While recognition of autism is improving all of the time, the reality of it is that, for many families seeking diagnosis for their children, the waiting times are long. This is often down to how hard it can be to spot autism (particularly in girls!) and there is no single definitive test that can confirm that a person is autistic. Identification of autism is usually based on a portfolio of evidence, consisting of various reports from healthcare professionals, educational providers and parents. However, lengthy delays between appointments can mean it takes months, if not years, to collect the required evidence. Depending on the area a child lives, a diagnosis may be key in securing any additional support in school or at home.
mHealth (Mobile Computing Technology) provides some exciting opportunities to help speed up the diagnosis process by collecting evidence of behaviours outside of clinical settings, such as at home or school. Mobile phones and tablet computers are packed with interesting sensors and features, such as accelerometers, touch screens and video cameras. This technology can be harnessed to capture essential information about a child's behaviour that may support the diagnosis of autism. Such technology holds the potential to support a diagnosis and gather useful data longitudinally to understand how a child's skills, abilities, aptitudes, and support needs may evolve over time.
Getting such applications to the point of clinical acceptance is a long and challenging journey, but some interesting research has taken place in this area. A notable project was that of Harimata, a Polish company, collaborating with the University of Strathclyde, who developed an iPad application that used data mining and machine learning to identify behavioural patterns that might suggest the presence of an autism spectrum condition.
The app encouraged children to interact with the tablet by playing specific games that gathered data about movements and gestures and engagement and attention. Algorithms were then applied to predict the likelihood of a user being autistic (Anzulewicz et al, 2016).
A US-based* project, NODA, guided the user - in most cases, the parent or carer -through the process of collecting video data of a child in various settings, such as a family meal or at home (Nazneen et al, 2015). The data was then transmitted to the clinician's office before a medical appointment, allowing them to mark up the video. Such an approach enables gathering of valuable data outside of a clinical setting and in a child's everyday environment. This can also free up appointment time for other forms of engagement with the child and their family, without the need to spend it all on observations.
These projects are just two examples that are illustrative of some of the exciting ways in which relatively affordable mobile tech can help support the diagnosis and ongoing support of autistic children and their families. Especially with developments in AI and data science, we can expect to see an acceleration in this area of mHealth development. With faster, more accurate and more efficient diagnoses, there is increased scope for appropriate support, understanding and acceptance of autistic children.
* Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States, Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center, Phoenix, Arizona, United States, Behaviour Imaging Solutions, Boise, ID, United States
References
Anzulewicz, A., Sobota, K., & Delafield-Butt, J. T. (2016). Toward the Autism Motor Signature: Gesture patterns during smart tablet gameplay identify children with autism. Scientific Reports, 6(April), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep31107
Nazneen, N., Rozga, A., Smith, C. J., Oberleitner, R., Abowd, G. D., & Arriaga, R. I. (2015). A Novel System for Supporting Autism Diagnosis Using Home Videos: Iterative Development and Evaluation of System Design. JMIR MHealth and UHealth, 3(2), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.4393
Redzisz, M. (2021). Harimata or a Spy in the Service of Health. Artificial Intelligence. https://www.sztucznainteligencja.org.pl/en/harimata-or-a-spy-in-the-service-of-health/
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