being "next."

As to Phrma, their strategy is very simple: "You can never find what you are not looking for."

They party on. Louis and I do not care to dance.

Franklin O'Kanu's avatar

“They were the mothers of children who believed their children had been intellectually disabled by vaccines” — vaccines are the number one contributor to autism. By far. So many studies show it and my article shows how autism is really “vaccine induced encephalopathy” : https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/stop-calling-it-autism-start-calling

And then to make it worse, the medical community covers the diagnosis as you described. Treating a physiological disease as psychological is dangerous: https://unorthodoxy.substack.com/p/how-the-dsm-iii-and-tv-shows-rebranded

YvonneM's avatar

I agree. We need to wipe the slate clean of “Months” to celebrate. Every day is an opportunity to care about things that really matter.

Men like you and RFK Jr are true examples of masculinity. It is both strong and compassionate. Thank you for fulfilling your purpose. Your sons are truly blessed.

Alex's avatar

Thank you!! And You can add antibiotics to the causes list. My child had a partial regression from a double run of antibiotics that we never recovered from :-(

Alex Andreasen's avatar

I wrote this, about what I can see. I collect a common reasoning among the arguments of vaccines, antibiotics and more.

https://thegoldenera.substack.com/p/the-cure-for-autism

"Vaccines and other sources, such as other medication or pesticides, cause bowel/digestion changes in the microbiome.

The microbiome produces enzymes that regulate filtering, digestion, management of clearance symptoms.

When the microbiome gets affected, the enzymatic delivery running those systems gets affected.

Antibiotics, medication, pesticides, vaccines. Can all upset the microbiome, leading to enzymatic delivery not working like before.

SCD/GAPS and other diets influence on autism because they accomodate the changed microbiome, different carbohydrates break/digest on different enzymatic processes. The most well known case being lactase. It is the same for proteins, well known cases being gluten and casein.

For the above reasons. Related to microbiome. FMT’s, microbiome transplants from healthy individuals, can alleviate autistic symptoms in people. Just like diets can. And not just autistic symptoms, autoimmune, nervous system, digestion and mental health diseases too. These all stem from the same source. The microbiome that is running large parts of the body through its enzymatic activity.

For this reason.

Your social cue ability to respond in accordance, elegantly, is regulated by these systems. It does not mean people cannot read them. But it does at times mean they cannot respond accordingly due misfiring processes as per the above.

So what is the cure? It depends on what level you look at. The microbiome produces enzymes and works with body pathways that does too. The enzymes work with the digestion, lymph system and more. Which in turn manages molecular positioning and transformation throughout you.

Where in the steps do you supplement or change? Ideally the microbiome, its a deeper step than enzymes, but less explored. So perhaps, enzymes are a safer working option until the FMTs are understood better. Or, one can look to foreign FMT options like those in Turkey and research their experiences with autistic traits treatments, perhaps they have some experience with that?"

John Day MD's avatar

Awareness of the causes of autism, with action to prevent it, is the appropriate focus, is it not?

Celebrating the injured, while continuing to injure more babies and children is perverse.

Who wants us to continue such perverse customs?

Helen Morgan's avatar

My beautiful brother, now 64, requires 24/7 care. Scott was an infant. I went away to work a summer job. When I returned, the child he was, was gone. He had several vaccines while I was gone. When I returned, I told my parents that something was wrong with Scottie. My parents were angry, I was grounded. I watched them blame themselves for six years. My mother was in contact with Dr. Bernard Rimland, CA, Researcher, Scientist for years. Rimland was shunned by the Medical Community and Big Pharma. Doctor sent Mom drawers full of research... Kanner's Syndrome, early infantile autism. You're right. I will never celebrate Autism April again. Not all lives are stolen by Autism. His was. I know several young people on the spectrum. They are exceptional young people with parents who fought like hell for their children.

John Klar's avatar

Thanks, Lou!! These are the first-hand stories that not only Bobby, but every American must hear!

