Antivaxxer Faces Murder Charges

 In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the myth that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.    Examples include measles, COVID, flu, and polio.  A top antivaxxer is HHS Secretary RFK Jr. He is part of the "Disinformation Dozen." He helped cause a deadly 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa.

Liam Quinn at People:

An Idaho mother was charged with the murders of her 18-month-old twins more than a year after suggesting their deaths were the result of vaccinations.

Andrea Shaw was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder on Monday, June 29, the Payette Police Department said in a press release.

Previously, Payette police said the 18-month-old twins were found dead in a shared bed on May 1, 2025. Authorities did not reveal a cause of death.

Days after the two children, a boy and a girl, were found dead, Shaw and her husband appeared on a podcast produced by Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization formerly led by current U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

On the podcast, Shaw suggested that the twins got sick and died shortly after they received three vaccinations.\

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Multiple large-scale studies have found that vaccines are safe. There is no scientific link between vaccines and autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Katie Francis at The Daily Beast:

Children’s Health Defense was formerly led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and teamed with Shaw in a lawsuit against the American Academy of Pediatrics for “defrauding” families about the safety of vaccines.

In the lawsuit, it claims that the young boy and girl died “eight days after receiving their 18-month vaccines.”

It continues: “On April 23, 2025, both twins were administered hepatitis A, influenza, and DTaP vaccines at their pediatrician’s office in Payette, Idaho. Prior to vaccination, Mrs. Shaw and her mother-in-law warned the pediatrician about a family history of adverse reactions to the flu vaccine on the father’s side.

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Despite Shaw’s strong anti-vaccine statements in connection with her childrens’ deaths, KDTV has stated that the indictment against her alleges suffocation.

Pocatello Police Shoot Autistic Teen

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss interactions between police and autistic people.  When cops encounter autistic people, they may not respond in the same way as NT people, and things can get out of hand. Among other things, they may misinterpret autistic behavior as aggressive or defiant. Training could help.

Christopher Cann at USA Today:

A community in southeastern Idaho is demanding answers after police officers shot a disabled teenager from behind a chain-link fence seconds after they responded to his house and he approached them with a knife.

The teen, 17-year-old Victor Perez, who is autistic and has cerebral palsy, was shot nine times, his family told local news outlets. As of Tuesday, he remained in the hospital in critical condition and one of his legs was amputated.

The incident occurred Saturday evening in the city of Pocatello, where police responded to a 911 call reporting a physical disturbance involving a person with a knife and three other people. Within 20 seconds of officers' arrival, police shot Perez in the backyard of his home.

Video of the incident quickly circulated online and sparked outrage, with family members and neighbors questioning why police did not do more to de-escalate the situation or use non-lethal weapons. Perez's family members said he was in the midst of a behavioral episode, but that they can always get him under control when he's agitated.

 

Puzzle Piece in Idaho

In The Politics of Autism, I write that everything about autism is controversial

Autism is “political” in a broader sense. Political conflict involves ideas and arguments for which the information is often murky, incomplete, interpretive, and open to manipulation. Just about everything concerning autism is subject to dispute. What is it? What causes it? How many different kinds of it are there? Who has it? What can we do about it? Is it even the right problem to be thinking about?

Even the graphic art is cause for argument.

Haadiya Tariq at The Idaho Press:

Following criticism for its autism awareness police cruiser, the Caldwell Police Department pulled its car from last Saturday’s Treasure Valley Night Light Parade and is reevaluating its design.

The police department originally planned to lead the parade through downtown Caldwell with a specially wrapped car to raise awareness for autism. Plans changed after negative reception from users online.

While the car’s design wasn’t formally launched, the police cruiser had been on the streets, with some residents spotting the car adorned with a controversial symbol.

“Please tell me it doesn’t use the puzzle pieces,” Jessica Peregoy Vachon commented on Facebook, referring to a puzzle piece symbolizing autism.

Other users confirmed that, after seeing the car around town, it did.

The autism puzzle piece symbol has come under scrutiny in the past few years, Autism Society of Idaho Executive Director Tiffany Klauba explained.

Klauba attributed the negative reputation of the puzzle piece symbol to a poorly done national campaign from several years ago. In the campaign, the puzzle piece was shown as the “missing piece” that autistic people didn’t have.

“They didn’t intend on offending people, but they did, saying that basically, the puzzle piece represents autism because there’s a missing piece,” Klauba said. “That, in order to find a cure for autism, you have to find a piece to make that person whole. However, that was never the intention for the puzzle piece.”

Program for Autistic Students at the University of Idaho

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the growing number of college students on the spectrum. Some colleges and universities have programs to assist them.

At the Moscow-Pulman Daily News, Lex Van Horn reports on a program for autistic students at the University of Idaho:

Raven Scholars Project supports students as they transition from the distractions of typical high-school classrooms to learning in a more supportive setting.

