A special court ruled Thursday that the shots are not to blame
Read more: State, Local, National, Health, Community, Consumer, Autism, Vaccines, Morning Show, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Modern Medicine, Family
Toddler receives a vaccine.
/ FOX 21 News
PARKER, COLO. -- The debate over the link between vaccines and autism continues as a special court rules the shots are not to blame.
The special vaccine court ruled the evidence overwhelmingly contradicts claims that certain vaccine combinations can cause autism in children, citing years of science that have found no risk.
The ruling was anxiously awaited by families who alleged that vaccines are dangerous.
More than 5,000 claims were filed by families seeking compensation from the government.
Many doctors say this ruling should put parents' concerns to rest, but not all are convinced.
"Every mother's dream, he was this beautiful, happy, talkative baby and then we went in for his MMR at 20 months," Rhonda Spellman said.
Spellman said that is when something went terribly wrong. She said her son Tanner was extremely sick within two hours of his MMR.
"At the end of three days his temperature was gone, but so was his voice, so was his focus, so was so much more of him, it was like an invisible enemy had taken my son," Spellman said.
Tanner, who is now nine years old, has since been diagnosed with Asperger's Disease, a form of autism.
Spellman said she is positive his medical condition is somehow linked to the vaccines he received as a child.
"He was one child before the MMR and a different child literally two hours later," Spellman said.
She said she has done hours of research on the topic and added if she could do it all over again she would have waited until Tanner was older before she had him vaccinated.
"I am hoping other people will get educated, and take things a little bit slower because there are just so many options," Spellman said.
Rhonda Spellman is hosting a free Autism Awareness program on February 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Southeast Christian Church in Parker.
To learn more, log onto www.AutismWithRhonda.com or e-mail Rhonda Spellman at Rhonda@RhondaSpellman.com
Click on the movie camera/video icon to view the story as it aired on FOX21 News.
