
When a device goes haywire
An autism tracking app that can detect autism in real time may be on its way to the US.
The New York Times reports that Autism Speaks, a US advocacy group, is “pushing the federal government to approve the use of a new autism tracking technology that it says can potentially improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce the number of false diagnoses.”
It’s not clear how much it will cost the federal agencies that will be working on the project, or what impact the technology will have on autism cases.
The report says that the technology can also “improve communication between the family and the child’s healthcare providers.”
However, the report doesn’t say how it will be used.
A spokesperson for Autism Speak told The New American that the company has been working on autism tracking technologies for more than a decade and is now working on a “comprehensive autism technology plan” for use in the US and other countries.
The group says that it has “been working on developing and implementing a wide range of technologies, including a new technology that can track autism in the family.”
The technology could be useful for families that don’t have access to testing and care, the spokesperson added.
Autism Speakers spokesperson Andrew Nelms said that the group is “committed to making autism testing and support available to families in the U.S. and internationally,” and said the group would continue to develop technologies for the use in “special cases.”
The spokesperson added that the Autism Speaker technology “can also identify problems that may be contributing to autism in children and families and can help parents and families communicate more effectively about autism and the care that needs to be given.”