“There is that place where I can go and everybody knows I’m on the autism spectrum,” Program Coordinator Leslie Gwartney said. “I don’t have to explain myself. I don’t have to worry about if I’m stimming (self-stimulation behavior) or if I’m having a bad day or if I want to talk about my special interest. People are going to understand.”
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The UI Raven Scholars Program, one of several UI programs supporting these students, helps 30 students with ASD, diagnosed or undiagnosed, per semester, Gwartney said. Students regularly talk with her about their academic work, time management, self-care and social skills. These meetings are meant to become shorter and less frequent because Raven Scholars is a program helping high-school students transition into college life.

The change to online learning because of COVID-19 has challenged students with ASD. Some instructors have expected students to fill in gaps, but ambiguous assignments can be challenging for students with ASD, Gwartney said. Assignments that place equal weight on small portions of work instead of heavily weighting a final project can also be difficult. Students may feel like it’s busywork and avoid it.

Other students have struggled more with transitioning their social lives online. Normally, students have access to the Raven Room, a large, open space where students can work, eat, relax or chat with each other. Puzzles, board games and books are organized on shelves around the room while sensory tools and fidget toys lay on a counter near the common table. Two large windows oversee neighboring halls and their courtyards.

Antivax GOP Candidate in Idaho

 In The Politics of Autism, I analyze the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism. This bogus idea can hurt people by allowing diseases to spread.   And among those diseases could be COVID-19.

Unfortunately, Republican politicians are increasingly joining up with the anti-vaxxers.  

Ruth Brown at The Idaho Statesman:

Conspiracy theories, debunked notions and flat-out lies have erupted in political races across the country in this presidential election year, and Idaho is not immune.

In the race for a Boise district seat in the Idaho House of Representatives, a GOP candidate has used her social media accounts to openly share falsehoods and discredited conjecture on a variety of topics.

Republican Jackie Davidson is running in legislative district 16 B against Democrat Colin Nash. The seat was previously held by Rep. Rob Mason, D-Boise, who served one term and is not running for re-election.

Davidson’s Facebook page contains inaccurate information and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus, vaccines and the so-called “plandemic,” and unfounded allegations about well-known people such as Bill Gates, Dr. Anthony Fauci and George Soros. She has shared posts that were taken down by Facebook.

When interviewed by the Statesman recently, Davidson generally stood by the posts....

 When it comes to childhood vaccines, Davidson says it should be a parent’s choice.

“I think they are just giving too many,” Davidson said about vaccines. “I think it needs to be looked at. There’s kids who are getting damaged. I’m not against vaccines. I am concerned that they are giving too many vaccines to the children, and it’s causing things like autism.”

On June 15, Davidson posted a link on Facebook claiming that “there was no autism in Vietnam before Bill Gates brought his vaccines.” She called Gates “Enemy #1 in terms of our children.”

That’s false. There is no evidence that vaccines cause autism, according to many studies, and there is no evidence that vaccines funded and delivered by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation caused harm to children.

“Personally, having a brother who has autism, I find it personally offensive when people spread conspiracy theories about disproven links between vaccines and autism,” Nash told the Statesman when asked about Davidson’s posts. “That one hits home for me.”

Davidson is parroting Trump, who has often spread the false notion that combination shots cause autism. The tell is the line "It needs to be looked at," which is a Trump catchphrase.

The Importance of Medicaid

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss health care issues and state Medicaid services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Today is Medicaid Day of Action. Across the country, Americans are protesting Trumpcare cuts to Medicaid.

Details here.

At NPR, Alison Kodjak reports on an autism family in Glendale, Wisconsin:

While Medicaid is best known as a health care program for poor people, more than 80 percent of its budget goes to care for the elderly, the disabled and children, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Only 15 percent goes to health care for able-bodied adults.

The program has been growing in recent years and it now makes up almost 10 percent of federal spending. That's why it's the number one target in President Trump's proposed budget, and figures prominently in the Republican proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act. Some estimates suggest the program could be cut by more than 1 trillion dollars over 10 years.

After three years of intense therapy, Ben now goes to his local public school and works on grade level in math and English. He no longer works with his private therapist or uses Medicaid benefits.

"We just decided not to reapply," Nancy says. "The need had been met."

President Trump and Republicans in Congress have proposed massive cuts to Medicaid's budget over the next decade, and Nancy and Dan Gapinski worry that the services they used for Ben won't be there if he needs them in the future, or be there for other families.

"I don't know what Ben will need in his lifetime," Nancy Gapinski says. "Our goals for him are very much like our goals for our daughter Zoe. We really want for them to be active, engaged citizens.

"In Idaho Falls, ID, Bryan Clark reports at The Post-Register:

More than 100 people rallied Monday in front of the offices of Rep. Mike Simpson and Sen. Mike Crapo. They were there to protest proposed cuts to Medicaid under the American Health Care Act, which recently passed the House but has yet to be taken up by the Senate. Both Simpson and Rep. Raúl Labrador voted for the bill.

