Some parents remain convinced of a direct connection between autism and immunization shots.

March 5, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Debbie Maust VIVIDLY recalls a car trip to South Carolina when her 18-month-old son, Collin, spent much of the time screaming and couldn’t be consoled.

It wasn’t long afterward that he started spinning bowls for hours and developed an aversion to eye contact and being held, symptoms common in autism spectrum disorders.

“He was diagnosed [with autism] at age 2 and had seizures at the same time,” the Canfield woman said recently at The Rich Center for Autism on the Youngstown State University campus, where her son is enrolled.

Maust is convinced that many problems that began for Collin, now 14, are attributable to an accumulation of mercury and other metals in his body as a result of immunization shots he received.

Collin, who still suffers occasional seizures and remains nonverbal, also has a mitochondrial disorder, a dysfunction in basic cell metabolism. Symptoms include muscle weakness, diabetes and developmental delays.

Candace Jackson’s 4-year-old son, Jonathan, became chronically ill when he was just over 6 months old. Before that, he was often receiving two or three routine vaccinations at a time. Up to 7 months old, he had been given a total of between six and eight vaccines as part of his schedule, noted Jackson, of Girard.

For a while, Jackson never made a connection between the frequency and amount of her son’s vaccines and his illnesses, which she said lasted several months. Now, however, she is convinced the high quantity of vaccines compromised his immune system.

Later, Jonathan started to smile and develop some social skills, then “he went blank and had no affect,” she recalled.

“It was like someone stole my child,” Jackson said, adding that she feels the vaccine schedule is partly responsible.

Jackson and Maust made their comments recently amid the growing controversy over whether children’s vaccines can lead to autism. Some parents have delayed or refused to give their children the measles-mumps-rubella and other shots in fear that they do.

Last month, the U.S. Court of Claims, a special federal court, ruled that there is no merit to the theory, though the ruling won’t likely mollify a small but vocal movement of anti-vaccine parents who contend there is a direct connection.

Maust, Jackson and a few other parents and professionals at The Rich Center take a middle-of-the-road view, saying they’re not against vaccines, but think the number of shots should be limited per doctor‘s visit, and that ingredients should be held to tighter scrutiny. They advocate a schedule in which the distribution of immunizations to prevent diphtheria, influenza, hepatitis and other ailments is more spread out in youngsters under age 5.

Annmarie Brogan of Poland thought her 3-year-old son, Colin, was deaf when he suddenly quit responding to his name. At 14 months, the Rich Center pupil lost his speech, then rolled and stared at objects for hours, a trait common in autism. Brogan cites thimerosal, a preservative in some flu shots, as a culprit.

“Colin had no genetic factors predisposing him to autism,” she noted. “We found his immune system was attacking itself due to the vaccine quantity. It was too many too soon.”

Brogan added that she wants to see more research done on the effects of all vaccines when taken simultaneously.

At age 2, Este Tucker’s son Nathan and his fraternal twin brother both received the mumps-measles-rubella shots, yet Nathan started having difficulty listening to his preschool teacher and other problems. He was probably affected by certain toxins in vaccines he was given, she said.

Tucker, also of Poland, said Nathan, now 6, is in a typical school, but advised parents to be vigilant.

“If you think something is wrong with your child, do research and talk to other parents,” she urged.

Concurring with the parents is Sheila Blank, a nurse at the center who said youngsters “do need immunizations, but [also] need a sensible schedule.” The body should have more time to better excrete heavy metals in some shots, she noted.

J. Georgia Backus, the Rich Center’s director, said she’s seeing a greater number of autism diagnoses being accompanied by bipolar, obsessive compulsive and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders in children. Revamping the schedule could lead to a decrease in the severity and/or incidence of autism, she noted.

“It’s an indictment not against the shot or vaccine, but maybe against the protocol,” Backus said. She added that parents can be hopeful in part because many more doctors today are trained to notice certain red flags sooner.

When an autism diagnosis is made with these and other underlying disorders, it’s also important to work with pediatricians and psychiatrists, she said. Several of the parents urged other parents to learn the ingredients in vaccines and their possible side effects, then decide if a given shot is good for their children.