Researchers Develop Tool to Diagnose and Treat Autism in Children (VIDEO)

Researchers at Indiana University and Rutgers University have made a screening tool helpful in detecting and treating autism in children above three years of age.

The computerized tool shows individuals different images and a sensitive tracker supervises their movements. According to the researchers, this tool can give an earlier more objective and accurate analysis of autism.

The tool presents 240 images every second and tracks "systemic signatures" that measure every individual's responses to the images. According to the researchers, the software examines the movement change and enables the identification of stable capabilities in each person. It also draws attention to defects in individual's movements.

"Every time the children cross a certain region in space, the media they like best goes on. They start out randomly exploring their surroundings. They seek where in space that interesting spot is which causes the media to play, and then they do so more systematically. Once they see a cause-and-effect connection, they move deliberately. The action becomes an intentional behavior," explained Dr Elizabeth Torres, assistant professor in psychology at the School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University. By this method, Dr Torres said, children can control their bodies in order to communicate what they need to watch.

Statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that one out of every 88 children receives a diagnosis of autism.

For the study, the researcher showed 25 autistic children cartoons, music videos, TV shows and videos of the child. All of them instinctively chose their favorite media by using a simple motion.

The researchers said they believed that parents of children with autism would find the method easy to use.