A Statement from Thoughtful House Center for Children August 31, 2009
NBC aired a special Dateline, “A Dose of Controversy,” on Sunday, August 30, 2009. All of us
at Thoughtful House would like to thank NBC, Matt Lauer, Ami Schmitz, and the staff at
Dateline for their hard work in relating a complicated story.
Autism is a challenging disorder that has long been ignored and misunderstood for too
long. Issues of causation and treatment are rarely discussed in depth for fear people won’t
understand or pay attention long enough to learn something. This broadcast was the first
time a network has taken the time to address some of these difficult questions, and
attempted to deal with complex answers; answers that can be impossible to put into sound
bites or easy black-and-white comments.
Dr. Bernadine Healy, former head of the National Institutes of Health and current member
of the Institute of Medicine, provided an informed perspective by calling for more research
to answer these questions. NBC features more of her interview, with great advice for
parents, on their website (a link is provided on the Thoughtful House website.
We are aware of the time limitations in a news broadcast of this nature; inevitably, crucial
questions go unanswered and important facts are omitted. Quick answers and segues leave
questions open, and can even lead to misunderstanding.
Among the most crucial incorrect statements were that “(experts) have taken this study
and blown it to bits…that despite studies showing otherwise…Dr. Wakefield insists autism
and bowel disease are linked…” This is in fact not the case, and NBC was given the correct
information in great detail. Five separate studies in five countries have confirmed the
presence of a novel bowel disease in children with autism. Additional publications
confirming these findings are in process. This hypothesis was the crux of the 1998 Lancet
paper, as well as several subsequent publications by Dr. Wakefield.
Additionally, the Danish and Finnish studies that were referred to, with NBC stating that
“much larger studies showed absolutely no link [to MMR]” were presented as if they had
not garnered their own share of criticism and debate. In fact, these studies have been
reviewed by other scientists in depth and found to be lacking. And as Dr. Healy points out,
the number of children involved in these studies might not have been substantial enough to
answer the question of a possible link.
Dr. Paul Offit (a frequent media spokesperson for the current vaccine schedule and
champion of stopping research into vaccine safety and autism) was asked a relevant
question about his conflict of interests. While finally acknowledging he has made millions
and millions from the development of vaccinations, what Dr. Offit failed to disclose in his
answer is that he has been a consultant for the pharmaceutical giant Merck, a manufacturer
of the MMR vaccine. While serving as a consultant is not unusual or wrong, his failure to
disclose this when answering a question about potential conflicts of interest is misleading
in the extreme. He is actually guilty of the very thing that Dr. Wakefield has been accused
of. (Note that Dr. Wakefield provided NBC with numerous documents proving he was
innocent of this charge, and that he had declared any possible conflict of interest in a timely
manner throughout the course of his career.) We certainly do not condone any threats or
attacks against anyone, including Dr. Offit (we have been on the receiving end of these
threats and accusations ourselves); however, we urge Dr. Offit to be prompt and thorough
in disclosing his motives and conflicts.
As for Brian Deer, much has been written and said about his crusade against Dr. Wakefield.
His lies, conflation of facts, and distortions of truth are documented and will continue to be
revealed as more facts emerge. The biggest omission in the broadcast concerning Mr. Deer
is the clear evidence that the entire General Medical Council investigation is based on a
complaint he filed himself. A reporter creating the news is a story in itself, and one that will
continue to be discussed as the GMC and the Press Complaints Commission in the UK
review the facts at hand.
While we sympathize with pediatricians who must answer more questions from better-
informed parents, we disagree with Mr. Lauer’s assessment that it is the pediatricians who
“are dealing with the collateral damage.” We see mountains of collateral damage every day
in our waiting rooms, our community, and our homes. Thoughtful House will not stop until
we have the answers needed to help those who are already affected and are armed with the
science to stop even one more child from facing the difficulties and pain that autism can
present.
As Dr. Wakefield said in his NBC interview, the work of the many who work with
Thoughtful House, through clinical practices and research, will continue. As the health and
lives of children continue to improve and the research into causation and best courses of
treatment moves forward, we remain committed to follow our mission of fighting for the
recovery of children with autism and developmental disorders.
We hope this broadcast will open a productive dialogue on the challenges of autism and the
treatment that will help them reach their fullest potential. The issue of vaccine safety must
become a priority for those who have been tasked with protecting our children. We hope
that science will prevail over profit and policy and that this research will be supported in
order to answer these questions once and for all. All children deserve nothing less.
Anissa Ryland
Director of Operations
Thoughtful House Center for Children
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