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Families are turning to the internet for medical information now more than ever before. Therefore it is important to see what is readily available on the web and what information they are most likely reading about ASD and diet. By having this knowledge in hand it will help policy makers and RDs to be better prepared to talk with families about what they are reading. Below are links to the popular search engines Google, Bing and Yahoo! that will automatically search with the terms “Diet and ASD’s, Autism”
Take a moment now to search on Google and search on BING and also search on Yahoo! with the terms “Diet and ASD’s, Autism”. Please use your browsers BACK button to return here when you have finished serarching.
Now that you have looked at the top sites that are brought up when you search for “Diet and ASD’s, Autism, please think about the information that you were presented with and note a few pro’s and cons of that information. Are there any sites that stood out to you as helpful or harmful? The National Library of Medicine has developed the MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing (MedlinePlus, 2008), with suggestions of what to look for when evaluating the quality of health information on the Web. These are also good rules of thumb to follow when evaluating health information discussed in magazines, books, and on television.
| 1. Consider the source—review the “about us” page |
| 2. Focus on quality—how is the information selected? |
| 3. Be a cyber skeptic—promises for quick, dramatic, miraculous results? |
| 4. Look for the evidence—is the information based on medical research, or testimonial? |
| 5. Check for currency—is the information current, up-to-date? |
| 6. Beware of bias—who pays for the site, are they trying to sell you something? |
| 7. Protect your privacy—does the site have a privacy policy? |
| 8. Consult with your health professional. Patient/provider partnerships lead to the best medical decisions |
| MedlinePlus (2008). |