Autism Awareness Nail Collab with @amcpolish

For Autism Awareness this year I decided to join this massive nail collaboration hosted by @amcpolish on instagram :)

Mine is in the very right column, third from the bottom. I put a little box around mine so you can spot it more easily... it took me a good 5 minutes to figure out where mine was! There were so many which is nice to see :)

First off I would like to say that vaccines DO NOT cause Autism. 

Yes there was a research paper by Andrew Wakefield that was published in the Lancet in 1998, claiming that there was a link between vaccines and autism. The paper claimed that the MMR vaccine (combined vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella) was linked to autism. However, the study only looked at 12 children, an extremely small sample size from which to generalize. Most of these children were also recruited through a UK lawyer who was preparing a lawsuit against the manufacturers of the MMR vaccine. The lawyers behind the MMR vaccine lawsuit had paid Andrew Wakefield over 400,000 GBP (about 670,000 USD at today's exchange rate). Andrew Wakefield also held patents for a rival vaccine. This is a clear conflict of interest. Andrew Wakefield had a lot to gain from creating this MMR vaccine scare. As a result, said paper was partially retracted in 2004 and fully retracted in 2010. Andrew Wakefield was found guilty of "serious professional misconduct" in May 2010 and struck off the medical registrar, meaning that he could no longer practice as a doctor. Subsequent studies have failed to reproduce Wakefield's findings, and have not found any link between vaccines and autism. For more info see MMR vaccine controversy and Andrew Wakefield. 

As for Jenny McCarthy, she cites her "mommy instinct" as the basis for her belief in the link between vaccines and autism (Sydney Morning Herald - How 'mommy instinct' outdid science). Jenny McCarthy has also said that she got her degree from "the University of Google" (source).

"By giving science deniers a public forum, media outlets implicitly condone their claims as legitimate. As Columbia Journalism Review’s Brendan Nyhan recently argued in a post about McCarthy and her vaccination fear-mongering, “he said” “she said” coverage simply puts “unsupported claims alongside credible arguments, or failed to push back altogether.” False equivalency is one of journalism’s great pitfalls, and in an effort to achieve “balance,” reporters often obscure the truth. What’s the merit in “he said, she said” reporting when he says the world is round and she insists it is flat. Indeed, there is an enormous cost to society when the truth could save lives." --- Katrina vanden Heuvel article here

So... What is Autism?  

"Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. They include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome. With the May 2013 publication of the new DSM-5 diagnostic manual, these autism subtypes will be merged into one umbrella diagnosis of ASD.

ASD can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. Some persons with ASD excel in visual skills, music, math and art.

Autism appears to have its roots in very early brain development. However, the most obvious signs of autism and symptoms of autism tend to emerge between 2 and 3 years of age. Autism Speaks continues to fund research on effective methods for earlier diagnosis, as early intervention with proven behavioral therapies can improve outcomes. Increasing autism awareness is a key aspect of this work and one in which our families and volunteers play an invaluable role. " 

source: http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

For this mani I used
Color Club - Evolution (3 coats)
Pueen plate 09
Color Club - Gossip Column

I like the way the colors look together but I'm not that happy with the execution of this mani. The stamping is a bit smeared from the top coat on my middle finger. Also the image didn't transfer that well on my ring finger for some reason :( there's little holes in the print. And my Seche Vite shrunk everything again!!! UGH! These pictures were taken only half an hour after applying SV... I don't understand how it shrinks so much so fast! Time to try a new topcoat!

Anyone have any suggestions for a good fast drying top coat that won't smear stamping and won't shrink like crazy? I've heard good things about the HK girl one but I'm open to other suggestions too :)