Resource type

Fact Sheet Professional Association

Harvard
referencing

Queensland Government 2013, Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Food

and Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Queensland
Government, viewed 23/03/2015,
<http://www.health.qld.gov.au/nutrition/resources/paed_asd.pdf>

What is it
about?

This fact sheet is written by dieticians to provide practical tips to

improve the nutrition intake of children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder. It helps to minimize the battles and stresses of feeding and
mealtimes families of ASD children often experience.

Currency

The information on this fact sheet was first developed in December

2011; however it was reviewed and republished in December 2013.
This information is found at the bottom of both pages.

Accuracy

Relevance

Scope

Objectivity /
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Was it a good
resource?

This article may be short however it provides readers with a

reference list, meaning the information came from a reliable source.
The document also states that it is a consensus document by
Queensland Dietician and provides a link to the disclaimer
explaining copyright laws and policies. As it is a document published
by a government agency it is believed to be a reliable source of
information.
This is relevant to the research topic as it gives the client basic tips
on how to best get her child to eat more, and how she can better
adjust the environment to help her. It is only a small and basic list
and the client may have already tried these methods, however it is
worth presenting this information to the client in the hopes that it
may assist her.
This information is easy to read and is set out practically. It is written
in dot point form meaning it would be easily read by anyone with a
reading ability. It is not heavy with terminology and easy to
understand. It is only two pages long making it beneficial to those
not able to read long articles. This article would benefit parents with
ASD children, looking for tips on how to give their children the
nutrition they need.
The objective of this article is simple; it aims to give advice to
parents whose children suffer from ASD and who are picky eaters. It
is not a biased piece of information as it does not specify a
particular area or child; it only focuses on the big picture. It may
have been published by the Queensland Government however it can
be used to help any child, anywhere.
This document was written by Queensland Dieticians; however their
names or credentials are not listed. The Queensland Government
published this article in 2011, and then reviewed and republished it
again in 2013. Although the fact sheet was written and published by
the Queensland Government, it does not specify a particular
location and therefore can be used by anyone.
This was a simple resource however it does provide some good tips.
I know from interviewing my client that she has tried many
treatments and therapys to help her daughter to eat and many of
them have not worked. She may have already tried the tips on this
factsheet however it is still worth sending her as anything may help
her.

Resource type

Harvard
referencing

What is it
about?

Currency

Accuracy

Relevance

Scope

Objectivity /
Bias

Autism Information Line Online directory

Autism SA 2015, Family Support Groups Central and
Western Metro, Autism SA, viewed 23/03/2015,
<http://www.autismsa.org.au/family-support-groups-centraland-western-metro>
This directory informs parents and caregivers of children with
autism on support groups in South Australia. It contains dates,
times, locations and contact numbers for each
session/meeting. Each session is different and provides a
description, giving parents and caregivers the chance to
choose the right group.
There is no publishing date for this website however the
copyright stamp states 2015. The information is up to date
otherwise there would be complaints of wrong times or dates
for the sessions.
The groups are not run by professionals, they are run by
parents and caregivers with autistic children. It is advertised
on the Autism SA website therefore they are credible groups
because it is promoted by a professional organisation.
The client was interested in learning about support groups for
parents and caregivers with autistic children, therefore this
website is relevant to the client and the topic. The only issue
is the fact that the client lives in a rural area where there are
no support groups available, however the client has family in
the western suburbs of Adelaide whom she visits often and
can stay with when attending these sessions.
This website is easy to navigate and contains bright and bold
headings. It would be easy for anyone with computer skills to
access this website and information. At the top of the page it
also has an Autism SA Hotline phone number in bold writing,
so those who are not able to easily navigate the page can call
that number and get the information they need.
The objective of this site is to help those families who need a
support network in relation to Autism Spectrum Disorder. It
would not benefit just anyone. That is the only slight bias in
this website but considering it is a website fully based on
Autism, it would technically not be seen as biased but
informative for a small number of community members.

