1. IAN Exchange Linking people and ideas to advance autism research

2. IAN Exchange The IAN Exchange is an online Community of Practice for Autism Researchers that will: Enable the exchange/convergence of community knowledge and ideas Promote collaboration in the autism research community

3. But what’s a Community of Practice (CoP)? A network made up of individuals who share: Set of concerns Common mandate Sense of purpose IAN Exchange

4. But more than just a community, CoPs, like Guilds: Span borders of organizational and geographic boundaries intentionally Complement existing structures Promote collaboration, information exchange, and the development of best practices Self-governed and managed IAN Exchange

5. A Very Brief History of CoPs IAN Exchange The first known ‘CoPs’ (Guilds) were developed in India 2000 – 500 B.C. Term coined in 1991 The first known (by me) ONLINE CoP was developed in Baltimore in 1990

6. Known as the Genome Database Project… It organized and amassed information about the subject at hand It was maintained by the researchers themselves – they were the ‘curators’ of the information IAN Exchange

7. And…it organized the people and brought them together in new collaborations in a brand new way IAN Exchange

8. In the 21 st Century, Online CoPs exist in most professions IAN Exchange The Best: Organize people, organizations, and groups.

9. The Best: IAN Exchange Provide tools that help professionals get their work done better

10. The Best: IAN Exchange Allow the professionals do it by themselves (with a little help from the staff)!

11. The Best: IAN Exchange Provide mechanisms for groups and individuals to manage their knowledge assets

12. The Best: IAN Exchange Create unprecedented partnerships

13. The Best: IAN Exchange Foster informal learning and exchange of experiences.

14. Most importantly: IAN Exchange Become an essential part of the participants’ lives.

15. Most importantly: IAN Exchange Become an essential part of the participants’ lives.

16. But why do autism researchers need this? IAN Exchange

17. Because autism researchers come from…. IAN Exchange

18. A variety of disciplines… IAN Exchange Psychiatry Genetics Neurobiology Education Anthropology Physical Therapy Psychology Pediatrics Occupational Therapy Epidemiology Public Health Psychopharmacology Sociology Speech and Language Etc.

19. A variety of institutions… IAN Exchange Universities Clinics Schools Hospitals Non-profits/NGOs Governmental agencies from local to national Etc.

20. All over the world… IAN Exchange

21. We publish in scores of journals… IAN Exchange American Journal of Medical Genetics Current Opinion in Psychiatry Journal of Neuroscience Research Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Archives of General Psychiatry Clinical Endocrinology CNS Spectrums Pediatrics Pediatric Clinics of North America Biological Psychiatry American Journal of Mental Retardation Pediatric Nursing Journal of Child Language Epilepsia Etc.

22. But much of what we learn comes from peers and mentors… IAN Exchange

23. Do you want to expand your horizons, explore new territory, learn from the experiences of others, and become part of an international collaboration? IAN Exchange

24. How will the IAN Exchange help? IAN Exchange

25. The IAN Exchange will provide secure online meeting rooms where existing groups can discuss their projects and share and organize their documents and other digital assets IAN Exchange Centers Networks Committees Professional Associations Boards of Directors Research Projects Multi-center studies Departments

26. The IAN Exchange will provide Special Interest Areas (Cafes) where ad hoc groups can discuss and share assets on topics of interest. IAN Exchange Immunology Maternal depression Cross-cultural attitudes Special diets FMRP deficiency Educational interventions Grant writers Research on adults with Asperger’s Autism and females Phenotypes Journal Clubs IAN Research Data Users IAN Research Subject Recruitment Assistance Users IAN Community Authors IAN Exchange Leaders Group Etc.

27. The IAN Exchange will foster a self-organizing, community-rated, searchable library containing all manner of ‘assets.’ IAN Exchange Projects Findings Images Films Discussions Podcasts Documents PowerPoint Slides Ideas People Groups Lectures Online Learning Modules Etc.

28. The IAN Exchange will build trust with the broader autism community by allowing them to be observers of selected groups and assets. IAN Exchange

29. How will the IAN Exchange help? IAN Exchange Enable life-long learning Broaden the circle for informal learning (learning from experiences) Facilitate important day-to-day collaborative activities Allow you to participate in a variety of collaborative activities (from your lab to international consortia) with one USER NAME and PASSWORD Foster interaction between new/more junior and senior/more experienced Move knowledge assets fluidly from group to group Tie your work to the other internet assets.

30. But better than that, the IAN Exchange will help you: IAN Exchange Adapt to pace of change in creation and dissemination of knowledge Create a stronger synchrony of efforts Create a culture of shared responsibility Engage the public in the research agenda Address the ethical, legal, and social issues involved in autism research Foster the notion that data derived from the people should serve the public good (Source: Derived from IOM Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine)

31. How can you help? IAN Exchange Start your own or facilitate a special interest group Open your own meeting rooms Engage other researchers in the project!

32. Coming soon to a browser near you… IAN Exchange