Parents can now detect autism in kids as young as 12 months with the help of a free smartphone app – ensuring they receive crucial early intervention.
ASDetect uses comprehensive research conducted by the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre and has been proven to be 81% accurate in the early detection of autism and other related conditions.
The app guides parents in assessing their children through videos, questions and activities to carry out with their child for ages 12, 18 and 24 months.
Parents watch two videos – one of a child with ‘typical’ development and a corresponding one of a child with autism and then answer a series of assessment questions about their own child.
Based on what parents input into the system, they are sent a notification with advice as to whether they should seek help.
The app uses questions formulates by autism expert Dr Josephine Barbaro, who says the app will “revolutionise the way autism is identified”.
“ASDetect is an empowering tool for parents who may feel their children are developing differently than expected and are looking for answers,” she told Kidspot.
“The new ASDetect app is an ideal way to share proven techniques with thousands of parents.
“All typically developing infants are motivated to be social, look at other people’s faces, learn from them and copy.
Children with ASD are not doing this – and we can now accurately identify this at a much younger age and take action, with the help of parents.”
The app is available for free on the App Store and Google Play.
