Early assessment of autism through smart tablet gameplay
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Toward Early Autism Assessment: A Prospective Diagnostic Accuracy Study
IRAS ID
231435
Contact name
Jonathan Delafield-Butt
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Strathclyde
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 1 months, 0 days
Research summary
Is a tablet game play application capable of differentiating typically developing (TD) children from those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or other neurodevelopmental disorders (OND) by assessing interaction with the tablet screen?
The primary aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic accuracy of an iPad application (Play.Care assessment) with the current clinical "gold standard" diagnosis for diagnosis of ASD in children.
Recent evidence has suggested that movement abnormalities are one of the early markers of ASD. However, current clinical diagnostic assessments fail to take this into account. Further, the current "gold standard" clinical tests take a number of hours to administer, require extensive clinical training and are subject to a certain level of subjectivity.
Alternatively, by assessing a child's interaction with an iPad screen as they play, an objective measurement of movement can be obtained, which can aid in the diagnostic process.
This study aims to recruit a total of 760 children (TD, OND and ASD groups) over a number of sites to assess the diagnostic accuracy of tablet game play in ASD. Children who have been referred for clinical diagnosis of ASD will perform the Play.Care assessment as part of their clinical assessment. Further, children who have already been diagnosed with ASD will also perform the Play.Care assessment to assess if the tablet result matches their clinical diagnosis. Results from the clinical assessment and Play.Care assessment will then be compared to assess the sensitivity (the proportion of participants with ASD who test positive for ASD as a result of the Play.Care assessment) and specificity (the proportion of participants without ASD who test negatively for ASD as a result of the Play.Care assessment assessment) of the Play.Care assessment.REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
17/WS/0203
Date of REC Opinion
6 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion