Recommended Reading
How did we get to a place where vaccines are viewed with horror rather than as life-saving medicine? The answer is rooted in one of the most powerful and disturbing citizen activist movements in our nation’s history—a movement that, despite recent epidemics and deaths, continues to grow. Deadly Choices is the story of anti-vaccine activity in America—its origins, leaders, influences, and impact—and is a powerful defense of science in the face of fear. Proceeds from the sale "Deadly Choices" will support the Autism Science Foundation.
Despite the lack of corroborating evidence, the myth that vaccines somehow cause developmental disorders lives. It has been popularized by media personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Jenny McCarthy and legitimized by journalists who claim that they are just being fair to “both sides” of an issue about which there is little debate. Meanwhile millions of dollars have been diverted from potential breakthroughs in autism research, families have spent their savings on ineffective “miracle cures,” and declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks of deadly illnesses like Hib, measles, and whooping cough. Most tragic of all is the increasing number of children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.
In The Panic Virus Seth Mnookin draws on interviews with parents, public-health advocates, scientists, and anti-vaccine activists to tackle a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is? The fascinating answer helps explain everything from the persistence of conspiracy theories about 9/11 to the appeal of talk-show hosts who demand that President Obama “prove” he was born in America.
Paul Offit, a national expert on vaccines, challenges the modern day false prophets who have so egregiously misled the public with untested and potentially harmful "treatments" for autism. Instead of helping, these therapies can hurt those who are most vulnerable. Offit also exposes the opportunism of the lawyers, journalists, celebrities and politicians who perpetuate this exploitation. This book is a must read for anyone who cares about a child with autism.
Proceeds from the sale "Autism's False Prophets" support the Autism Science Foundation.
Published in August 2009, this new book is a tremendous asset for families and practitioners who want to keep up with the latest developments in autism research, treatment and education. The book is full of great practical ideas about how research can be translated into clinical practice. The issues are presented in all of their complexity but translated into language that is clear, direct, and easy to follow. The format also lends itself to understanding the complex issues and their implications through excellent charts, question and answer sections, and chapters that vary from describing diagnostic issues to stating very specifically how to expand and evaluate the services a family is receiving. There are also very comprehensive reference and resource lists.
An unsparing memoir of the author's life growing up with his severely autistic brother. Greenfeld writes beautifully about living in his brother's shadow, revealing the complex mix of rage, confusion and love that defined his childhood. Haunting, tragic and unforgettable, this chronicle of autism from the sixties to the present day is wholly original and completely memorable.