The bill is projected to leave tens of millions uninsured while achieving small deficit reductions and large tax cuts for high-income households.
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Holly Giglio is the mother of an 18-year-old boy with Down’s syndrome and autism. He, too, is nonverbal. Giglio said despite her family earning a good income, many services her child needs, including services in school and therapy, would be unattainable without Medicaid.

“My husband works at the site,” she said. “My husband makes decent money. We have excellent health care. But we needed Medicaid.”

James Steed, a member of the Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities who is himself disabled, blasted the AHCA as a measure that would do great harm to people like him.

“Eight-hundred billion dollars — that’s what they want to take away from Medicaid,” Steed told the crowd. “That takes away people’s ability to live on their own. … That takes away the possibility of them living a life free, with choice and control of their own lives.”

The AHCA is, in fact, projected to cut $834 billion from Medicaid over the next decade.

Idaho Cuts Services for Adults on the Spectrum

The Magic Valley [Idaho] Times-News reports on autistic Idaho adults having to choose between services because of Medicaid cuts:

Eric currently receives two types of service through Medicaid: psychosocial rehabilitation and developmental therapy. Developmental technicians like Voss help clients with life skills, like balancing checkbooks and housecleaning, plus physical issues, like coordination and how to handle sensory overload. As part of DT, Eric volunteers at Parke View Care and Rehabilitation, which helps him socialize and gives him responsibilities outside of the home.

Psychosocial rehabilitation, or PSR, workers help clients with social skills and address emotional issues, like dealing with frustration and anger. As Eric explained, “fitting in more with society.”

Eric meets with his developmental technician for 10 hours every week and his PSR worker five hours per week.

For DT, Health andWelfare spokeswoman Emily Simnitt said, Medicaid reimburses providers at about $20 per hour, although rates depend on whether therapy is individual or in a group. Medicaid reimburses providers $45.40 for an hour of PSR.

Temporary rules, designed to help Medicaid reduce costs, force Eric to choose between the two services. The rules are set to expire in July, the end of the 2011 fiscal year, although the cuts might be extended this legislative session.

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Not everyone agrees that both services are necessary — including some service providers themselves.

The Idaho Legislature directed the Idaho Division of Medicaid to consult Medicaid service providers about where to find savings, Wilkinson said. In a survey, many respondents were critical of PSR and DT services, calling the program inefficient and suggesting more oversight.

“Someone who has been on Psycho-social Rehabilitation for 10 years with the same goals should be closed to Psycho-social Rehabilitation,” one anonymous survey respondent wrote. “Goals should be realistic, time specific and re-evaluated and considered before continuing to authorize the service with unlimited hours where a Psycho-social Rehabilitation worker just hangs out with them as their friend.”

Other criticisms: Developmental technicians are undereducated, service agencies profit too much, and PSR and DT services overlap. Some providers questioned how much adult clients benefit from the services, calling the two glorified day care. “(Developmental therapy) is a waste of money because by that time they’ve either learned what they need to or not,” one Medicaid provider wrote. “If not, they are not likely to.”

That’s not the case, insist Eric Forth and his family. Since getting both PSR and DT services about three years ago, Eric’s behavior has improved, Mike Forth said. Eric gave an example of a recent encounter while volunteering with a woman who had brain damage. When Eric pointed out she was breaking the rules of the game they were playing, the woman began cursing at him. He spoke to her calmly and knew not to take the incident personally, Eric said.

If that had happened three years ago, “I probably would have hit her,” he said.

Autism and the Police, Continued

The Spokesman Review reports a bizarre case in Idaho:

The parents of an 8-year-old autistic girl who was arrested at her northern Idaho elementary school are suing the school district and the sheriff’s department in federal court, contending the agencies violated the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Spring Towry and Charles Towry, along with their daughter, Evelyn, filed the lawsuit Friday in Idaho’s U.S. District Court against the Lake Pend Oreille School District and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Department.

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The case arose Jan. 9, 2009, when the Kootenai Elementary School third-grader was arrested, handcuffed and taken to the county’s juvenile lockup on suspicion of battery. School staffers said Evelyn had spit on and inappropriately touched two instructors. The child was later released to her parents, and the prosecutor’s office dropped the charge against her.

After the incident, Charles Towry said his daughter has Asperger’s Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism. He said that on the day of the altercation, she was wearing a hooded sweatshirt her mother had decorated with sewn-on ears to look like an animated cow character from the movie “Barnyard.” She wasn’t allowed into a school party because of the sweatshirt, although the lawsuit didn’t explain why.

Evelyn was placed in a separate classroom instead, Towry said, and when she tried to leave, staffers restrained her. Towry said that caused the girl to panic and react violently.

According to the lawsuit, Evelyn’s teacher, Louise Zumuda, and her principal, Betsy Walker, called police and asked to have her arrested and charged “because they felt they were not getting their point across” to the child and her parents after creating a plan to address behavioral issues. The Towrys say two deputies arrested, handcuffed and patted down Evelyn, refusing Spring Towry’s request that they release the child to her.

WTTG in Washington reports on the Neli Latson case: