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Signs of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically appear in the first two years of life. Early diagnosis and intervention can improve outcomes for people on the autism spectrum, But ASD can be difficult to diagnose.
Children are often screened for ASD at an early age during well-child medical visits. Standard screening is based on a caregiver questionnaire. But this method has proven less accurate in real-world health care settings than in research studies. So scientists have been working to develop accurate, easy-to-use screening tools to improve early detection.
Two years ago, a research team at Duke University reported promising results from a prototype mobile app that could detect distinctive eye gaze patterns in toddlers who were later diagnosed with ASD. For their latest study, the researchers developed and tested a new tablet-based app called SenseToKnow. This experimental app collects data not only on the child’s eye gaze but also on facial expressions, attention, head movements, and other behaviors related to ASD.
For more from the NIH on this very promising app, click here.
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