Researchers developing app to help diagnose autism in young children

6abc Digital Staff Image
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
New app could help with early diagnose of autism in young children
Researchers at Duke University are developing an app they say can more quickly and accurately diagnose autism in young children.

Doctors say early detection is key for treatment and researchers hope a new app could help doctors diagnose children with autism at an earlier stage.

While parents need to fill out a questionnaire at a child's two-year checkup, experts say those questionnaires can miss important signs, and are not as effective in girls or ethnic minorities.

RELATED: CDC report finds more children in U.S. diagnosed with autism due to better screening

Now, researchers at Duke University are developing an app they say can more quickly and accurately diagnose autism in young children.

The app takes fewer than ten minutes to administer and includes a series of prompts and videos for kids to respond to.

RELATED: Human brain cells transplanted onto rat brain can influence its behavior, Stanford study suggests

According to the CDC, about 3% of children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder and boys are four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed.