Scientists have developed an app that could alert parents within minutes if their child has autism – and it has 88 percent accuracy.
Researchers at Duke University in North Carolina say the app, called SenseToKnow, will be available for download on iPhones and iPads.
A six-minute video is played to the children and their facial expressions are analyzed in response to features such as bubbles, a fox sticking out its tongue and children playing.
Parents who are told by the app that their child is at “high risk” for autism are then asked to see their pediatrician for an assessment.
The app is already available in online mobile phone stores, but parents can only use it if they have received permission from the research team.
Duke University researchers say the app could help alert parents if their children have autism. It has been correctly determined that 88 percent of adolescents with autism suffer from the condition
It screens for autism by analyzing facial expressions to find clues to the condition. The facial expression is triggered by the six-minute film that contains the image above
The film also shows a fox-like animal on a green screen repeatedly sticking out its tongue
The babies are also shown a man blowing bubbles and their facial expressions are monitored
Researchers said the new technology represents a breakthrough in diagnosing autism, which is currently being evaluated by parents through a survey – although it does a poor job of diagnosing the condition in girls and children with dark skin.
Dr. Geraldine Dawson, a psychiatrist who led the study, told : “The app is still being researched and only parents taking part in our studies will be able to download and use it.”
“In the future, we envision parents downloading the app on their smartphone or tablet and giving the app to their child at home.”
“The app’s results – specifically whether the child has a high likelihood of an autism diagnosis – are sent to the pediatrician or other health care provider, who discusses the results with parents and makes appropriate referrals for services.”
“The app also provides information about the child’s clinical profile, which can be used for intervention planning and monitoring.”
Approximately one in 36 children in the United States suffers from autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental disability.
People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, as well as restricted or repetitive behaviors and interests.
The rate is higher for boys (four in 100) than for girls (1 in 100).
There is no clear cause of autism and research suggests that the disorder develops through a combination of genetic and environmental influences that influence early brain development.
In a study published in Nature Medicine and supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 475 toddlers between the ages of 17 months and three years used the app during a pediatrician visit.
Everyone was asked to watch the six-minute videos on the app while their facial expressions were tracked and analyzed. The researchers recorded behavioral responses such as blink frequency, head movement and attention span, among other things.
In total, 49 children were later diagnosed with autism – or 10.3 percent.
Of these, the app correctly recognized autism in 43 of 49 children, i.e. 87.8 percent.
Of the 426 children who did not have autism, it was correctly reported that 80.8 percent – or 344 – did not have autism.
The app detected autism in 88 percent of children it said had autism. Above is another scene from the film
The app also features a mechanical puppy that slowly moves across the screen to encourage illicit facial expressions in children
The young people are also shown a picture of other children playing with building blocks
And two adults having fun in the park. The app is available for parents to use
The film also shows a woman with a spinning top
At the end of the film, the children are asked to play a game where they try to pop bubbles. As before, the app monitors their facial expressions to detect autism
The NIH said children in the study who tested positive for ASD on the app had about a 40 percent chance of being diagnosed with the disorder, compared to a 15 percent chance rate for children who tested on the standard Parent survey tested positive.
That probability increased even higher when the app and survey were combined, resulting in a 63.4 percent chance that a positive screen would lead to an official diagnosis.
They said the results were consistent across boys and girls and across people of all ethnic groups.
This isn’t the first time scientists have turned to technology to study and detect ASD.
Cognoa, a medical company in Palo Alto, California, last year became the first company to have its app approved by the Food and Drug Administration for diagnosing autism.
Their app is designed for children between 18 months and six years.
To receive an official diagnosis, children still need to see a trained professional, but this represents another step toward standardized testing for autism.
Screenings for ASD are recommended at 18 and 24 months, when a child’s language, movement and thinking skills, as well as behaviors and emotions, are observed and measured in comparison to the rest of their age group.
However, the formal diagnosis must be made by a trained specialist such as a developmental pediatrician or a child psychologist.