An app that could warn parents whether their child has autism within minutes has been developed by scientists— and it is 88 percent accurate.
Researchers at Duke University, in North Carolina, say the app — called SenseToKnow — would be available for download onto iPhones and iPads.
It works by playing a six-minute video to children while analyzing their facial expressions in response to features like bubbles, a fox sticking out its tongue and children playing.
Parents who are told their child is ‘high risk’ for autism by the app will then be asked to see their pediatrician for an assessment.
The app is already available on online phone stores, but parents will only be able to use it after receiving permission from the research team.
Researchers at Duke University say the app could help warn parents whether their children have autism. It correctly assessed 88 percent of youngsters with autism as having the condition
It screens for autism via analyzing facial expressions for clues for the condition. Facial expressions are triggered by its six-minute movie, which includes the above image
The movie also shows a fox-like animal on a green screen which sticks out its tongue repeatedly
Babies will also be shown a man blowing bubbles and have their facial expressions monitored
Researchers heralded the new technology as a breakthrough in diagnosing autism, which is currently evaluated by parents taking a survey — though this is poor at diagnosing the condition among girls and children of color.
Dr Geraldine Dawson, a psychiatrist who led the study, told DailyMail.com: ‘The app is still being researched and only parents who are participating in our studies can download and use it.
‘In the future, we envision 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 is considered high likelihood for an autism diagnosis — 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 have 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 among boys — four in 100 — compared to girls — one in 100.
There is no one definitive cause of autism and research suggests the disorder develops from a combination of genetic and environmental influences that affect early brain development.
In a study published in Nature Medicine and backed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 475 toddlers aged between 17 months and three years old used the app during a well-child visit with their doctors.
Each was asked to watch the six-minute videos on the app as they had their facial expressions tracked and analyzed. Researchers recorded behavioral responses such as blink rate, head movement and attention span, among others.
Overall, 49 children were later diagnosed with autism — or 10.3 percent.
Of these, the app correctly detected autism in 43 out of 49 kids, or 87.8 percent.
For the 426 children who did not have autism, it correctly said 80.8 percent — or 344 — did not have the condition.
The app correctly spotted autism in 88 percent of the children who it said had the condition. Above is another scene from the film
The app also shows a mechanical puppy slowly moving across the screen to help illicit facial expressions in children
Youngsters are also shown an image of other children playing with blocks
And of two adults who are having fun at the park. The app is available for parents to use
The movie also shows a woman with a spinning top
At the end of the film, children are asked to play a game where they try to pop bubbles. As before, the app monitors their facial expressions to help it detect autism
The NIH said kids in the study who screened positive for ASD on the app had about a 40 percent probability of being diagnosed with the condition, compared to the 15 percent probability rate for children who screened positive using the standard parental survey.
This probability climbed even higher when the app and the survey were combined, which led to a 63.4 percent chance that screening positive would lead to an official diagnosis.
Results were consistent across boys and girls, they said, and people from all ethnicities.
This is not 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 cleared 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 represents 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 behaviors and emotions, are observed and measured against the rest of their age group.
Formal diagnosis, however, must be handled by a trained specialist such as a developmental pediatrician or child psychologist.