Our Autism Story: My Son Stopped Speaking After the Measles Vaccine

By Leann Leedom

Editor’s note: In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, we invited members of the CHD community to submit their personal stories about autism, and how it has affected them and their families.

Ryder started out as a happy, healthy, sweet little boy. He hit every milestone on time, if not early.

When he was born, his dad and I had a bad gut feeling about vaccines. We chose not to do any, despite the mounting pressure from the nurses.

We were later pressured by my husband’s mom to vaccinate him at 1 year and 2 months for the measles vaccine.

There was an outbreak at Disneyland, and the fearmongering from the news seemed relentless.

My mother-in-law and her husband watched my son while I was at work a couple days a week. Upon dropping him off and picking him up, they would constantly hound me and call me a bad parent.

They would tell me he was going to die if I didn’t get him the measles vaccine. I tried my best to show them research linking autism and shots.

They told me the doctors I referenced were liars and vaccines were safe. I felt alone in this battle as my husband was not around during the interactions.

I had an opportunity to lie to them and say I got the shot. My integrity was too strong. Unfortunately, I succumbed to the pressure and thought maybe it was going to be ok.

I had an older son from a prior marriage who was vaccinated not on schedule and at an older age. He had ADHD. I did not think the ADHD was from the vaccines at that point in time.

Reluctantly, I made the appointment with our pediatrician’s office. Our regular doctor was not available. We met up with a doctor I barely knew.

Upon arrival, I asked him if there is any way autism could be caused by vaccines. He said, “No, there is no connection. They are safe and effective.”

He never explained potential side effects or what to look for if I thought my son had a vaccine reaction.

I still remember the way my sweet little boy looked at me as they stuck that needle in his leg. It used to haunt my dreams for many years. He felt betrayed.

Right after the shot, he had a high fever. It didn’t go away for seven days and was accompanied by a rash all over his limbs.

I called the doctor’s office and they told me this was normal. Nothing felt normal about this. He started to cry intermittently, a shrill cry. That week, he started to bang his head against the wall, his fist, the ground. Anything hard.

To our horror, he stopped speaking. Slowly all the words he gained disappeared. His eye contact also stopped. He became removed. Always wanting to watch TV. Constantly, he was crying.

I took him to the doctor dozens of times in the six months that followed the vaccine. He kept falling down even though he had learned how to walk so well so early.

They diagnosed him with ear infections. He was prescribed antibiotics that only seemed to make his behavior worse.

He became a picky eater, even though he used to eat all kinds of fruits and veggies. He only wanted fried food and craved junk foods.

He had dental issues and needed to be sedated about 1 year after this severe vaccine reaction. I do not believe the anesthesia helped him. Behaviors worsened after the procedure.

I felt so lost in all of this.

One night I was watching him in his crib, thinking he was asleep. I was sobbing, feeling like I betrayed him. Knowing I went against all my mommy instincts. He looked up at me and in the soft blue night light, he stared directly into my eyes. He took his little chubby fists and banged them against his head and said “bad, bad.”

I could tell he could feel my thoughts, and he was telling me all that happened was bad for his brain. I was so heartbroken. My husband blamed me for the injury and told me it was my fault since I took him to the doctor.

There was a falling out with his family for a time. My son started to receive speech services by the time he was 3-and-a-half. We had the most amazing speech therapist named Cheri who purchased Star Wars toys out of her own pocket just to inspire him to speak.

We found a DAN (Defeat Autism Now) doctor who did testing for us. Ryder was off the chart with aluminum and had high copper. He was mineral deficient. We had tested positive for black mold. We found the source in the bathroom walls and did a remodel.

We struggled starting school. First week of kindergarten, he bit his teacher and came home with blood under his nails. No one at the school could tell me whose blood it was. Zero accountability in a 1-to-2 ratio classroom. That was enough for me to pull him out and homeschool him.

We’ve gained speech, occupational and physical therapy services along with a private tutor we see biweekly. Ryder has a great team, but he has a lot of self-injurious behavior. He bites his own wrist when he is upset. It is heartbreaking to watch him struggle.

I stay with him nearly all hours of every day. I am fortunate enough to work for IHSS, which pays me a living wage to stay home with Ryder.

If I were unable to care for him, he would be in a state-run home that would be more costly than my wages. Every day is like a roller coaster. I want his life to be given back to him. I want him to heal, to speak, to find true love one day.

I wish I had been told the truth! The lack of accountability in the healthcare here in America is tragic.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Children’s Health Defense.

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