New Delhi: TO new app can identify children with autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders in India, a study in Delhi has found. Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder, constitutes a diverse group of conditions related to brain development.
Autism affects around 1 in 100 children worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The results, published Friday in the journal Autism, could open the door to helping millions of children with autism spectrum conditions get earlier screening tests quickly and affordably, leading to life-changing support. .
Researchers from India, the UK and the US tested the app, called START (Autism Risk Screening Tools Using Technology), with 131 children aged two to seven who lived in low-income neighborhoods. from delhi.
The team included researchers from the Indian Institute of Public Health – Bengaluru and the Child Development Group, Sangath.
The tests were carried out in the children’s homes, by non-specialized health personnel, with studies up to the medium level.
Through a series of simple tablet games, questions, images, and activities such as popping bubbles and looking at patterns and images, the app measured children’s social preference, sensory interests, and motor skills.
The app was 86 percent accurate in identifying children with any neurodevelopmental disorder, and 78 percent accurate in identifying specific autism, the researchers said.
This yield is significantly higher than standard screening assessments for neurodevelopmental disorders used by non-specialists, they said.
“Autism is diagnosed by highly trained professionals, but the majority of autistic people live in parts of the world that are home to few or no autism specialists and little autism awareness,” said Professor Bhismadev Chakrabarti, from the University of Reading. , United Kingdom.
“Many people with autism are undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or misunderstood, so we designed the START app to identify autism and related conditions anywhere,” said Chakrabarti, who led the study.
The START app puts a successful screening tool for autism and related conditions in the hands of people already working in communities for children’s health, he added.
The app uses a series of tests that measure different behavioral domains associated with outliers in autism.
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders preferred looking at geometric patterns rather than social scenes, were fascinated by predictable and repetitive sensory stimuli, and had more trouble completing precise tasks with their hands.
The app also included questions for parents, combining all the scores to help distinguish autistic children from non-autistic ones.
Families and healthcare workers who used the app said START was easy to use, fun for kids, and could be used in family homes even with background noise and distractions.
“This work gives us hope that one day we can provide objective and timely diagnosis of autism, where needed, regardless of financial or cultural barriers,” said Teodora Gliga, an associate professor at the University of East Anglia and a co-author of the study. . study.
