A new study highlights the benefits of telemedicine in the assessment of autism in children with a high probability of developing this neurological disorder.
- For parents suspecting a high probability of autism in their infant, it is often necessary to wait months, even years, before obtaining an appointment with a specialist and therefore making a diagnosis with certainty.
- Telemedicine could be helpful in providing better referrals and early detection of autism, not by formally diagnosing this disorder, but by helping families determine whether pursuing a full autism diagnostic assessment makes sense for their child.
For a few years and even more so with the Covid-19 pandemic, telemedicine has established itself as a reliable alternative for patients wishing to quickly consult a doctor, obtain a prescription without being able to obtain a physical appointment with their practitioner.
Helping to remedy the shortage of practitioners that affects rural and urban areas, telemedicine can also prove to be a valuable tool for the early diagnosis of autism.
This is revealed by a new study conducted by researchers from the MIND Institute at the University of California at Davis, in the United States. Published in the journal autismit shows that e-medicine assessment could contribute to improving access to care for infants with a high probability of autism, in particular by helping isolated families or families placed on long waiting lists to obtain a diagnosis and early treatment.
“The goal is not to diagnose autism in infants, says Meagan Talbott, associate professional researcher in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a faculty member at the MIND Institute. It’s about providing a developmental assessment to help bridge the gap we know parents face from first noticing symptoms until their children are ultimately diagnosed with autism.”
The likelihood of autism detected remotely
When parents have a suspected autism in one of their children, they usually seek an early assessment. They then find themselves on long waiting lists, or have to travel to centers far from their homes. Years generally pass between the moment when the parents ask themselves questions and the moment when they are finally received.
“This results in significant stress for families and a delay in supporting infants and their caregivers”notes Professor Talbott.
The study involved 41 infants, aged 6 to 12 months, whose parents had concerns about social communication or autism. They were recruited nationally in three cohorts. A quarter of infants had siblings with autism.
The researchers used the TEDI (Telehealth Evaluation of Development for Infants), a behavioral evaluation protocol that they had previously developed, and which consists of a set of parent-child interactions (games, reading, etc.) over a period of 45 to 90 minutes. An examiner scored social communication, play, imitation and other areas of development, and parents completed a series of questionnaires. All families also received a small kit of toys needed for the assessment, including blocks, a soft book, rattles, a small blanket and bubbles.
The results showed that the majority of infants had high likelihood of autism in both parent-completed questionnaires and examiner-rated behavior.
According to the researchers, these results show the advantage of telemedicine in leading to reliable and rapid diagnosis. “My vision is that in the future, if a family is concerned about their child’s development, we could incorporate a telehealth assessment like this as a second-level screening to help families determine if continuing of a comprehensive diagnostic assessment for autism makes sense for their child”concludes Professor Talbott.
families to determine if pursuing a full autism diagnostic assessment makes sense for their child”
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