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Characteristics and Quality of Autism Websites

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Abstract

The World Wide Web is a common method for obtaining information on autism spectrum disorders, however, there are no guidelines for finding websites with high quality. We conducted two studies examining the characteristics and/or quality of autism websites in 2009 and 2010. We found websites with a .gov top-level domain had a statistically significant association with high quality websites and websites offering a product or service and websites promoting a non-evidence-based practice had a statistically significant association with poor quality websites. Based on our work we concluded that online information should not replace the information consumers obtain from professionals. Further implications for practice, overview of study limitations and future directions are provided.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA

    Brian Reichow, Jason I. Halpern, Timothy B. Steinhoff, Nicole Letsinger, Adam Naples & Fred R. Volkmar

  2. Fordham University, New York City, NY, USA

    Jason I. Halpern & Timothy B. Steinhoff

  3. Providence College, Providence, RI, USA

    Nicole Letsinger

Authors
  1. Brian Reichow
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  2. Jason I. Halpern
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  3. Timothy B. Steinhoff
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  4. Nicole Letsinger
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  5. Adam Naples
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  6. Fred R. Volkmar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brian Reichow.

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 6.

Table 6 Websites included in Study 1
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Appendix 2

See Table 7.

Table 7 Websites included in Study 2
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Reichow, B., Halpern, J.I., Steinhoff, T.B. et al. Characteristics and Quality of Autism Websites. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 1263–1274 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1342-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1342-6

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