Lower Vaccination Rates in Children Following an Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis

Despite overwhelming evidence showing that no link exists between vaccination and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), parental concerns and vaccination hesitancy persist.

To examine whether a diagnosis of ASD affects subsequent childhood vaccination receipt, investigators retrospectively reviewed immunization records of over 3700 children (18% girls) born between 1995 and 2010 who received a diagnosis of ASD by age 5 years and a matched group of nearly 600,000 children without ASD (42% girls). Immunization records of younger siblings of both groups were also reviewed.

Children with ASD were significantly less likely to have received all vaccinations recommended at between ages 4 and 6 years (DTaP, IPV, MMR, VZV) compared with controls (82% vs. 94…