Investigating an Online Autism Parent Community in Turkey: Goals, Needs § Opportunities

Team: Zeynep Yıldız, Özge Subaşı, Doğa Gatos, Evren Yantaç, Kemal Kuşçu
Timeframe: 2018-2019

In this digital ethnography study, we examined an online Facebook group that parents who are taking care of their children with autism came together and discuss variety of topics around autism and exchange information and lived experience.

After thematically analysing more than 100 post and 5000 comments that shared is by the community within a month, we found out a strong medical discourse that is dominating the discussions of parents. However, within that medical discourse, we also found that there is an alternative discourse that is emerging through these experience exchanges. Emphasizing the value of this, we finally came up with some design recommendations for communities in online platforms to support caregivers in developing a space to create alternative discourses.

If you would like to learn more about this project reserach paper is available on https://doi.org/10.1145/3322276.3322344. [Author Copy]