In what may pave the way for early diagnosis and treatment of autism, scientists claim to have created a new automated vocal analysis system which can detect the disorder in children by analysing their voices.
Toddlers with autism pronounce words differently to their healthy peers which can be picked up by the device known as Language Environment Analysis (LENA), say the scientists.
The device works by recording a child’s speech for a whole day and then feeding the data into a special computer programme which compares the noises with those of other youngsters already known to have the condition.
The scientists say early speech of infants with autism -- particularly the way they pronounce the syllables of words — are distinct from those of typically developing children.
“This technology could help paediatricians screen children for ASD to determine if a referral to a specialist for a full diagnosis is required and get those children into earlier and more effective treatments,” ‘The Daily Telegraph’ quoted lead scientist Prof Steven Warren of Kansas University.
For their research, the scientists analysed 1,486 recordings from 232 children aged between 10 months and four years -- more than 3.1 million identified utterances.
They found the most important indicator proved to be the ones targeting the way children pronounce syllables — the ability of children to produce well-formed syllables with rapid movements of the jaw and tongue during vocalisation.
In fact, the device, which costs 130 pounds, picked up those with the condition with 86 per cent accuracy, according to the findings published in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ journal.
Moreover, it differentiated normal children and those with autism from children with language delay based on the automated vocal analysis, say the scientists.
