Abstract
Background: Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can currently be diagnosed at the age of 2 years, age at ASD diagnosis is still 40 months or even later. In order to early screening for ASD with more objective method, behavioral videos were used in a number of studies in recent years.Method: The still-face paradigm (SFP) was adopted to measure the frequency and duration of non-social smiling, protest behavior, eye contact, social smiling, and active social engagement in high-risk ASD group (HR) and typical development group (TD) (HR: n = 45; TD: n = 43). The HR group was follow-up until they were 2 years old to confirm final diagnosis. Machine learning methods were used to establish models for early screening of ASD.Results: During the face-to-face interaction (FF) episode of the SFP, there were statistically significant differences in the duration and frequency of eye contact, social smiling, and active social engagement between the two groups. During the still-face (SF) episode, there were statistically significant differences in the duration and frequency of eye contact and active social engagement between the two groups. The 45 children in the HR group were reclassified into two groups after follow-up: five children in the N-ASD group who were not meet the criterion of ASD and 40 children in the ASD group. The results showed that the accuracy of Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification was 83.35% for the SF episode.Conclusion: The use of the social behavior indicator of the SFP for a child with HR before 2 years old can effectively predict the clinical diagnosis of the child at the age of 2 years. The screening model constructed using SVM based on the SF episode of the SFP was the best. This also proves that the SFP has certain value in high-risk autism spectrum disorder screening. In addition, because of its convenient, it can provide a self-screening mode for use at home.Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-OPC-17011995.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that starts in early childhood and is characterized by social communication barriers, restricted interests, repetitive stereotyped behaviors, and abnormalities in perception [1]
The 45 children in the high-risk ASD group (HR) group were reclassified into two groups after follow-up: five children in the N-ASD group who were not meet the criterion of ASD and 40 children in the ASD group
The use of the social behavior indicator of the still-face paradigm (SFP) for a child with HR before 2 years old can effectively predict the clinical diagnosis of the child at the age of 2 years
Summary
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that starts in early childhood and is characterized by social communication barriers, restricted interests, repetitive stereotyped behaviors, and abnormalities in perception [1]. A large number of studies on ASD have shown that early intervention helps improve patient prognosis [3]. Understanding the early childhood behaviors of ASD will help facilitate early intervention in infants and toddlers who are suspected of having ASD and improve their prognosis, which has very important social and economic implications. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can currently be diagnosed at the age of 2 years, age at ASD diagnosis is still 40 months or even later. In order to early screening for ASD with more objective method, behavioral videos were used in a number of studies in recent years
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