Location

Was it a good
resource?

Resource type

Harvard
referencing

What is it
about?

Currency

Accuracy

Relevance
Scope

This page provides details of support groups in the Central

and Western suburbs of the Adelaide Metro area. This page
was chosen specifically for the client as she has family in this
area. The page provides support group information for a lot of
other areas around the state of South Australia but not the
Riverland, which is where the client lives.
This resource is very helpful in providing information to my
client on support networks. She would really love to make
some new friends who go through what she does and this
website will help her do that. It is simple to use and I
personally found it interesting that there are so many
networking groups who want to help others.

Newspaper Article TIME

Park, A 2010, Is Picky Eating an Early Sign of Autism?, TIME,
19
July,
viewed
13/04/2015,
<http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2004676,
00.html>
This news article is primarily about new research on the picky
eating habits of children with autism. The research shows that
while children with autism eat a less varied diet than other
kids; their dietary preferences have little negative effect on
their height weight and growth.
This article was written and published on July 19, 2010. It is
five years old so it is an older resource. In the article it states
that the researchers began with a database of children who
were born in 1991 and 1992. This means that the children
studied will now be adults. A lot has changed since then so
the research may not be applicable now.
The author of this article is a journalist with no background in
medicine. She is simply writing a story on the research done.
In the article, there are a few professionals mentioned. They
are written with their name, position and where they are
located; however there is no reference list or notes to show
their accreditation. The article contains no bibliography.
This article is relevant to the research question because the
client has a child who has this disorder and suffers from an
eating disorder. She would like to know more about the affects
her disorder will have on her nutritional health. This article
reports that it has minimal effect on the health of her child.
This article is simple to access and read. It contains a large
heading making it easy for the reader to know what the article
is about. It is clear and concise and straight to the point. It
would be easy to read for anyone high school aged and up.
Anyone younger may struggle to understand some of the

medical lingo included.

Objectivity /
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Was it a good
resource?

Resource
type

Harvard
referenci
ng

What is
it about?

Currency

Because there is no reference list or bibliography for this

article it is only based on hear-say. It is written by the main
stream media and whilst it does include facts, these facts
cannot be accredited. There is a list of sponsored links
provided at the bottom of the page. This may indicate some
form of bias. The clients daughter suffers from an eating
disorder and whilst she is healthy, she is severely
underweight. This article states that all autistic children show
no change in their weight, height and growth. This is untrue.
The objective of this article is to inform people on the effect of
eating disorders in ASD children. It also gives parents the
chance to identify autism earlier by observing their childs
eating habits.
This newspaper is available on the TIME online newspaper.
The researchers who conducted this study attended the
University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. One of the
professionals listed is a paediatrician at the University of
Rochester Medical Centre in New York, USA.
This resource was interesting because it gave me information
on how eating disorders can provide an early diagnosis for
autism. Although it said that children with ASD dont suffer
from any changes in weight, height or growth, it is not
accurate because the clients daughter is still underweight. I
did enjoy reading the article but I believe it was too biased
and not accredited enough for my client to use.

Parents Feeding Guide - PDF

Autism Speaks: Autism Treatment Network, Autism Intervention
research Network on Physical Health 2014, Exploring Feeding
Behaviour in Autism: A Parents Guide, ATN, AIRP, viewed
15/04/2015,
<http://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/docs/sciencedocs/
atn/feeding_guide.pdf>
This tool kit is designed to help families affected by Autism
Spectrum Disorder understand eating behaviours, give guidance on
how to address feeding issues and review some common questions
that families have about eating problems. Feeding can be very
stressful for the child and for the family and this tool kit aims to
help parents and children overcome these difficulties.
This guide was written and published in January 2014. Because it is
such a recent article, it is to be believed that the information is up
to date and can be used for reference. The publishing date is
written at the bottom of the document in the Acknowledgements
section.

Accuracy

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e

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ty / Bias

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Was it a
good
resource
?

