How AI could help screen for autism in children

For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), receiving an early diagnosis can make a huge difference in improving behavior, skills and language development. There is no lab test and no single identified genetic cause--instead, clinicians look at the child's behavior and conduct structured interviews with the child's caregivers based on questionnaires. But these questionnaires are extensive, complicated and not foolproof. "In trying to discern and stratify a complex condition such as autism spectrum disorder, knowing what questions to ask and in what order becomes challenging," said USC University Professor Shrikanth Narayanan, Niki and Max Nikias Chair in Engineering and professor of electrical and computer engineering, computer science, linguistics, psychology, pediatrics and otolaryngology. "As such, this system is difficult to administer and can produce false positives, or confound ASD as other comorbid conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)."