The Boston Globe in Crisis
Globe Reader Reactions
By: Kevin Koczwara
The New York Times Co. hasn’t closed down Boston’s largest daily newspaper, for now. The Boston Globe remains open with a certain feeling of dread. The dread comes from not knowing how long the Times Co. can keep financing a product that loses $20 million a day, and the uncertainty hung over the paper for the month of April and into May.
An open rally for readers and workers to show their support was organized at Faneuil Hall on Friday, April 24, early afternoon. The time frame allowed workers in the area to show their support. Although many would not comment on their feelings on the situation because they were skipping work, some did speak about how the loss of the paper would affect them.
“I think it would be a tremendous loss,” said Jerry Lewis, an Electrician on lunch break. “It’s a nationally recognized institution.”
The Globe’s closure would have been seen as a huge loss to the Boston community. “The Boston Globe is the leading voice of New England and if it were to go silent, we’d lose an institution that has become part of our regional identity,” said Meredith O’Brien, a columnist and author living in the MetroWest area.
“The Globe leads the charge in covering state government and holding the Commonwealth’s leaders accountable,” she said. “And, as a former reporter for the Boston Herald, I’d be tremendously saddened to see the city lose its coveted status as a two-newspaper town. Having journalistic competition keeps reporters on their toes, keeps ‘em sharp and, whatever stories one paper doesn’t have, the other likely does, a yin and yang, particularly when it comes to their editorial leanings.”
Founded in 1872, the Globe has been a staple in newsstands since the turn of the century. “Every day Globe readers wake up and learn about each other, about the places we live, what’s important to us, about the events, the institutions, the forces that affect our lives,” said Brian Mooney, Globe reporter.
Printed seven days a week, the paper has evolved over the years alongside technology. Boston.com was started in 1995, giving users and readers up-to-date information for free. The Web site brings in revenue, however minimal, from ad space. The innovations have saved the company some money as its distribution numbers have slumped over the years.
City Council President Michael Ross added his voice to the Faneuil Hall rally. Even if the paper may not always be on his side, he said, he stands by it. “Newspapers serve as a touchstone for our community, which ultimately makes our country, city and government better,” Ross said.
The rally showed its diversity in voices by bringing in Neiman Fellow and Pulitzer Prize winning reporter David Jackson of the Chicago Tribune, a Boston native. He sees the paper as a necessary piece of government.
“Every day Globe reporters comb the corridors of power and the public alleyways, and they shed light. They bring forth vested facts, and they spark the conversation on which our democracy depends,” Jackson said to the crowds.
O’Brien feels the same. “Without the Globe, I shudder to think of the number of stories that would go uncovered and the things with which the folks at the State House would be able to do knowing there aren’t many reporters keeping tabs on them,” she said.
Dan Totten, president of the Boston Newspaper Guild, sees the paper as a landmark for the Boston area. “The Boston Globe is far too important to the life of New England to ever be placed in jeopardy,” says Totten, whose Guild will need to ratify the new contact that has been negotiated between the Guild and The New York Times Co.
The 190 guaranteed jobs and more than $10 million in pay cuts have been agreed upon, now The Boston Newspaper Guild must vote ratify the new terms of their contacts at the June 8 meeting. This must surely be done or the New York Times Co. will have to close shop to one of the nations oldest and largest daily papers, and make Boston a one paper city.
The Future of Media
By: Ted Rogers
With the newspaper industry in a desperate search for a business model that
pays, many critics have begun to brainstorm what the new face of media will be.
As early as March of 1993, Michael Crichton wrote a piece for a fledgling
magazine called Wired. The article, titled “Mediasaurus“, predicted the Web
would mean a diversity of one topic news websites, artificial intelligence
systems that could find stories he was interested in, and a host of other ideas.
He also suggested newspapers, that in the far off year of 2008, would be gone
for good.
After the Globe’s month long standoff with the New York Times, the debate over
the future of the media has reached a frenzied pitch. As Crichton’s essay
prophesied, the Internet is brimming with possibilities, but not certainties.
One of the main reasons for the newspaper industries’ decline has been the
drop-off in both advertising and classifieds. Due to the rise of the internet,
advertisers have found different venues and classifieds have become free . While
touring the Boston Globe offices, long tine photographer George Rizer pointed to
a group of desks covered in old papers and unused equipment. “See those?” he
said, “Those desks used to have tons of people taking classifieds, at all times
of the day. Now, they’re gone.” Rizer went on to predict that in the next five
years, one third of all newspapers will fold.
