newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Earlier diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder is essential for quicker treatment, and a school in Minnesota is undergoing testing to monitor children for symptoms.

Researchers Guillermo Sapiro and Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos are conducting experiments with Microsoft Kinect gaming sensors at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development.

According to Mashable, Sapiro and Papanikolopoulos set up five of the Kinect sensors in the school’s playroom to record movements of the children, aged 3 to 5. Data was then sent to computers which calculated what children were most at risk for autism based on hand movements and levels of activity.

Newscientist.com reports that the Kinect cameras track the children based on their shape and the color of the clothes they are wearing. The information is ranked against the room's average. The system is able to spot children who are hyperactive or very still - possible indicators of autism.

Sapiro said, "The idea is not to replace the diagnosis, but we are going to bring the diagnosis to everybody.”

The Kinect system has been used for voice-guided shopping trips at Whole Foods and playing a pipe organ with just hand gestures. Meanwhile, the U.S. government is using a similar system, the SIM Sensei, to diagnose depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers.

But Caroline Hattersley of The National Autistic Society in London, pointed out that that specialists are still important, according to Daily Source. "While this technology could potentially identify some signs of autism, there are many factors, such as language delay and limited eye contact that it would miss."