This is a bit long, but I hope the info provided will be of use to you.
Dr Andrew Wakefield who made a report released in 1998 and published in The Lancet claiming that the MMR caused autism was found to have faked his reports and was paid to do so, by a solicitor and a legal aid board. Dr. Wakefield and some of his associates are currently facing charges in court because of the false report. The majority of the children used in the study had signs of autism documeneted in their medical records before recieving the MMR vaccine. Many of Dr. Wakefield's associates have discredited their report about the MMR, including The Lancet. Not long after this report was made, Japan removed all MMR vaccines from it's country but yet in March of 2005 they noted that the cases of autism continued to rise . The top 2 links are excellent articles relating to the MMR and Dr. Wakefield.
http://briandeer.com/mmr/lancet-summary.htm
http://briandeer.com/mmr/lancet-paper.htm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5683671.ece
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(04)15715-2/fulltext
About 15% of autism cases are caused by a known inhereited genetic factor. Then there is a region on chromosone 16, where a section of DNA, was either deleted or duplicated, which has also been linked to causing autism, however these changes in this chromosone are not believed to be inheritable but rather occuring in the embryo during development. Chromosome 16 deletion/duplication accounts for an estimated 1 - 2 % of autism cases, adding to the 15 % of cases of autism with known inhereited genetic causes. Now in reality, those %'s would be higher because not every person who has a form of autism have received any sort of genetic/chromosome testing. Some of the indenifiable genetic disorders known to have a link to causing autism include Fragile X syndrome (most common known cause of autism or "autistic-like" behaviors), tuberous sclerosis, 15q duplications and down syndrome. (you can search this info)
I have 3 sons, the youngest has autistic disorder, he was diagnosed with autistic disorder before he received his MMR shot. I do not believe his autism was caused by any vaccine.
Autism affects boys 4 times more than girls, that would be a genetic issue not a vaccine issue.
Did the school do their own evaluation? (this is info is for public schools) They cannot make a medical diagnosis, they can only evaluate her for educational purposes, but when doing the evaluation they must take into consideration anything you provide about your daughter's disabilities whether it be orally or in written form, but it is always better to have stuff in written form so you have documentation of everything. If she has not been evaluated by the school, request an evaluation for your daughter for special ed services, they cannot refuse to evaluate her, granted she may not meet the requirements for special ed under IDEA (individuals with disabilities education act) for an IEP (individual education plan)....but she may receive a 504 plan, which allows her to receive some help, but not all that is available under IDEA.....Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires public schools to provide accommodations to students with disabilities even if they do not qualify for special education services under IDEA. The definition of a disability under Section 504 is much broader than the definition under IDEA. All IDEA students are also covered by Section 504, but not all Section 504 students are eligible for services under IDEA. If she does receive special ed services under IDEA, that does not necessarily mean she'll be in a special ed class, they have what is called least restrictive enviroment (LRE), which basically states that to the fullest extent possible children with disabilities must be educated with children who do not have disabilities. Depending on her needs will determine which educational setting is best for her. Regardless, you will be either a part of the IEP team or the 504 planning committee.
If she has already been evaluated by the school and you do not agree with their evaluation you can request for an independent education evaluation (IEE) and have the school pay for it. Also if she was evaluated by the school, they should of, by law, provided you with procedural safeguards, which covers the parents right to challenge decisions about their child's eligibility, evaluation, placement, and the services that the school provides to the child, which is all covered under IDEA. If you did not receive them, they can be found here: http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cstatute%2CI%2CB%2C615%2C
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CTopicalArea%2C12%2C
Always remember you know your daughter better than anyone including the school or any professional, never doubt yourself about what you know and see in her even if they don't know/see the same.
Has she been evaluated by a speech language pathologist (speech therapist)? The reason I ask is because you stated when you ask her about something she did, she really don't understand and that you notice little emotion in her....there's a possibility she may have receptive and expressive langauge disorder (a language disability that causes impairment of both the understanding and the expression of language) in which a speech langauge pathologist can help her with. Her occupational therapist should be helping her with any sensory issues she may have with the exception of food sensory (oral aversion) in which the speech lanaguage patholgist would help her with, however the speech therapists in a school setting are not trained/qualified to help with food sensory issues. Both a speech therapist and an occupational therapist outside of a school setting will help her in a wider range of areas rather than just the educational aspect of it.
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This is for Mel =), you asked if pervasive developmental disorder fell under the autsim spectrum, it's actually the other way around...Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) is a category of neurological disorders characterized by “severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development.” Under this category there are 5 disorders: Autistic Disorder (aka classic autism, what most are referring to when saying autism); Asperger's Disorder (some refer to it as high functioning autism); Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS aka atypical autism); Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD); & Rett's Disorder.