Characteristics of international websites with information on developmental disabilities

• Published in: Research in developmental disabilities 2014-10, Vol.35 (10), p.2293-2298
• Main Authors: Reichow, Brian, Gelbar, Nicholas W., Mouradjian, Keri, Shefcyk, Allison, Smith, Isaac C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ADHD; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Attention deficit disorders. Hyperactivity; Australia; Autism; Autism spectrum disorder; Biological and medical sciences; Canada; Child clinical studies; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Chromosome aberrations; Consumer Health Information; Consumers; Developmental Disabilities; Developmental disability; Developmental disorders; Down Syndrome; Google; Humans; Infantile autism; Intellectual Disability; International; Internet; Ireland; Learning disabilities; Learning disability; Learning Disorders; Medical genetics; Medical sciences; New Zealand; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Search Engine; Terminology; United Kingdom; United States; Web sites; Websites
• ISSN: 0891-4222; 1873-3379
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2014.05.028

•Parents of children with disabilities often use the Internet as a resource.•Website content and characteristics differ across countries.•Websites originating from the United States are likely to be located in international searches.•Consumers must be vigilant given the uncontrolled nature of online information.•The Internet should not be used as a replacement for advice of professionals. The Internet often serves as a primary resource for individuals seeking health-related information, and a large and growing number of websites contain information related to developmental disabilities. This paper presents the results of an international evaluation of the characteristics and content of the top 10 ranked results (i.e., not including sponsored results – pay-per-click) returned when one of five terms related to developmental disabilities (i.e., ADHD, autism, down syndrome, learning disability, intellectual disability) was entered into one of six country specific Google online search engines (i.e., Australia (https://www.google.com.au), Canada (https://www.google.ca), Ireland (https://www.google.ie), New Zealand (https://www.google.co.nz), the United Kingdom (https://www.google.co.uk), and the United States (https://www.google.com)) on October 22, 2013. Collectively, we found that international consumers of websites related to developmental disabilities will encounter different websites with differing content and terminology, and should be critical consumers to ensure they locate the information they are seeking.