Internet Safety: Dealing with Online Friendships,
Dating and Other Interactions on Social Media

The internet has become pervasive in our lives. Business, education, entertainment, and social interaction are effortless in this time of COVID because of the internet. Unfortunately, the internet also invites the risk of cyberbullying, exposure to inappropriate material, access to interactions with online predators and identity thieves into our homes.

It is estimated that ninety percent of teenagers use the internet; however, nearly 30 percent of children interact online with no supervision (Crisis Prevention Institute, 2021). Data also suggests that one-third of children with special needs have been cyberbullied (CFILC, 2021).  

Many individuals with autism or other developmental disabilities have difficulty understanding the dangers of online socialization and entertainment.  Join us to learn how to prepare yourself and your child!

PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN TO:

• Teach their child(ren) about appropriate online behavior.
• Provide support and resources to their child(ren) concerning the murky waters of the online world.
• Know which information is safe to share on the internet.
• Discern who is an internet friend and who is not.
• Identify a cyberbully, predator or identity thief and when to ask for help.

DOWNLOAD SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

• Social Media Online Dating Online Safety Presentation Slides ( pdf, 1.47 MB )
• Sex Ed Resources IDD Adolescents ( pdf, 460 KB )
• Dating, Social Behavior, Sexuality Resources ( pdf, 150 KB )

MEET THE SPEAKERS

Dr. TJ Nestheide, Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services
Dr. Nestheide is a psychologist working with children and adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. He currently works for Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services (HCDDS) providing support throughout the agency. Prior to moving to HCDDS he worked with adults at the Southwest Ohio Developmental Center, a state-run residential center with approximately 100 residents, and with children at The Kelly O’Leary Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He did his doctoral work at Xavier University, internship at Kennedy Krieger and Johns Hopkins and fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s.

Amanda Tipkemper, M.Ed., Education and Autism Services Director, Heidt Center
Amanda is the Education & Autism Services Director at The Children’s Home [in Cincinnati, OH], overseeing the K-12 school programs that serve students with a variety of diagnoses that require specialized intervention and academic settings. Amanda has served the autism community in a variety of roles since 2004; in both professional and various volunteer positions. She has had the pleasure of designing programs throughout her career that meet the needs of the Greater Cincinnati region, including summer camps, early intervention and school age programs, a high school and transition program for students on the spectrum, and job readiness service options for students with autism and mental health diagnoses.

She has also served as a board member for the Autism Society of Greater Cincinnati where she chaired the advocacy committee, and served as a board member of the Young Professionals for Autism. Simultaneously, she was the facilitator of the Adults with Autism Support Group and ran community outings for that group for five years, and still serves as a substitute when called upon.