Abstract

Autism is a social development disorder that is marked by a distinct lack of social and language skills. Prevalence rates for Autism in various societies range about 1 in every 150 children. The Indian scenario with regard to Autism is still in its nascent stage. World Health organization estimates about 2 million children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in India. However the actual prevalence rate is more than what has been reported. There have been no large-scale studies conducted in India to estimate the prevalence of developmental disorders. One of the major reasons for lack of credible data to estimate accurate prevalence rates is the lack of simple and effective screening systems to identify these disorders. The low prevalence rates reported are due to the misdiagnosis of the autistic children and lack of awareness among doctors, parents and teachers. Autistic children benefit from early detection and treatment. But in India, early intervention is still difficult due to the lack of technological solutions to screen and diagnose the affected children. It takes as long as two years for parents to find a doctor able to diagnose the severity of the disorder and recommend treatment. By then, they have often run out of money and patience. In that interim period before diagnosis, crucial opportunities are lost to communicate with the child, ease both the child and his parents' frustrations, and improve the chances of optimum development. Treatment in rural areas is further hindered by superstitions, a plethora of regional languages, and poverty. Monthly treatments for autistic children run between US $400 to $500, compared to a farmer's income of $10-100 which prevents people below poverty line to diagnose their children. All these factors have created barriers for special children to get diagnosed sooner & prevent them from availing early medical Intervention services. Furthermore, these factors restrain them from improving their life skills and eventually exclude them from social participation there by reducing their educational and learning opportunities. All these issues motivated us to develop technological aids to easily screen and diagnose children with autism. A novel screener has been developed in our research and the pilot study results have demonstrated the impact of this technological solution in quickly identifying the developmental delays and Autism with in a 20 Minute software session. The system has reduced the burden of the medical team caring for such special children and have facilitated early intervention program n developing countries like India.

Submission Document

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