Veterans of the newspaper industry have their own ideas for how to keep the
presses running. Jim Foudy, editor of the Daily Hampshire Gazette in
Northampton, enjoys his system for keeping the Gazette in print. “The newspapers
shot themselves in the foot by providing free content, and Craigslist has done a
number on our wanted ads and classifieds,” he said. To stay afloat, the Gazette
requires a subscription to view its web content.
The Gazette model is a rarity in the online newspaper circuit because it
requires cash to use. Foudy admits that needing a subscription probably keeps
readership from reaching its full potential This roadblock has led other editors
take a different approach. Boston.com, the site on which the Boston Globe posts
all of its material, is free for anyone who chooses to use it. Bennie DiNardo,
one of the deputy of managers of multimedia content at the Globe, has a
different philosophy. “Our business is to deliver the news, no matter what the
format,” he said. “To quote Arthur Sulzberger, head of the New York Times, we
need to be agnostic about how people get their news.”
While newspapers continue to experiment with possible business models that will
allow them to put content on the web while making a profit, other groups in the
media are trying different methods.
One development occurring in the media sphere is the rise of citizen
journalists. Often unpaid, these men and women report on issues that affect
their communities. Opinions on the future of citizen journalists are mixed.
Critics of the current media feel that citizen journalists offer news without
agendas, a fault that the mass media is often accused of having. Critics of the
current media feel that citizen journalists, like Rizer, say that amateur
journalists practice an exercise in egomania that will lead to news without
substance.
Some branches of the media are working overtime to fill in the gaps left by the
newspapers‘ decline. Cambridge Community Television, a public television station
set up in Boston, is starting to use citizen journalists for a project called
Neighbor Media, with the eventual goal of putting a journalist in every zip code
in Cambridge. Colin Rhinesmith, director of the project said, “to have residents
see people they know reporting is inspiring. Seeing them produce stories that
effect them is truly media by the people, for the people.”
CCTV may be a good place to start when looking for the new face of the media.
It presents itself as a merchant of information newsworthy to those in the local
community, users of nonprofessional talent, and is endlessly inventive. A
project using the program GoogleMaps, called MediaMap shows how the new media is
shaping up. One can zoom into a map of Boston, choose a location, and watch,
listen, or read a news story that happened the spot. Rhinesmith says that this
is an especially exciting development for those with mobile devices.
MediaMap is interesting for an additional reason. Another attempt at divining
the future of the media, titled EPIC video, predicted a hypothetical, hyperlocal
media program that used GoogleMaps. Called EPIC, it would become the ultimate
answer in media. In an interesting turn, it was predicted that this program
would be made only after the almighty New York Times folded.
Jim Foudy said, “the newspaper business is in flux, but the principles of
journalism are here to stay.” Some parts of the media are gloating at a bigger
role in making the news, other parts are doing scrambling to hold the newspaper
above the water. One suspects that when the dust finally clears in the media’s
civil war, the winner will be something both very similar -yet very different-
from the models already predicted.
Powerful words, straight from the best source!
At first I thought I wanted to write about my specific reaction to this public service announcement, but by now I think my views on this matter have been made quite clear. I completely agree with this statement by The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).
When I took “Writing for the Web” at UMass last semester, one of my projects included a podcast similar to this PSA, titled, “Autism is Not a Burden,” which eventually gained some “international” criticism. If you don’t have time to sit through the audio, the podcast sums up the positive outlook I’ve gained on autism, as well as life in general, from growing up with my brother.
This PSA is a huge step in the right direction. This is exactly what we in the autism community need, a dialogue between autistic people and those with the power to determine their futures. This advocacy group managed to take my initial thought to another level – never give up on an autistic person. They really do deserve more credit than we tend to give them.
Throughout my life, and my academic career, I have met autistic people in my age range capable of things I don’t think I ever will be. From a filmmaker , to an abstract painter, to an outspoken young mind helping others like him connect socially.
In a recent interview with Dr. Barry Prizant of Brown University, he mentioned to me that heavier, deeper communication has made things much easier on people with autism.
“Something we didn’t have for many years is people with autism telling us how they perceive the world,” he said. “We can learn from them, and what can be more valid than hearing directly from the source?”
