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TIP: Autism Research on the Internet
Author: Greg Vece, a third year medical student at Penn State College of Medicine
#tip #research Gregory writes… “When it comes to any hot-button topic, there will always be droves of information readily accessible through sources like google, social media, newspapers, and TV. Some of the information is great, and some of the information can be false or misleading. As you may know, there are massive amounts of good and bad information about Autism out there and it can be confusing trying to separate fact from fiction! So here are some tips for finding reliable information about ASD, or any other topic:- 1) Wikipedia is a fine place to start! But don’t treat it as infallible: Studies have found that information on Wikipedia is anywhere from 80%-99.7% accurate. Don’t forget that it can be edited by anyone and is not a peer-reviewed source. You can be confident that most of the information you read there is accurate. But it might not be enough!
- 2) Check the date: Research changes all the time. Our understanding of different medical conditions change as well. If you stumble upon an article that cites a study from 1973, ask yourself, “why”? Is that really giving you the most up to date information? Is the article using old information to mislead you? If someone tries to justify their position and only has old data to back it up, this is a major red flag!
- 3) Check what they are selling: Where is the information coming from, and do they have an incentive to stretch the truth? A website that makes its money selling essential oils is likely not the best source to find objective evidence-based information about whether or not essential oils actually help. Try to find information from sources that don’t have anything to gain from misleading you.”
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ABA in PA Initiative
The ABAinPA Initiative is an advocacy organization made up of individuals, families, industry professionals, lawmakers and others dedicated to improving the future for those in Pennsylvania by ensuring access to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy.