Researchers have taken photographs of children’s retinas and screened them using a deep learning AI algorithm to diagnose autism with 100% accuracy. The findings support using AI as an objective screening tool for early diagnosis, especially when access to a specialist child psychiatrist is limited.

AI-screened eye pics diagnose childhood autism with 100% accuracy::undefined

  • vibinya@lemmy.worldEnglish
    153·
    11 months ago

    This is great. Article explains the method and sample size. This could be a great tool, and I hope it can be applied to any age. Many people who are on the spectrum and are high functioning can go most of their lives without a diagnosis while struggling to understand why the world feels so different to them.

    • cynar@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      11 months ago

      This is particularly useful, since it would be easy to mass deploy. A quick photo, during a childhood checkup, and it can be easily checked. It doesn’t need to be focused, so could catch a lot more, less obvious cases.

      As an autistic myself, an early diagnosis would have potentially helped a lot. This would still be true of those who mask well.

    • kromem@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      11 months ago

      I hope it can be applied to any age.

      According to the study:

      Our sequential age-based modeling suggested that retinal photographs may serve as an objective screening tool starting at least at age 4 years. Moreover, the newborn retina continues to develop and mature up to age 4 years.44,45 Taken together, our models are potentially viable for screening children from this age onward, which is earlier than the average age of 60.48 months at ASD diagnosis.

      So not any age, but fairly early on.