Autism affects about 3% of children in the United States, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To aid in earlier and more accurate diagnosis, a joint research team from Indiana University and Purdue University are exploring innovative methods. One of these methods involves the use of eye tracking biomarkers, a promising development in the field of eye care.
Rebecca McNally Keehn, PhD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine and the senior author of a recent paper published in JAMA Network Open, speaks about the challenge in timely autism diagnosis. There is a greater demand for autism evaluations than there are specialists available to provide this service, resulting in delays of a year or more. This delay can cause children to miss out on the optimal time for interventions.
This issue led the research team to conduct a study in primary care clinics across Indiana, observing the eye movements of 146 children between 14-48 months old. Eye tracking biomarkers provide an objective indication of diagnosis and have proven effective in differentiating between children with autism and those with other neurodevelopmental disabilities.
During the study, children watched videos on a computer screen while seated in a highchair or on a caregiver’s lap. The researchers then tracked and recorded their eye movements and pupil size. When these eye-tracking metrics were combined with primary care clinician diagnosis, the model achieved a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 87%. This means that the autism diagnosis was more accurate and reliable.
McNally Keehn believes that studies like this can help reduce delays in autism evaluations by providing primary care clinicians with a more robust diagnostic tool. She emphasizes that this is a public health issue and their approach could significantly improve timely and accurate diagnosis in local communities.
The research team plans to further their studies by conducting a large-scale replication and validation study of their diagnostic model using artificial intelligence. Following this, they aim to conduct a clinical trial to study the effectiveness of this diagnostic model in real-time primary care evaluations.
This work is an essential development in eye care and could potentially pave the way for more timely and accurate diagnosis of autism. At Shankar Netrika Eye Centre, we follow such developments closely, ensuring we provide the best possible care for our patients. You can learn more about our services, including cataract surgery, laser, and lasik, on our website at https://shankarnetrika.com/. For appointments, you can contact us at 9920044620 or visit our Eye Centre located at G. D. Ambekar Marg, Kalachowky, Cotton Green, Mumbai.
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