Autism, Vaccines, and the Return of Discredited Science
Why We Must Speak Out Against the McCullough Report
Every few years, someone tries to resurrect the ghost of a myth that should have stayed buried:
The claim that vaccines cause autism.
This time, it’s dressed in new clothes, the McCullough Foundation Report (2025), a document authored by prominent figures in the American anti-vaccine movement, including Peter McCullough and Andrew Wakefield. Both lost their medical licences for serious professional misconduct and data fabrication. Yet, here they are again, re-entering the public arena with political backing and a veneer of scientific legitimacy.
Behind the polished language lies an agenda: to pathologise autism, to frame Autistic people as damaged, and to exploit parental fear for ideological and financial gain. The document misuses correlation, cherry-picks data, and relies on unverified anecdotes from vaccine-denialist sources such as Children’s Health Defense. It’s not science. It’s storytelling masquerading as evidence.
The truth is simple and unwavering:
Vaccines do not cause autism. Autism is a natural part of human diversity, not a tragedy, not an injury, and not something to prevent.
DGH Neurodivergent Consultancy and Autistic Inclusive Meets have released a joint formal statement critically analysing the report’s scientific and ethical failures. We invite you to read it, share it widely, and add your name in solidarity. Every signature helps reclaim our narrative from those who weaponise pseudoscience against us.
📄 Read the full statement:
Formal Statement Against the McCullough Foundation Report (PDF)
✍️ Sign in support:
When misinformation thrives, it harms everyone; especially the communities it claims to protect. Truth needs voices, not silence. Stand with us.