[LadyShea]

Testing for mitochondrial disorders is notoriously difficult in part because the field is young and misdiagnoses are common. However, identifying dysfunctional mitochondria in autism and mitochondrial disorders is an area where Autism Speaks has invested in a High Risk, High Impact grant from Autism Speaks awarded to expert clinicians and researchers investigating mitochondrial disorders at University of California at Irvine and University of California, San Diego. Through research and partnership with the UMDF (read story about our recent joint symposium), we hope to shed more light on “mitochondrial autism,” including how it is identified and how best to treat it.

Hannah Poling Court Case – Some Considerations | Autism Speaks Official Blog

One thing that has to be understood about the VCIP is that it was created in response to fears that vaccine manufacturers would abandon the vaccine business due to liability concerns (a legitimate fear) and that it designed to compensate any injury that could be attributed to vaccines, with a standard of evidence that is a legal, not a scientific standard that’s been likened to “50% and a feather.” These two points are both very important to remember when you hear vaccine opponents trumpeting the Poling case as “proof” of vaccines causing autism.

The Hannah Poling case and the rebranding of autism by antivaccinationists as a mitochondrial disorder « Science-Based Medicine

More and more, you can see the terms encephalopathy, autism, and vaccines being put together.

Not because any real link has been found, but rather because encephalopathy is covered by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).

Dravet Syndrome - An Alternative Explanation for Vaccine Encephalopathy