He also stressed that just because they perceive the world differently does not alter the fact that they are still human beings with the same rights to be respected.
“People with autism are having natural human reactions to being confused and overwhelmed,” he said. “A lot of their behavior is human behavior, and if we were under the same circumstances… any of us would react that way.”
So, once again, I would like to applaud ASAN’s effort to get this message out to those who need to hear it, and I feel very proud to have a part in spreading this PSA.
Interested to see what other people are saying about this? Check out the Autism Blog for Left Brain/Right Brain.
Obama on autism
Of all the disabilities known to man, the only one that President Obama’s 24-point Agenda pays specific attention to is autism.
Under the subtopic of “Disabilities,” there is an added section dedicated to the many needs of autistic people and their families, as well as the necessity for early screenings, before a child reaches the age of two. The Obama Administration has made four specific promises to the American people.
- Both President Obama and Vice President Biden say they would support more funding for “research, treatment, screenings, public awareness and support services.”
- Specifically, they would like to improve life-long services for those living with ASD. This includes treatments, interventions, and other types of services for both children and adults.
- Obama and Biden say they will increase funding to the Combating Autism Act of 2006 by working with both the government and the autism community to improve federal and state autism programs.
- Lastly, the White House supports a universal screening process for all infants, and re-screenings for all two-year-olds – the earliest age where symptoms of autism begin to come clear.
“These screenings will be safe and secure, and available for every American that wants them,” reads the White House website. “Screening is essential so that disabilities can be identified early enough for those children and families to get the supports and services they need.”
What I would like to know is, how will these universal screenings work for infants? There’s currently no black-and-white medical test, such as a blood test, that can look for autism, and the basis of the diagnosis in the first place is the progress of one’s behavioral development. The screenings that are used now are still very new and their effectiveness is questionable during infancy. Does our President really know what type of disorder he’s dealing with?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the earliest a screening can be effective is at 9 months. The Centers also recommend further screenings at 18 months, and somewhere between 24 to 30 months.
Nonetheless, this narrow focus on autism is above and beyond the support I expected from any presidential administration. The promise of bringing the Combating Autism Act back to life puts the Bush Administration to shame.
In 2006, this act promised $1 billion in funding for autism research and development over a five-year period. The government failed to provide $200 million per year, even before the country’s economic downturn.
I would be very curious to find out if President Obama is close with anyone who is autistic… does anyone have an answer for me?
Sheila Bair speaks at UMass
By: Lucas Correia & Michael Messina
On Friday, March 27, 2009 students and faculty, as well as general residents of the Pioneer Valley, convened at the Flavin Family Auditorium at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts for a discussion with a prominent political figure. Sheila Bair, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), presented a lecture and then took questions concerning the current mortgage crisis, which has risen as a result of the U.S. economic downturn.
Bair noted that the situation the country is in right now is largely due to improper policy-making decisions and corrupt ethical behavior.
“When the temptation of quick fees up front is there, it can really strain your ethical commitment,” she told her audience. Bair noted that in order for the U.S. economy to function properly in the future, stronger policies that make economic sense need to be enforced.
Anna Carter, a resident of Amherst, said that she has been following Bair for years, and thinks she is the right person to be handling such a critical issue.
“I really liked her presentation,” she said. “It just confirms that she’s a responsible, reliable person.”
UMass students on both the graduate and undergraduate level also were strongly represented in the crowd. Many students were curious to hear what Bair, who predicted an economic crisis long before it happened, would present as a solution. Some also took advantage of the gathering as an educational experience.
“I’m an accounting major, so I know a lot about public accounting,” said UMass junior Meagan Simoneau, “but I don’t know that much about the governmental side.” Simoneau was also curious about what Bair had to say about shifting from the policies of the Bush Administration to the Obama Administration.
She also said that compensation systems nationwide need to be adjusted, and that executive management as well as traders and other institutions should be “rewarded based on long-term performance and not just short-term profit. I think if we can get that right, we can really buttress our vigilant efforts to teach, instill and inspire ethical behavior.”
Bair said she has a special place in her heart for middle class America, and stressed that anyone in her position should have compassion for people who are trying to recover from a faulty mortgage loan, because they are not completely responsible for this failure. She explained how many citizens were tricked into signing mortgages they didn’t understand but thought would be secure and affordable.
