We don’t know what causes ADHD in most cases, although it is strongly suspected to be genetic, but that leaves the door wide open for some people to blame whatever they want.
And you know what that means…
That’s right.
You shouldn’t be surprised that some folks wonder if vaccines can cause kids to develop ADHD, especially since they may have believed the false connection between vaccines and autism for so long.
We know vaccines and autism aren’t linked though.
What about ADHD?
Do Vaccines Cause ADHD?
No. Studies have shown that vaccines do not cause ADHD.
Researchers have looked at children:
- who got vaccines with thimerosal
- who got vaccines on time vs a non-standard, parent-selected, delayed protection vaccine schedule
- who got newly adjuvated vaccines
And they have found that vaccines do not cause ADHD.
“The committee’s efforts to identify priorities for recommended research studies did not reveal a base of evidence suggesting that the childhood immunization schedule is linked to autoimmune diseases, asthma, hypersensitivity, seizures or epilepsy, child developmental disorders, learning disorders or developmental disorders, or attention deficit or disruptive behavior disorders.”
Institute of Medicine on The Childhood Immunization Schedule and Safety: Stakeholder Concerns, Scientific Evidence, and Future Studies (2013)
Remember, ADHD is thought to be largely genetic, and often runs in families.
It is not caused by vaccines.
Why Do People Think Vaccines Cause ADHD?
Like other anti-vaccine misinformation, some people likely still think that vaccines cause ADHD, despite all of the evidence that says it doesn’t, because they read it on the Internet.
“ADHD is basically just the mildest form of symptomatology that is found on the autism spectrum.”
An Internet article describing what they call Vaccine-Induced ADHD
Mark and David Geier even get studies published blaming vaccines with thimerosal for ADHD and other disorders.
But just like studies from the Geiers about autism, it doesn’t mean that vaccines cause ADHD.
What To Know About Vaccines and ADHD
Vaccines do not cause ADHD.
More About Vaccines and ADHD
- AAP – Causes of ADHD: What We Know Today
- Vaccines and ADD/ADHD
- The ADHD Controversy
- The ADHD Genetic Research Study at the National Institutes of Health and The National Human Genome Research Institute
- CDC Study: “Infant and Environmental Exposures to Thimerosal and Neuropsychological Outcomes at Ages 7 to 10 Years”
- Study – Thimerosal exposure in infants and developmental disorders: A retrospective cohort study in the United Kingdom does not support a causal association
- Study – On-time vaccine receipt in the first year does not adversely affect neuropsychological outcomes
- Study – Safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines: a two-phased study of computerized health maintenance organization databases.
- Study – A systematic review and meta-analysis on the safety of newly adjuvanted vaccines among children.
- Study – Changing attitudes to childhood immunisation in English parents
- Study – “All manner of ills”: The features of serious diseases attributed to vaccination
- Study – Rethinking environmental contributions to child and adolescent psychopathology: a meta-analysis of shared environmental influences.