evidence: Decades of epidemiological and clinical studies show that vaccines don’t cause autism and effectively reduce the risk of potentially disabling or lethal childhood illnesses like measles and polio. The Amish are a Christian group of about 350,000 people, most of whom live in the U.S.. Although they avoid the use of modern technology, they do vaccinate their children to a certain degree. Members of the Amish can and do develop various medical conditions such as autism, diabetes and cancer, just like the general population.