Can an app diagnose autism? A new tool observes toddlers and detects condition with 88% accuracy
Scientists have developed an app that can diagnose autism in minutes – and it is 88 percent accurate.
Researchers from Duke University in North Carolina say the app – called SenseToKnow – would be available to download on iPhones and iPads.
It works by playing a six-minute video to children as they analyze their facial expressions 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 phone stores, but parents can only use it after permission from the research team.
Researchers have heralded the new technology as a breakthrough in autism diagnosis, which is currently being evaluated by parents completing a survey – although this is poor at diagnosing the condition in girls and children of color.
Above you can see the icon for Search To Know and the welcome screen. Users can download the app, but it must be approved by researchers at Duke University to use it
In addition to short films, a version of the app also showed a bubble game used to diagnose autism
Dr. Geraldine Dawson, a psychiatrist who led the study, told DailyMail.com: ‘The app is still being researched and only parents who take part in our studies can download and use it.
‘In the future we see parents downloading the app on their smartphone or tablet and administering the app to their child at home.
‘The results of the app – specifically whether the child has a high likelihood of being diagnosed with autism – would be sent to their pediatrician or other healthcare provider, who would discuss the results with the parents and make appropriate referrals for services.
‘The app also provides information about the child’s clinical profile, which can be used for intervention planning and monitoring.’
About one in 36 children in the US has 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 percentage is higher among boys (four in 100) than among girls (one in 100).
There is no single definitive cause of autism, and research suggests that the disorder arises from a combination of genetic and environmental influences that affect early brain development.
In a study published in Naturopathy and supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 475 toddlers between 17 months and three years old used the app during a pediatric visit to their doctor.
Everyone was asked to watch the six-minute videos on the app while their facial expressions were tracked and analyzed. Researchers recorded behavioral responses such as blink frequency, head movements and attention span.
A total of 49 children were subsequently diagnosed with autism – or 10.3 percent.
Of these, the app correctly diagnosed autism in 43 out of 49 children, or 87.8 percent.
Of the 426 children who did not have autism, it was rightly said that 80.8 percent – or 344 – did not have the condition.
The NIH said children in the study who screened positive for ASD using the app had about a 40 percent chance of being diagnosed with the condition, compared to the 15 percent probability for children who screened positive using the standard parental survey.
This probability increased when the app and survey were combined, leading to a 63.4 percent chance that a positive screen would lead to an official diagnosis.
The results were consistent among boys and girls, they said, and among people of all ethnic groups.
This isn’t the first time scientists have turned to technology to study and diagnose 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 old.
To receive an official diagnosis, children must still see a trained professional, but this marks another step toward a standardized test for autism.
Screenings for ASD are advised at the 18-month and 24-month milestones, when a child’s language, movement and thinking skills, as well as behavior and emotions, are observed and measured against the rest of their age group.
However, the formal diagnosis should be handled by a trained specialist, such as a developmental pediatrician or child psychologist.