“These are people who have jobs and families,” she said, “and don’t have Ph.D.s in finance and 20 hours extra time to read through complex mortgage documents.”
Bair concluded her speech with a hopeful message to all in attendance. She said that the situation is starting to look up from her perspective, and she urged everyone to have faith in the FDIC and that she is putting all of her heart into her job.
“We’ll continue working very hard at the FDIC to protect people’s money and to have our voice in policy debates and important reform discussions going on right now.”
New England weather
By: Lucas Correia & Michael Messina
Click here for the audio slideshow!
The winter of 2009 has been one of the harshest the Pioneer Valley has seen in the past few years. Snowfall on the University of Massachusetts campus has been quite extensive, and temperatures stayed below freezing for weeks at a time. The extreme weather conditions even caused final exams in December of 2008 to be postponed, leaving many students stranded until almost Christmas Eve.
However, as time has gone on, weather conditions may finally be looking up for New Englanders. The passing of the vernal equinox on March 20 raises the question, “Has spring finally sprung?”
Recently, average temperatures have increased. However, weather patterns have been extremely scattered. Through the past few weeks, residents experienced negative sub temperatures on some days, yet were surprised to have the following days bring a temperature up to 60 degrees.
It’s tougher for students to get around on a college campus in the winter. Frigid temperatures often make it tempting for one to just stay in bed and not risk lowering their immune system and getting sick. Paths that guide students can often be slippery and muddy, making the walk to class that much more difficult. The cold also creates many wind tunnels on campus. The most infamous one can be found while walking past the 27-story Du Bois Library.
The weather always manages to work its way into regular conversations, especially in the New England area where conditions are so sporadic.
“I grew up in New England my entire life, so I’m as used to it as you can be,” said UMass senior Kelly Mahan, “But it’s pretty crazy, going from 20 degrees to 60 degrees is just ridiculous.”
The general attitude of the student body intimates that winter has worn out its welcome, and Spring, hopefully, is right around the corner. Some students can already be seen wearing flip flops and shorts.
University staff have already begun spring cleaning processes on campus, both for the convenience of students traveling to class, as well as the presentation of the University to perspective students who will soon be submitting their final decisions to the Admissions office.
As weather becomes warmer, the full seasonal colors return to the campus. The UMass campus comes back to life and motion. The first visual cue is the unfreezing of the campus pond, and the return of ducks and geese.
Frisbees can be seen coasting through the air, along with students jogging around the campus hills. Some students can even be seen sunbathing… in April! Each residential area on campus begins planning its own party, and the buzz about the University’s spring concert begins to emerge.
“Every day you wake up and you don’t know what to expect,” commented UMass junior Stephanie, “but that’s the fun of it living in Massachusetts.”
Many of these seasonal aspects of the spring semester are already visible, but unfortunately it’s still March. The average conditions over the next few weeks will indicate whether or not Spring is here to stay.
Service Dogs: How they can help your family
As I entered the Amherst home of the Glennon family on Saturday, for an interview with six-year-old Devon about his nine-year-old autistic brother Mason, I was immediately greeted by Lyla, the sweetest black lab I have ever met.
The boys’ mother, Debra, first apologized for not warning me about the dog, and then went on to explain that Lyla was Mason’s service dog, whose function is to assist a family in coping with the needs of an autistic child.
The Glennons have been training two-year-old Lyla to help with Mason’s needs ever since she was a puppy. Having her around in any situation helps to keep him safe and calm.
One of the most well-known trainers in the field, Autism Service Dogs of America (ASDA), says on their website that their dogs help enable a child to go out and socialize more by accompanying them on outings, sometimes even in school, and keep them safe from any dangerous, impulsive behavior, such as running into a busy street.
Additionally, the soft sensation of the dog’s fur helps to calm a child in the event of an emotional outburst. Overall, the dog’s presence in any setting helps the autistic child feel safe, both in a physical and emotional sense.
“She helps him calm down, and helps him not cross the road, she’ll walk him. She [also] helps him get to bed a lot,” said Devon.
He went on to explain that petting the dog puts Mason in a specific comfort zone, which allows him to gradually calm down if he is upset or hyperactive. Her presence also helps him fall asleep easily at bedtime. Through the therapy, Mason has developed a deep emotional attachment to Lyla.
Debra sees a real connection between a dog’s presence and Mason’s behavior. The family has only gone through one year without a dog around, and Debra said that particular year was the most difficult one for Mason. Debra describes the dog’s presence as “emotional regulation.”
