Where are the Autistic Amish?


This is an interesting article written several years ago by UPI investigative journalist Dan Olmsted. It asks “Where are the autistic Amish?”

After the article was published, back when more reporters were covering the scientific links between vaccines and autism, I asked an official from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) about the supposed lack of autism in the unvaccinated Amish. She said that there could be many other reasons besides the community’s aversion to vaccines. For example, “They don’t use electricity, right?” she told me. In other words, she seemed to put lack of electricity on equal footing with lack of vaccinations when it comes to what could be responsible for the apparent lower than average autism rate in the unvaccinated Amish.

The obvious difference is there are many scientific studies supporting a link between vaccines and autism–often unreported, under-reported or dismissed by pharmaceutical interests and vaccine activists who have long fought a PR campaign to falsely portray the studies and researchers as “anti-vaccine.”

I told the CDC official that it would seem that a survey of the unvaccinated population could be a good first step in further dispelling or further confirming the possibility of a vaccine tie to autism. The CDC official acknowledged to me that the information would be worthwhile. I asked whether CDC would attempt such a survey.

Such a survey wouldn’t necessarily cost a penny because the CDC already conducts regular telephone and mail surveys to monitor childhood immunization coverage. It could just add a question: has your child been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder?

While not necessarily conclusive, if the incidence of autism, Attention Deficit Disorder and other related disorders is roughly the same in the unvaccinated population as in the fully vaccinated, it might steer attention and research in a different direction. That would serve the interests of those who wish to debunk a vaccine-autism link.

But what if the incidence of autism and related disorders is markedly lower or higher in the unvaccinated population? That could be grounds for serious further study.

The CDC official answered my question as to whether it would attempt a survey by saying that it was something that “somebody” should do.

“Why not the CDC?” I asked. “And, if not, then will the CDC encourage such a study?”

“Somebody should do it,” she said again, noncommittally.

To date, hasn’t been done. Or if it has, the CDC hasn’t publicized the results.

The former head of the National Institutes of Health and member of the Institute of Medicine, Dr. Bernadine Healy, suggested that federal officials don’t want to do such studies. In an interview with me several years ago, she said that many of her colleagues had been too quick to dismiss evidence of the vaccine-autism link because they were “afraid” of where it might lead and how it would impact vaccination rates globally.

Incidentally, after UPI’s Olmsted embarked upon the report on the Amish and other news regarding the question of vaccines and autism, he was — like many of us — targeted by the pharmaceutical vaccine activists who attempt to squelch any such discussion.  Dr. Healy, pro-vaccine and an esteemed medical ethicist, likewise became their target.

Meantime, the government was secretly conceding and paying cases of vaccine-injured children who ended up with autism and had their cases heard in federal vaccine court.

In Olmsted’s case, the pharmaceutical vaccine activists put their well-funded efforts behind disparaging him and the Amish article, falsely claiming that a vaccine-autism link has been “debunked.” One result of their efforts can be seen in the skewed editing of Olmsted’s Wikipedia biography. It’s worth reading so that you can begin to recognize the wording and hallmarks of vaccine activist propaganda in blogs, articles, ads, on the news and in social media.

Olmsted went on to found a blog called Age of Autism that, unlike much of the media, remains independent of pharmaceutical advertisers/vaccine makers and is dedicated to exposing information about vaccines and autism.

Do your own research. Consult those you trust. Think for yourself. Make up your own mind.


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9 thoughts on “Where are the Autistic Amish?”

  1. There is another factor as well, that must be considered, that of FAITH, in God /Jesus, Good teachings through the holy one’s through belief, that created morals and ethics in the first place. And studies have been done, and have proved the state of the mind, can and does affect health. So do not leave out the ‘All’ factors, where all circumstances and conditions can exist…

  2. I live in a community with a large population of Amish. We are an hour and a half northwest of Lancaster Pa. If you do the study…..and I think you will find it difficult to obtain the Amish cooperation…..don’t forget a few very important factors that will certainly have an effect on your results. I just finished reading another article about their low incident of cancer. Part of the article reads …..Naturalnews.com reports:

    Most Amish people do not smoke or drink and they are typically not sexually promiscuous, leading researchers to believe that these lifestyle factors play an important role in the limited number of cancer cases.

    Other factors examined include the high amount of physical labor undertaken by the Amish. Most Amish people work in farming, construction, and other production jobs that require intense physical activity that keeps them healthy and in shape. While the rest of America sits in fluorescent-lit cubicles all day, the Amish work hard to produce crops, build furniture and structures, and produce useful goods, which researchers recognize contributes to their excellent health.

    Another important factor not specifically examined in the study is the fact that the Amish grow and raise all their own food. They employ time-tested, organic methods that provide them with healthy fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, and other untainted foods that most Americans never get. Rich in living enzymes, vitamins, and nutrients Amish food is grown and raised the way it should be, resulting in improved health.

    While some may ridicule their secluded lifestyle, the Amish commitment to simple, productive lives and clean, local food is benefiting their health in ways that the rest of America can only dream about. When compared to a life of sitting in office buildings all day, eating processed and genetically-modified junk food, and popping prescription medications, it becomes clear which lifestyle is truly deserving of contempt.

    Their very lifestyle sets them apart. I’ve worked place where I’ve had Amish as employees and I’ve also worked for them. This article holds a lot of truth. They eat differently then all of us. Their diet appears to be loaded with carbs and fat but they all work in some vocation that uses physical labor. They also spend a lot of time out side. The children play. My childhood was not much different from theirs today. I grew up without a TV. We didn’t have inside plumbing until I was 13. We had a wood fired stove that heated the house and was used for cooking…..year round. I read or played out side or tended our animals. I lived outside. I am 58 years old now. I am in better shape then when I was 30. I’ve only known of one Amishman who had cancer. Their lifestyle has to be considered when doing these types of study. They eat mostly what they raise. They do shop in grocery store like we do but they buy far less processed items. Don’t ignore this. They are wonderful, giving people. I’m a better person for knowing them.
    Good luck.

  3. Rest assured judgement day will come for those who knowingly encouraged vaccination or who remained silent while knowing. No stone shall remain unturned.

  4. Great article! Hard work, organic food and good clean living is a wonderful blueprint for life, including a healthy faith in God.

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