Families with Autism Helping Families with Autism
Vaccines and Autism, Is There a Connection?
A Thoughtful Debate with David Kirby & Arthur Allen

Held on January 13, 2007

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David Kirby – Author

Evidence of Harm

 

Arthur Allen – Author

Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine’s Greatest Lifesaver

Mr. Kirby’s Biography:

David Kirby has been a professional journalist for over 15 years, and wrote for The New York Times for more than eight years. Kirby was a contracted writer with the weekly City Section at The Times, where he covered public health, local politics, art and culture, film and theater, architecture, zoning and land use, among many other subjects. He has also contributed to The Magazine, Arts & Leisure, Personal Health, Men’s Health, Science Times, Escapes, Travel, Weekend and other sections of the paper. Kirby has also written for a number of national magazines, including Glamour, Redbook, Marie Claire, Mademoiselle, Self, Art News, and others. In addition, Kirby was a foreign correspondent in Mexico and Central America from 1986-1990, where he covered the wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua, and covered politics, corruption and natural disasters in Mexico. From Latin America, he reported for UPI, the San Francisco Examiner, Newsday, The Arizona Republic, Houston Chronicle and the NBC Radio Network.

Mr. Allen’s Biography:

Arthur Allen was born in Cincinnati and educated at the University of California, Berkeley where he received an undergraduate degree in Development Studies. He was a foreign correspondent for the Associate Press in El Salvador during the war in that country, and later was based in Mexico City, Paris, and Bonn, Germany. Since 1995, he has been a freelance magazine writer in Washington, D.C., specializing in biomedical affairs.

Allen is particularly interested in how society responds to changes in technology. His book (to be released in January 2007) chronicles the rough and tumble history of vaccines as well as the social and cultural response to vaccination programs, from Cotton Mather’s Boston in the early 18 th Century, to present-day conflicts over vaccine safety and supply.

Allen lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, the writer Margaret Talbot, and his two children.

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We would like to thank our Event Sponsors:

Generation Rescue

Safe Minds

TACA

Autism Research Institute

Fox 6 News San Diego

Schuman Hoy & Associates

Berle Family

Stan Kurtz's Children's Corner School

UCSD TV

Alternative Health Care of California & The Trinity Autism Center

Stillpoint Center Integrative Medicine

The Cognitive Science Department of the University of California, San Diego

Without them this event would not have been possible.

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TACA Family Stories
Before During After

I had Christian when I was 19 years old.  For the first year of his life I couldn’t imagine anything being wrong with my baby.  He smiled; he laughed; he rolled, crawled and walked on time.  At age one he had a massive overload for his little immune system.  He had two ear infections, a high fever, back to back treatment of major antibiotics and he was given his MMR, varicella and HIB vaccines while he was still very sick.  Christian faded away for the next 6 months.

At age two he was diagnosed with full syndrome Autism.  I met an amazing mother who introduced me to the group Talk About Curing Autism.  Before I found out about TACA, I had no clue that there was hope for my child. From that day on I knew that it was my job to get my son back and undue what had been done to him.

It has been three years since Christian was diagnosed with Autism.  I had taken what I had learned from TACA, found wonderful therapists, began a diet, found a DAN! Doctor, and took control of my child’s health.  I heard his first word when he was 38 months old, and let me tell you, it was worth the wait.   

Today Christian attends a typical private preschool. He is the only child in the class with a diagnosis…and none of the other parents know that.  He speaks clearly, has friends, reads, pretends on the playground and even knows what he wants to be when he grows up (which of course changes weekly). 

I can honestly say, if I had not found that mom (you know who you are), and not been introduced to TACA, I don’t know where Christian would be today and I don’t know if I would ever have been able to help other parents starting this journey.  Thank you TACA, thank you my hero mom, and thank you Christian for fighting this with me.  I love you.

Chelsi, Washington State