Bucks County Unit 22. I'll never forget that name. This was the Bucks County, PA Early Intervention unit that first saw my Mia, now 30. I wept with gratitude at our initial IFSP meeting. I'm still sitting in "I" meetings, 28 years later. In 1997, I knew nothing about vaccine safety or side effects. It never crossed my mind. Seems almost a third of Pennsylvanians are well ahead of where I was with my first child, and that's a good thing. Kim

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By Anne Dachel

More Pennsylvanians believe in link between autism and vaccines: Study

Almost one in three

There was a surprising bit of news out of Pennsylvania this week. It seems that the general population isn’t buying the claim of no link between vaccines and a child developing autism.

About under 1 in 3 agreeing either strongly or partially agreeing that the chances of a child getting autism are increased if they receive the recommended childhood immunizations.

Almost one in three Pennsylvanians believe there is a link between childhood immunizations and autism, according to a new statewide survey.

Respondents may not be overwhelming behind Robert Kennedy, Jr, as the poll indicates, but a large percentage don’t believe the decades of denial from mainstream medicine and federal health officials.

April 24, 2025, Scranton Times-Tribune: Poll: More Pa. residents see link between autism and vaccines, support marijuana legalization

A growing share of Pennsylvanians believe that the recommended childhood immunizations increase a child’s chance of developing autism, Muhlenberg College’s 2025 Pennsylvania Health Poll shows.

Muhlenberg’s recent report shows the results of the college’s recent telephone survey of 521 adult Pennsylvanians. The survey let respondents voice their opinions on issues such as health care quality, belief in the link between childhood immunizations and autism, trust in Robert F. Kennedy Jr., legalization of marijuana, mental health and sources of stress.

The survey results for 2025 showed a notable gain in the percentage of Pennsylvanians who believe there is a link between childhood immunizations and autism, with about under 1 in 3 agreeing either strongly or partially agreeing that the chances of a child getting autism are increased if they receive the recommended childhood immunizations. However, more than half said they disagreed with the statement. The overwhelming body of scientific research shows that there is no causal or correlative link between vaccines and autism. . . .

April 23, 2025, Lehigh Valley News: More Pennsylvanians believe in link between autism and vaccines, new study finds

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Almost one in three Pennsylvanians believe there is a link between childhood immunizations and autism, according to a new statewide survey.

Thirty-one percent agree “strongly” or “somewhat” in the unproven link that the chances of getting autism are increased if they receive the recommended childhood vaccines — the highest level in the 13 years the survey has been conducted. . . .

The telephone survey of 521 adult Pennsylvanians between March 10 and March 26 has a margin of error of 5.5%. . . .

Fewer than 4 in 10 Pennsylvanians (36%) expressed trust (“a lot” or “some”) in Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to handle health care issues as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, said earlier this month the department will undertake a “massive testing and research effort” to determine the cause of autism.

Political party plays a role in shaping viewpoints on the relative safety of immunizations, with Republicans nearly twice as likely (41% to 21%) as Democrats to agree “strongly” or “somewhat” that the chances of a child getting autism are increased if they receive the recommended childhood immunizations. . . .

The very fact that they asked the question means that the controversy is alive and well. Maybe it’s the “relentless” increases in the autism rate that never show signs of leveling off; maybe it’s the moronic claim that every single increase is never a real increase. Whatever it is, the public hasn’t been lulled into thinking that autism is something to celebrate as just neurodiversity, despite the pageantry of April, Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month.

Then there’s the future

Three years ago, a pediatrician predicted that there will be a million young adults with autism in the U.S. aging out of school over the next decade.

June 4, 2022, Reading (PA) Eagle: How can parents help teens on autism spectrum transition to adulthood?

Over the next decade, an estimated 707,000 to 1,116,000 teens will enter adulthood and age out of school-based autism services. And they will need ongoing medical care and support in their daily lives.

During his press conference on April 16^th Robert Kennedy talked about what this population of disabled adults will cost taxpayers.

There’s a recent study by Blaxill et al. and a team of other researchers that said that the cost of treating autism in this country by 2035, so within 10 years, will be a trillion dollars a year. This is added to already astronomical healthcare costs, and then there is an individual injury.

The clock is ticking for all those who are adamant that we’ve always had autism at whatever the current rate is in America.

Note that the autism rate comes from studies of eight year olds, not eighty year olds, and when we’re all paying for the cost of lifetime care and support, we’ll be desperate to stop the epidemic.

More and more autism isn’t something to celebrate as “greater awareness.” It’s an existential threat to our country.

Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism.