Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that Autism diagnoses are on the rise. Autism has become an issue for medical insurance companies as patients sometimes struggle to make sure that their necessary services are covered. The same holds true with accommodations at school. Autism has become the cause du jour for many celebrities, as they advocate for autistic children and rail against the medical establishment that they see as the root cause of the autism epidemic.

And so, riding the wave, folks like Jenny McCarthy and partner Jim Carrey get out there and found Generation Rescue to crusade against childhood vaccines. They’re given time on Larry King, with Diane Sawyer and even in People Magazine. The celebrity media that surrounds McCarthy celebrates her determination and her desire to see children be free of autism.

The problem is that this dramatic crusade is based on a complete lie. Dr. Andrew Wakefield is the British doctor who first linked autism and childhood vaccines. In fact, his research is the only research that suggests such a link. Wakefield’s findings have been called into question for a decade.

Now, Dr. Wakefield has been found guilty of medical misconduct. The review panel found him “dishonest,” “irresponsible” and that Wakefield acted “contrary to the clinical interests” of a child.

Critics of Wakefield have, for some time now, insisted that the results he claimed in his research have not been replicated, and that they cannot be. Many studies have tried to test the same conclusions, but to no avail.

In addition, Wakefield seems to have found a lucrative niche in linking autism with childhood vaccines. When celebrities like McCarthy support your research and your positions, money will flow. His autism treatment center has funneled a great deal of cash his way.

It’s hard to say what will happen to McCarthy’s show. Will the unmasking of the false prophet of autism make a difference to McCarthy, or to Oprah?  It’s likely that the show will go unhindered, as neither McCarthy nor Oprah seem to have the slightest inclination to change their positions based on something silly like the medical facts.

In the meantime, the true causes of autism remain a mystery, and parents all across the nation struggle with trying to create the kind of environment that their child needs in order to learn, grow and succeed.

Photo via duncan arsenault