Hollywood actor Robert De Niro has publicly endorsed a controversial anti-vaccination documentary and claimed there is a “link” between vaccines and autism. De Niro said his 18 year old autistic son changed overnight after being vaccinated as a child.

            Dr. Stephen Lauer is a pediatrician at The University of Kansas Hospital and he hears the same thing from some parents in his clinic every day. Dr. Lauer says science can’t give the exact cause for autism, but it is known to be genetic and 30 years of research show it’s not caused by vaccines.

            In the video, Dr. Lauer discusses the controversy over the movie, including the movie’s director, who was the person who authored the now-discredited study linking vaccines to autism. After years of controversy and making parents mistrust vaccines, it was discovered he had made the whole thing up.  Dr. Lauer also explains what medical science currently says about vaccines and what he tells parents in his clinic who have questions about vaccine safety.