The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

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7002 Help! I’m Drowning in ASD Information! [CRC Session]


Thursday, July 24, 2014: 10:45 AM-12:00 PM
205 (Indiana Convention Center)
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Information overload is a term often heard in this Internet day and age. Parents looking for information about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and treatments are inundated with information. This session will provide ways to critically think to sort through information and find answers that are both meaningful and helpful. The session will discuss why it is important to understand and manage information.  It will include discussions of bias, and the multitude of places that information comes from.  Critical thinking will be explored, and then we will move into discussions of HOW to go about being a critical consumer.

Frequently used terms around scientific research and information will be taught, such as: evidence-based, “been published”, anecdotal reports, testimonials, & peer review.  This will move into discussions of scientific journals and research studies and a “hierarchy of evidence” that shows the strength of various reports.

We will then move into ways that persons can find reliable information and how they can apply critical thinking to what they find.  This will include discussions about: how to ask questions, how to find trusted partners and information sources, how to evaluate information you find, and if they are going to try and implement treatments/interventions, how to use objective tracking measures to see if they truly are effective.

Finally, we will spend some time on how to organize the information you gather, for later reference.

Learning Objectives:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of key terms important to evaluating autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research and information.
  • Define critical thinking and identify ways to use it.
  • Utilize some techniques for translating information and objectively tracking its use.

Content Area: Family and Sibling Support

Presenters:

Cristy James, B.S.
Resource and Communication Coordinator
Riley Child Development Center

Cristy is the Resource and Communication Coordinator at Indiana’s LEND program, as well as the parent of a son with ASD. Her work in interdisciplinary training has helped her to better understand the many different perspectives of professionals working with children.

Lesa Paddack
Parent Liason for IN*SOURCE
Indiana Department of Education

Lesa is a Parent Liaison for IN*SOURCE at the Indiana Department of Education and a board member of the Autism Society of Indiana. She is also a parent of a child with ASD.