Living Autistic: Why the Vaccine Myth Hurts Us All I was having a normal workday, just helping a customer like I always do, when they noticed my stim toy. In seconds, the conversation flipped from car parts to a rant about how vaccines “caused my autism.” I had to stop and correct them — again. It’s exhausting, but it’s something I have to do over and over. The myth that vaccines cause autism won’t die. Despite decades of scientific research proving otherwise, this false idea keeps spreading, hurting autistic people and their families. If vaccines really caused autism, then everyone who got vaccinated would have autism. That’s not how it works. Autism is a neurological difference you’re born with — part of how your brain is wired from the start. Autism Is Not a Tragedy Autism isn’t some disease to be cured or erased. It’s not caused by something you “catch” or something a parent “did wrong.” It’s part of who I am — and it comes with both challenges and strengths...