The trend was established for me when a second family, the Mattsons of South Deerfield, arrived at the Glennons’ place to take part in my interview. Their two service dogs, Frenchy and Rizzo, accompanied the family of six. The Mattsons expressed similar, positive sentiments towards their dogs.
Overall, Debra emphasized that the well-known “unconditional love” that dogs give can sometimes be the best therapy. She described Lyla as a friend to Mason, as ”someone that loves you all the time and doesn’t care if you’re laughing silly or saying the wrong words.”
For more information on the qualifications for a service dog, please consult this link:
Multimedia and Breaking News
When it came down to reporting on the effect of yesterday’s snowstorm, the New York Times did the best job of providing the most information in one package, although they didn’t fully utilize their multimedia capabilities.
Clicking on just one link brought readers to not just a colorfully written and well thought out article, but photo slideshows and helpful links. Readers were able to find out school closings, flight cancellations and the predicted weather pattern all from accessing this page. The photo slideshow also allowed New Yorkers to get a visual of what they were in for if they did end up going outside.
Other main news outlets, namely the Boston Globe and the Washington Post, also used multimedia in their reporting of the storm, but the organization was not as pleasant as that of the New York Times.
The Post had many blog articles that gave only the updated weather conditions, and nothing else. The Post did provide a video, but it was on the main page instead of with the rest of the snow news. It did a great job of capturing what life is like on a snow day, especially in a city where snow isn’t as common as it is in New England.
The Post also had a couple of interactive features. Viewers were able to report how much snow was in their area of Washington D.C, contributing to a map marked out by people’s responses. The Post also featured a “SnowCam,” which was a visual of a ruler planted into the ground marking the snow’s depth.
The Boston Globe had many videos to offer readers along with the main article, but only one of them was an original Globe video. The rest were borrowed from New England Cable News, and even those clips could have been more informative.
I still don’t understand why the Globe would post a video of reporters making fun of a Cambridge man who got stuck in the snow with a rear wheel drive vehicle. Perhaps to emphasize that Bostonians should know better? The one video that did belong to the Globe had no narration, and was only 45 seconds long. It was a collection of snippets from locals commenting on how the snow affected their day.
Overall, the New York Times answered the most questions, even though their methods may not have been as impressive. The Globe and the Post did manage decent written content, of course, but access to their complete packages was a little shaky, and not all of the videos were necessary.
This shows just how ready the big news organizations are when it comes to reporting breaking news with multimedia. They have the skills down, it’s the convergence that needs to be worked on.
Autistic teen Tased at school, lawsuit filed
An Indiana couple filed suit on Wednesday for an incident in which their autistic son was knocked unconscious during a scuffle with a police officer. The family’s lawyer is targeting the Carmel Police Department, the officer in question and the Carmel Clay school system.
The lawsuit states that on March 11, 2008, the unnamed minor arrived late to Creekside Middle School in Carmel, IN after his mother, Dianne Bell, informed the school he would not arrive on time. Due to a miscommunication, the boy was told at the end of the day he must serve a detention for his tardiness. This, of course, led to a disruptive outburst from the student.
The student reportedly said he would call members of his gang to come after teachers at the school. It was at this point that school officials called 911.
“They know there is no gang there,” said Ronald Frazier, the Bell family’s lawyer in a statement to the Indianapolis Star, “They know he has no way of acting on what he is saying. They are taking these idle threats and calling police.”
When Officer Matthew Kinkade arrived on the scene, he reportedly grabbed the 14-year-old and forced him onto a lobby bench. When Kinkade lost control of the 5-foot-tall, 90-pound teen, he resorted to using his Taser.
He reportedly shocked the boy twice before he fell temporarily unconscious. He was then transported to a local hospital and released to his mother shortly afterwards.
According to Frazier, the school’s staff is required to follow specific procedures when dealing with a situation like this. There is currently no testimony to support that any noticeable attempt was made to calm the student down.
The Carmel Police Department has a special autism response team, but they were not deployed to answer the 911 call. School officials say they informed authorities of the boy’s condition, but the Police Department says they did not.
The Bell family is seeking damages for the boy’s medical expenses and mental distress from the incident. Frazier claims the boy reacted so violently because he was on sensory overload. The official suit claims that Officer Kinkade, who has been an officer since 2006, used “unreasonable and excessive force,” and that the Carmel Police Department was “grossly negligent” in his training.
