Re: Vaccines and Apraxia

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

My apologies for jumping into the vaccine debate so late -two kids

with a stomach flu and all I've been doing is cleaning and laundry -

so not much time left to do anything else today it appears. I want

to thank the other moderators for bringing the current conflict to my

attention. I understand that anger stems from the passion one feels

when they believe they are protecting the lives of innocent children,

and it wasn't that long ago that we addressed the vaccine controversy

before. For those that ask if anyone is not welcome and should you

leave -you are all welcome and as the list owner and one of the

moderators, I apologize if the tone of the list has made any of you

uncomfortable.

There are clearly two sides and beliefs to the vaccine issue that

medical professionals, the media, and the public stand strongly

behind. Each side is passionate based on personal experience with

children - either their own child or their patient. There are also

those who are not choosing one side or the other, instead open to

listen to all from both sides. As I said before I believe each side

is based in love for the children and therefore as intelligent adults

we probably can debate back and forth without hurting or attacking

others in doing so. I apologize for letting any message go through

that fell under that definition, and all of the moderators of the

CHERAB list will try not to let this happen again. In the quest to

allow all their at times passionate opinions be heard -we make

mistakes because we too are human.

In bringing together medical, speech, and educational professionals

with parents contradictions of beliefs happen all the time and it

drives me crazy that typically I hear them one at a time instead of

having all together to discuss, which is something we all wish could

happen on a grouplist like this -but more likely has to happen face

to face as well. When I sit in a room full of parents and

professionals with one professional expert lecturing who clearly says

something that contradicts what other professionals have said that I

also agree with I so many times wished I could stand up and

say " Excuse me, but what about... " However I know that in most cases

any attempt at doing something like that would come across as

controversial. I just wish I could because I'm aware that just like

Liz said that the people sitting in the room will take as fact the

statement made by the one expert they just heard without hearing the

other side.

I have my personal reasons for believing so strongly that any

prejudice is based in ignorance and opinion, and not fact. I believe

the best approach is bringing everyone together to share and learn

from each other. Through CHERAB we do plan on having conferences

going ahead to bring different sides together so that issues can be

discussed in rational civilized intelligent ways. Ways that I

believe will best help our children. I am never one to fall into one

camp typically -I've always been the rebel with a cause to question

what others accept as fact. That's one of the reasons that I started

Children's Apraxia Network, and then CHERAB Foundation in the case of

speech disorders which I still believe are horribly overlooked by the

vast public in general -and as I said yesterday, now by many of the

parents who have children that had dramatic positive results on

ProEFA.

All sides are still welcome to share their views here on this

grouplist, and question and debate with respect to others. We will

try to better moderate to keep situations like this from arising -and

walk that thin line of continuing to let everyone share free speech

here. Again our apologies for any hurt feelings. I consider many of

you friends and there is typically an unbelievable warmth in this

group that is a haven for so many.

Best to all of you,

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