June CORE Connections Meeting

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Managing Everyday Life: Social Media Use, Informal Support, and Parental Stress in Families of Autistic Children

This presentation explores how parents of autistic children use social media to manage everyday caregiving demands, seek informal support, and cope with stress. Using a public health and social marketing lens, the presentation frames social media not only as a communication channel but also as part of families’ support infrastructure. The discussion will show how parents’ organic online activity can reveal unmet needs, barriers to care, trusted sources of support, and differences across caregiver segments. The presentation will also offer practical recommendations for using social media insights to design (online) supports that are accessible, relevant, and aligned with real-life caregiving needs.

Topics: Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Centers (IDDRC) , Health and Wellness , CORE