Normally, this is the part where I would throw my own two cents into the story. But this one kind of speaks for itself, doesn’t it?
Certain vitamins can improve autistic symptoms
“How can I improve my autistic child’s quality of life?”
In the constant search of answers to the question above, parents should consider a simple method that requires no extra psychiatric or educational therapy. The Autism Society of America (ASA) has recently suggested that many natural vitamins and minerals can help autistic children improve upon vital skills.
Studies have shown that the most common vitamin to improve certain autistic symptoms is vitamin B. The beneficial effect of this vitamin is that it helps to create enzymes used by the brain.
In these studies, nearly half of the autistic participants showed improvement in eye contact, attention span and learning capabilities, as well as a decrease in behavioral issues. Cod liver oil, which is rich in vitamins A and D, has also been proven to help with eye contact and behavior.
Vitamin C has generally been known to improve certain types of brain deficiencies, including depression and confusion. A clinical trial that has yet to be replicated showed vitamin C can make autistic symptoms less severe.
So, what exactly is the link?
Some studies suggest that autistic children commonly have trouble absorbing nutrients, which leads to nutritional deficiency and a weak immune system in many cases. These natural vitamins ultimately function to boost a child’s immune system and metabolic functioning.
Other studies show the commonality that autistic children have low levels of many vitamins and minerals. These include: vitamins A, B1, B3 and B5; biotin, selenium, zinc and magnesium. These studies also show that other children on the spectrum have an unbalanced serum copper to plasma zinc ratio. The results suggest avoiding copper and taking zinc supplements. Some cases also suggest that autistic kids need more calcium.
ASA strongly suggests consulting a nutrition specialist before integrating these supplements into a child’s diet. An overdose may prove to be toxic. A medical assessment of a child’s vitamin and mineral levels can be found through a blood test. If parents do decide on this treatment, vitamins should be supplemented slowly over a period of several weeks.
Courts rule in favor of MMR vaccine
A special court ruling on Thursday denied three families compensation for the claim that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine caused autism in their children.
The judges, also known as special masters, ruled in favor of the U.S. government mainly because of the comparative testimonies of expert witnesses. The New York Times reported that special master George L. Hastings Jr. ruled the government’s witnesses were “far better qualified, far more experienced and far more persuasive.”
Furthermore, Hastings ruled that the family of Michelle Cedillo, who is severely autistic, failed to show a link between thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, and autism. The family also failed to establish a link with autism and the measles virus contained in the vaccine.
In the other two cases, special masters Denise Vowell and Patricia Campbell-Smith presided over the cases of William Y. Hazlehurst and Colten Snyder, respectively. Both Vowell and Campbell-Smith reached similar verdicts to the Cedillo case. The families’ lawyers plan to appeal the decisions, and the opposing pediatricians and government agencies have accepted the appeals.
The families sought compensation through the federal vaccine injury fund, which was established in 1988 to pay for damages inflicted on children through vaccines without the need to sue vaccine makers. The money comes from a tax put on all vaccines.
Altogether, the three judges reached their decisions based on 5,000 pages of testimony and 939 medical articles. The verdicts were reached after almost two years of litigation.
Over 5,000 similar families have filed similar claims since 1990; just one year after thimerosal was integrated into the MMR vaccine. The preservative was taken out of the vaccine in 2001.
Personally, I have always been on the fence when it comes to this issue. I can’t say that I noticed a great deal of change in Matt’s behavior after he received his MMR vaccine; mainly because I was four years old at the time and wasn’t keeping track of his doctor’s appointments. To gain a better perspective, I consulted my best expert source on autism… my mother.
She’s open to many suggestions as to causes of autism, and isn’t quick to rule anything out. She didn’t recall any specific changes in Matt’s behavior after the injection, but she knows many parents in our community in southern Massachusetts who can relate the vaccine to their autistic child.
She did, however, recall that Matt had a scary physical reaction to the vaccine. About a week after the shot, my brother became fatigued and eventually keeled over at a family barbeque on the Fourth of July, even though he was fine earlier that day.
It has been proven that in rare cases, vaccines can cause serious shock, brain inflammation and even death. These cases are mostly seen in children with allergies or weak immune systems. As of now, the law doesn’t recognize autism as a specific side effect of any vaccine.
