I have gotten the autism bug of late, very likely because my youngest, Isabella, is going through the necessary diagnostic processes so that she can get into the exceptional school her older brother, Guy, currently attends. I caught it once before, five years ago, when my son was first diagnosed autistic and I had to come to terms with all that entails.

I became momentarily intrigued by the mercury-vaccines-autism hypothesis and the possibility that autism could be “cured.” I enthusiastically read everything I could find on the subject, in the hope that there might be something to these special diets, vitamins, herbal supplements, and alternative treatments like chelation, which were supposed to “de-toxify” the body.

I really wanted my son to learn how to talk and use the toilet, and stop having horrible tantrums; so I really wanted to believe what I had read about the alternatives to the reality I was facing at the time. After spending a few days reading all about alleged conspiracies and cover-ups, I got angry with the mainstream medical community, the pharmaceutical industry, and the US government. I even tried to rationalize away inconsistencies by avoiding the tough questions.

In the end, however, I could not keep the faith. I eventually came to the troubling realization that I could not defend the alternatives using logic and legitimately proven theories. Whenever that happens, I know that must change course immediately, whether I like it or not, even if it stings my pride something awful.

My son started speaking on his own soon after all of that nonsense anyway. Now, if he had been receiving any sort of “biomedical intervention” at the time, I may very well have attributed his sudden speech to that particular treatment. So, now I wonder, hmmmm, whenever I read anecdotes about how this or that treatment caused some autistic child to start talking. I am sorry if some people find that offensive, but I cannot help it, I’m a natural born cynic.

This time ’round, I cannot seem to stop reading the controversy that is still raging between those who believe that childhood vaccines cause autism, and those who accept the overwhelming legitimate scientific evidence to the contrary. While the debate can be an engaging distraction — lurking or participating — overall, it really makes me feel kind of sad because people are fighting with each other instead of helping and supporting one another.