Chassevent, Anna

Eggert, Julie

Garcia, Rebecca A

McMillion, Erika

English

Clemson University: TigerPrints

Clemson UniversityTigerPrintsHealth, Education and Human DevelopmentAwards Research and Innovation MonthSpring 2015Use of Social Media to Identify GastrointestinalSymptons in Children with AutismErika McMillionClemson UniversityAnna ChasseventClemson UniversityRebecca A. GarciaClemson UniversityJulie EggertClemson UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/hehd_awardsThis Poster is brought to you for free and open access by the Research and Innovation Month at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion inHealth, Education and Human Development Awards by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contactkokeefe@clemson.edu.Recommended CitationMcMillion, Erika; Chassevent, Anna; Garcia, Rebecca A.; and Eggert, Julie, "Use of Social Media to Identify GastrointestinalSymptons in Children with Autism" (2015). Health, Education and Human Development Awards. 22.https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/hehd_awards/22Use of Social Media to Identify  Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Children with Autism Erika McMillion, CUSN, Anna Chassevent, BA, Rebecca A. Garcia Ph.D., MLT(ASCP)CM, Julie Eggert Ph.D., GNP-BC, AOCN   Acknowledgements This project was completed with the support of Clemson University Calhoun Honors College and Creative Inquiry program  Conclusion The research team would like to gain a better understanding:  •Why parents turn to social media to receive information about their child’s symptoms.  o Parents entrust the lives of their children into healthcare professionals hands.  o If parents can trust healthcare professionals with illnesses why do they not trust them to provide reliable information about an ASD diagnosis?  Bond that can only be formed when you have a child with ASD   Healthcare professionals lost the caregiver’s trust Of note: When collecting data, it was found that because the recent research on giving the MMR vaccine and the possibility that it causes Autism was proved fraudulent, this was a very common topic of discussion and could have skewed the data away from other topic important to parents of children with Autism.  Review of Literature  Gastrointestinal Symptoms  • Limited research has been done on: o Individuals with ASD and gastrointestinal disorders  (Horvath and Perlman, 2002) o The affect social media has on the individuals with ASD and gastrointestinal disorders (Buie, et. al, 2010). • Intestinal permeability was reported in 43% of patients with ASD without evidence of gastrointestinal symptoms (Horvath & Perlman, 2002)  o Decreased activity in at least one or more of the disaccharidases enzymes were found in 49% of autistic children  All children with this decreased enzyme activity had loose stool and gas.  Lactose and maltose deficiencies were most common. • Many children with ASD receive several courses of antibiotics in the first year of life to treat increased levels of urinary organic acids reported in children with ASD (Horvath & Perlman, 2002)  o When the antibiotic therapy was stopped 43% of patients had positive fungal cultures. Social Media  • Caregivers, parents, and individuals with ASD use social media to share information and connect with others who are touched by ASD (Schrock, 2009). • Blogs were the most common type of social media used by individuals with Autism (Newton, et. al, 2009) • Understanding why children with Autism interact the way they do helps researchers better understand the needs of caregivers and individuals with Autism(Mandell, Novak, & Zubritsky, 2005) • Participation in support groups can help deal with chronic stress  o Findings showed that two-thirds of families of children with ASD have participated in Autism-specific support groups  o >50% currently participate (Mandell and Salzer, 2007). Introduction •Autism is a unique disease that now affects 1 in every 68 children in the United States (“Prevalence of Autism,” 2014) •Research have shown that gastrointestinal symptoms have been experienced by a majority of children with Autism (Horvath, K., & Perman, J. (2002). Autism And Gastrointestinal Symptoms. Current Gastroenterology Reports, 251-258.) •With the growing number of children diagnosed with Autism it is essential in treatment of these children to find new techniques in communicating with parents of children with Autism, as well as obtaining information from them. •Because of the increased use of social media in today’s world, access to information about Autism and individuals diagnosed with Autism has become more easily assessable.   Methods • Data were gathered from Radian 6 over the span of 2 weeks in February. Radian 6 allows all types of social media including Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Videos, etc. to come together in one place. Radian 6 allows the researcher to download the posts so that they can be organized. • Data were then organized based on the topic, what type of social media was used, and its relevance to Autism and gastrointestinal symptoms. • Radian 6 was then used to display data in different widgets (chart-making apps that are included on Radian 6) to show how the data could be observed and what is on the forefront of individual’s with Autism, their families, and providers minds.     Results • 544 posts total analysed from February 9th 2015 to February 26th, 2015 written by parents, caregivers, providers, and individuals with ASD • Symptoms associated with ASD were found in 236 posts  o Including sleep disturbances, intellectual disabilities, and gastrointestinal symptoms o Other posts discussed vaccines  • Themes found in posts:  o Diet changes o Leaky gut syndrome o Use of discussion boards (parents discussion with other parents and healthcare professionals about different gastrointestinal symptoms) o Caregivers response to research  Music  Saliva test found to diagnose ASD  Essential oils o Vaccines and ASD  Purpose Statement The purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and gastrointestinal symptoms by using social media. Figure 2 – Word Cloud Words that are found most commonly in posts from the collected data  Note: Gastrointestinal and autism were search words Figure 1 – Pie Graph Posts divided up into the type of social media in which they are posted 

Use of Social Media to Identify Gastrointestinal Symptons in Children with Autism

https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1008&amp;context=hehd_awards

Use of Social Media to Identify Gastrointestinal Symptons in Children with Autism

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