Temporal trends in online practices relating to autism and/or ADHD: a scoping review protocol

BackgroundIncreasing rates of neurodivergence diagnosis have received much attention in recent months. This is particularly true of autism and/or ADHD self-diagnoses precipitated by social media use. Mainstream media - at a minimum in English-speaking Western countries - has been quick to report on this, and it is clear that a social media-facilitated phenomenon is underway. To date, however, empirical evidence related to increased visibility of, and engagement with, autism and/or ADHD content online over time is lacking. ObjectiveTo map temporal trends in online practices relating to neurodivergence - specifically confined here to autism and/or ADHD - within the published literature. Areas of interest include: how framing of the concept(s) change over time; the theories represented within research on this topic; whether the focal point of these online practices has changed over time. Inclusion criteriaPublished literature from any country and any time period after 1991, that relate to online activity involving what currently is often referred to as neurodivergence - here specifically confined to autism and/or ADHD. Online practices encompasses any aspect of online communication, information-seeking, support-seeking, awareness-raising, or associated practices that take place online - via search engines, chat rooms, forums, social media platforms. Studies looking at other conditions under the neurodivergence umbrella, and those pertaining to cyberbullying and internet addiction only will be excluded. MethodsFollowing the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews, 4 databases (Web of Science, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and APA PsycInfo) will be searched. Inclusion criteria will be used to screen for, and select, appropriate studies. The JBI extraction tool will be adapted for this particular review, and the relevant data from included studies exported to this document. Both narrative accounts and figures of the data trends will be synthesised and presented.