Ted VO's avatar

In 1995, we took our then 2 1/2 year old son to the local school district special ed dept. for evaluation. He had stopped talking, started flapping his hands and grinding his teeth and wandering aimlessly when we took him outside. After watching his behavior briefly, she said: "He looks like he has autism. We're getting all kinds of these kids now and we don't know where it's coming from." That genetic disease was new then [sarcasm alert].

annapolis73's avatar

Yes. The notion of a "genetic epidemic" is absurd by definition. Millions of years of human history would have informed us. It isn't merely "diagnoses." Trust your instincts. That is more "genetic" than diseases and harm in the modern era.

Marcy Bliss's avatar

Thanks for keeping the search for the causes of autism in the conversation. I haven’t been reading much about it lately, and wondered if this topic had become too unpopular for the administration. As the mother of a child diagnosed 25 year ago, I still want those answers. It is a tragedy that Dave Weldon wasn’t given the CDC role.

Warrior Mom's avatar

agree with every word, Mr Conte. those of us in the trenches (approaching 20 yrs for us as well) all know exactly what you are talking about. most of us never imagined that we would have RFK jr, (for all his human frailties,) as HHS secretary and actually making inroads into a REAL awareness of what autism is and what it isn't. however the gaslighting has just ratchetted up in response, hasn't it? has everyone seen the latest attempts at 'diagnosing' older adults with supposed autism, in order to illustrate all the people that today's 'better diagnosis' missed? outrageous lame excuses made to convince the public that we've ALWAYS had this many people with autism. they are grasping at straws to get people to not believe their own eyes - every trip to a store or park, effected children and young adults are so obvious to us. (I can hear and recognize a vocal stim from the other side of Walmart. I'm sure you other parents know EXACTLY what I am talking about!)

also implicit in the Pharma-pushed narrative is that there is some elusive ONE cause so that the multifactorial nature of the wide spectrum of what we call 'autism' can be used against us. 'see, here's a kid who never had vaccines but still has autism! therefore you anti-vaxxers are full of shit'. we have one of those in our extended family: unplanned pregnancy when mom (1st cousin of my own boy with autism) was on anti-depressants and taking loads of Tylenol for back pain. little girl had zero vaccines yet is severe, non-verbal. MY son's labs proved him to be lead, aluminum & cadmium poisoned; he only began speaking after active metal chelation. we stopped vaccines after his relatively-slow crash post-18 month jabs. toxin exposure 'chicken or egg'? who knows for sure.

Surrender? that would be an 'oh. hell. no.' Celebrate? my son's life as a fully-functioning, healthy human was robbed from him. no question there. sorry, nothing to celebrate about that. yet his LIFE, ALL LIFE, has value. 100%!

(p.s. I had to smile at the photo of your boy, I assume, Louis, climbing up a kitchen cabinet. brought to mind when I found mine, at a similar age, on top of our fridge!!)

Rob Romero's avatar

In my opinion, if somebody is in the military, and they get hit by a bomb or shot in the head, and then they can’t talk that should be called autism, if you are in a car accident and hit your head and then you can’t walk or talk, that should be called autism, vaccine injured children are labeled as autistic, instead of being labeled as poisoned by a vaccine, if you would call it vaccine poisoning or vaccine injury then all the other parents and people around you would question are you sure there would be conversation about a vaccine injury when you call it autism they have no idea what you’re talking about. They just say it didn’t happen to them. It should be called” vaccine injury month”. I have an 11 year-old child that was vaccinated and he was injured by it. I have a four year-old child that has had zero vaccinations, at four years old. He is almost smarter than I am, that’s it. What other proof that you need?

annapolis73's avatar

It is the "wordsmiths" and the lying, cunning money and power brokers and Phrma who only think of our damages as a "cost of doing business." That's what I call "it."

Dr. Tony Ebel - PX Docs's avatar

Could not agree more about the "awareness" element, when what's been so badly needed for decades is actual ACTION that serves these incredible children and families with real answers!