Final Draft letter to ASU

Chelsea Fisher
Eckerd College
P.O. Box 662
4200 54th Ave S.
Saint Petersburg FL, 33711
April 30, 2008

James B. Adams
Professor
Arizona State University
P.O. Box 876006
Tempe, AZ 85287-6006



Dear Autism/Aspergers research program of Arizona State University,
My name is Chelsea Fisher and I am currently a student at Eckerd College. I respect everything that your research institution is doing for autism which is becoming a bigger concern every day. I have a close friend who was diagnosed with aspergers, and I am very concerned with the increasing number of children diagnosed with autism. Being a young woman who one day plans on having children it worries me that the “epidemic” as some are calling it may be related to vaccinations.
I understand that you are trying to find the causes of autism and ways to help people who have been diagnosed. I noticed also that you mostly do your research on biomedical issues which are obviously the most important factors. What worries me most is the recent and rapid influx in autism in recent years. I understand that other research institutions have found enough of a relationship among the two to keep researching the topic. I was wondering if as a research institution you have also looked into this subject matter. Potentially it is not the vaccines that are causing the issues, but the vital moments in a child’s devilment when we give them these vaccinations.
It also worries me that this topic has fallen of the charts a little bit. The Center for Disease control has claimed that many experts say there is no relationship, but it is also true that the CDC is worried that if there is a connection people will lose trust in all vaccines, ultimately causing a larger problem. This is not a good enough reason to keep information from the public. It is in your hands to find out how these vaccines could be causing autism and explain why the numbers have raised so rapidly.
I know the affects aspergers has had not only on my friend, but also on her family, and if these types f disorders are caused by vaccines it must be stopped. I one day would like to give my child a vaccine that helps them and does not affect their development. Please let me know if you have in fact researched this topic and what you have found, or if I have said anything that you agree or disagree with. Thank you for your time and understanding.
Sincerely,
Chelsea