This document provides a reference guide for readers to view. It

also includes footnotes throughout the body. The pictures used are
copyrighted by iStockPhoto. Because it is so recent the information
is to be seen as accurate and appropriate.
The information provided in this document will give the client a lot
of tips and information to help her find a solution to her childs
eating problems. It provides detailed information on why she may
have these issues and also provides advice on what she can do to
help her.
The layout of this document is quite appealing to the eye. It is full
of colour and is clear and concise. The information is laid out in an
effective way and is not too word heavy. Some of the information
written may be difficult for young people to understand as there is
some medical lingo included. This article would be best suited to
high school student and older. It is specifically aimed at the parents
of children who suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorder.
There does not seem to be any biased information provided in this
document. It is accredited and provides references for the facts and
figures used. It was written by people who study Autism for a living
and by medical professionals. The objective for this document is to
provide parents with help to determine why their child has an
eating disorder and how they are able to help their child.
The professionals who contributed to this information are located in
different areas in the USA. These include the University of Arkansas
for Medical Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Childrens
Hospital and the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Centre. The
materials or the product of the on-going activities of the Autism
Speaks Autism Treatment Network. It is supported through the U.S.
department of Health and Human Services.
I enjoyed this resource because I thought it provided a lot of great
tips and ideas on how to help the client deal with her issue. It was
easy to read and very well set out. I would definitely recommend
this document to the client as it meets the research topic brief to
the tee.

Resource type

Blog Autism Aspergers Digest

Harvard
referencing

Sheahan, B., DeOrnellas, K. 2012, Expanding Your Childs

Eating Horizons, blog post, Autism Aspergers Digest,
July/August,
viewed
16/04/2015,
<
http://autismdigest.com/expanding-your-childs-eatinghorizons/>

What is it
about?

Currency

Accuracy

Relevance

Scope

Objectivity /
Bias

Location

Was it a good
resource?

If you get a group of autism parents together, it wont take

long for the conversation to turn to food. In addition to the
fact that spectrum kids typically have narrow food
preferences, many families also have special diets that
eliminate categories of foods, such as gluten or casein, or
their children may have food allergies or sensitivities. This
blog post discusses ways to help parents introduce new foods
into their childs diet.
This post was written and published in July/August 2012. This
information can be found just below the title. It is within the
last 3 years meaning that the information is still current and
can be used appropriately in this research project.
This article is not based on facts or figures; it is based on
personal experiences and opinions. Because of this there is no
reference list or bibliography provided. It states that one of
the Authors is a Doctor however that is the only accreditation
provided. It may state that she is a doctor however that does
not mean the information she provides is credible as it is not
referenced. It is based purely on personal experience and
opinion.
This article is relevant to the clients request because it
provides help and advice to parents looking at introducing
new foods to their childs diet. The client requested help in
this matter. It is also relevant to the client because although
medical and professional opinions are useful, sometimes the
perspective of a fellow parent with a child with ASD can give
more personalized help and advice.
This article is quite wordy and not extremely appealing to the
eye. However it is useful and interesting information. They
use creative headings to entice the reader to continue
reading. This article would best suit high school students and
older. More specifically it would benefit parents wanting to
introduce more food into their childs diet.
Because the information is not factual and is based on
personal experience and opinion, it would be safe to say that
it is biased information. It is the personal opinion of a parent
whose child suffers from ASD. This being said, sometimes
personal experience can come across as more relatable to
parents looking for advice. The objective is to assist parents in
introducing children to new foods.
The location of the blog post is not disclosed however there is
an email address and a twitter account available if readers
would like more information. It is however located on an
online blog forum and can be accessed by anyone with a
computer.
I really enjoyed reading this article as it gave me an insight
into some new and creative ways to introduce new foods.
Sometimes it is nice to get some advice from someone with
personal experience in the situation rather than a medical or
professional opinion. Someone closer would know all the small
details that others would not. For this reason I would definitely
pass this resource on to my client.