The MMR-Vaccination & Autism Controversy

The first 200 words of this essay...

The MMR-Vaccination & Autism Controversy

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

Autism is a neuropsychiatric disorder that was first described in 1943 by Kanner. This disorder is characterised by early signs of impairments in socialisation and communication (refer to appendix 1.0). However, no two autistic cases are the same. It is generally found that symptoms occur along a spectrum which includes children and adults across the range of severity and intellectual ability, from severely impaired to high-functioning. Consequently, the term Autistic Spectrum Disorders (hereafter known as ASD) has been employed in an attempt to describe the diversity of the condition. Onset is seen generally before the age of 3 years old (Volkmar & Pauls, 2003). Having said this, due to the nature of the condition, diagnoses may not be made up until five years in severe cases of the spectrum or up until adulthood in mild cases. There have been many claims of cures and successes at various symptoms have been made with treatment options, however, the disorder is a life-long disability requiring substantial amounts of care, affection and attention as part of continual maintenance. According to the National Autistic Society, there are currently 500,000 families affected