ERIC Number: ED637464
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 173
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3801-3380-7
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
An Investigation of Non-Evidence Based Autism Intervention Representations in the Media: A Content Analysis
Daniel Q. Earixson
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Non-evidence-based practices (NEBPs) are interventions that have not been indicated by research to be effective in treating the core deficits of autism or the related behavioral challenges across developmental domains. Under the umbrella of NEBPs are the interventions for autism that are physically and/or emotionally harmful, as well as those that are not necessarily harmful, but are ineffective. Caregivers for people with autism often choose to use NEBPs either alongside or instead of evidence-based practices (EBPs) (GoinKochel et al., 2007). Caregivers also report reliance on the internet to find information about interventions (Law, 2009; Grant et. al., 2015). The online search engine Google, which powers YouTube, is by far the largest provider of online health information to the public (Curfman, 2020). Additionally, medical misinformation on social media, including YouTube, is rampant; some studies have found up to 87% of posts regarding certain health topics to contain misinformation (Suarez-Lledo & Alvarez-Galvez, 2021). Videos containing misinformation are often viewed, liked, and shared more than those containing EBP-related information (Bora et al., 2018), indicating these types of videos are highly engaging. Considering this landscape of internet-based medical information, it is critically important for researchers and clinicians to understand the array of information caregivers are exposed to when first starting their search for autism interventions, to inform prevention and research dissemination practices. This study used a simple, common search of YouTube to create a sample of 150 videos caregivers may see when researching autism interventions. Quantitative and qualitative data were used to describe the videos in the sample, specifically the proportion of NEBP to EBP videos in the total sample, as well as the actual content of the NEBP related videos. Videos from the search were categorized by EBP (n=34) and NEBP (n=62), as well as other categories, and the proportion of the total videos in these two categories to the sample were compared for significance. This was important to understand the overall likelihood of caregivers finding information regarding NEBPs or EBPs. Additionally, the content of NEBP-related videos was coded qualitatively and analyzed using the pre-existing warning signs of pseudoscience in autism interventions (Association of Science in Autism Treatment, 1999; Thyer, 2019). Additionally, the NEBP-related videos were coded using a constant-comparative method (Glaser, 1965) within a coding dyad to detect new possible warning signs for pseudoscience. Results indicated a significant difference between the proportion of NEBP to EBP-related videos in the sample, indicating there were more NEBP-related videos in this generic search and these videos are more likely to be seen by caregivers. Additionally, the results confirmed the presence of warning signs for pseudoscience in the videos in the sample. Results also helped to identify new warning signs from the content of NEBP videos. The study contributes to the research by highlighting the prevalence of NEBP-related information on an extremely popular search engine/social media site, as well as better understanding how modern NEBPs are advertised to the public searching for medical-health information. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Intervention, Behavior Change, Behavior Problems, Theory Practice Relationship, Information Sources, Misinformation, Video Technology, Caregivers, Internet
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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