April is Autism Acceptance Month, a time to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in 36 children in the U.S. has autism.
Despite its prevalence, many families face long waits, sometimes months, before securing an appointment with a specialist for a diagnosis.
A new tool developed by the Cleveland Clinic aims to help change that.
An autism diagnosis is life-changing, but the gap between having concerns and getting that diagnosis still looms large.
“On average, parents suspect something is wrong with their child’s development around one year of age.
However, the diagnosis is made about two to three years later, on average.
So, there is a huge lag, and that is because there is a long waiting list for autism diagnostic clinics.”
Cleveland Clinic Pediatric Neurologist Dr. Mohammed Aldosari
Dr. Aldosari, a pediatric neurologist at the Cleveland Clinic, emphasizes the importance of an autism diagnosis.
He was involved in creating and testing “Autism Eyes,” a tool designed to assist with early diagnosis.
The tool measures a child’s gaze and eye movement while they watch various videos and images.
Based on the child’s reactions, a diagnosis can be made.
The tool offers many benefits, like providing immediate results. It also requires very little training, so primary care physicians would be able to administer the test.
The ultimate goal of Autism Eyes is not only to reduce wait times for diagnosis but also to ensure that children receive treatment sooner.
Dr. Aldosari said, “With children, there is a principle called brain plasticity, which is a very important principle in terms of responding to achievements. So, the earlier the intervention, the better the outcome. And this has been proven by multiple studies, so when we diagnose autism about one to two years earlier, it has a huge impact in terms of their outcomes.”
While Autism Eyes is still in development and not yet available for clinical use, efforts to bring the tool to families and doctors’ offices continue.
