Mobile Games Could Help Detect Autism

                Scientists have found that autism could be diagnosed by allowing children to play games on smartphones and tablets. Researchers used fun iPad games to track players’ hand movements – gathering information that can help identify autism. The research team found that the technology could offer an accessible and less intrusive way to diagnose the developmental disorder. They have shown that children with autism can identified by their game-play patterns on an iPad. This is potentially a major breakthrough for early identification of autism, because no stressful and expensive tests b clinicians are needed. Early detection is important as this can allow parents and children to gain access to a range of services support. This new ‘serious game’ assessment offers a cheaper, faster, fun way of testing for autism. But more work is needed to confirm this finding, and to test for its limitations. It is not social, emotional or cognitive aspects of game-play that identify autism. Rather, the key difference is in the way children with autism move their hands as they touch, swipe and gesture with the iPad during the game. Autism spectrum disorder is a childhood neuro-developmental disorder, and its global prevalence is estimated at one in 160 children.