Duke Researcher Develops AI App to Screen Kids for Autism

The newly developed app utilises AI to assess a child's responses and predict how likely it is that the child will be diagnosed with autism. 

Researchers at Duke University have developed an application called SenseToKnow, powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) which can screen for autism in children by analysing a variety of distinct behavioural indicators.

The newly developed app utilises AI to assess a child's responses and predict how likely it is that the child will be diagnosed with autism. 

SenseToKnow is compatible with tablets and leverages nearly all its sensors to measure and characterise the child's response without needing any special equipment.

Further, the AI tool can provide scores for both the quality of data collected by the app and the level of accuracy of its analysis.

Additionally, the app can detect a wider range of behaviours including facial expression, gaze patterns, head movements and blink rate. It also includes an on-screen bubble-popping game designed to assess motor movement and skills, as delays in motor skills are one of the earliest signs of autism.

Sharing his views, Geraldine Dawson, director, the Center for Autism and Brain Development, Duke University, said, "Autism is characterised by many different behaviours, and not all children on the spectrum display all of them equally, or at all. This screening tool captures a wide range of behaviours that more accurately reflect the complexity and variability found in autism."

In the study, SenseToKnow was administered to 475 children during a paediatric well-child visit. Out of these, 49 of whom were subsequently diagnosed with autism and 98 were diagnosed with developmental delay but not autism.

The app showed 87.8 % sensitivity for detecting autism, indicating its accurate identification of the majority of children with autism. Its specificity, which represents the percentage of children without autism who tested negative, was recorded at 80.8%

Founded in 1838, Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina. The institution has evolved into one of the world's leading institutions for education, research, and patient care. Recently the researchers at Duke developed precise approaches including immunotherapies and targeted therapies to stop tumours.

In the child healthcare space, Sunshine by LISSUN, India's leading mental health platform launched its first offline centre for children with developmental and behavioural disorders. This initiative sought to address the challenges faced by parents and children in finding quality care for developmental and behavioural disorders including Autism, ADHD and Cerebral Palsy.

Days back, Mylab introduced the newborn screening point-of-care device '˜MyNeoShield' which offers affordable screening methods to preserve lives and prevent lifelong illnesses. Further, it accommodates all seven standard newborn screening tests conducted globally.