By Tony O’Riley-
Online tools and assessments are to be used to speed up the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), new research in the field states.
The survey demonstrated that using Internet-based tools in health care – a field known as telehealth, has the potential to multiple benefits including the diagnosis and other services in autism care.
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The team surveyed 20 years’ worth of research in fields related to autism and telehealth, narrowing down an initial sample of 3,700 articles to 10 for close study.
They examined which telehealth approaches have been used in the diagnosis and assessment of ASD in children and adults, and how they compare with face-to-face methods.
The researchers said current methods meant it could sometimes take several years after someone first seeks help before an ASD diagnosis is confirmed. This sometimes occurs because of insufficient expertise to several appointments being necessary, and the fact that the process can be very stressful for individuals who might later be diagnosed with ASD.
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They added that the specialist services can also require a lot of travelling for families and experts, with delays in diagnosis leading to poor outcomes for both the families and individuals.
The application of Telehealth has already been successful in areas such as radiology, cardiology, mental health, and for monitoring patients with diabetes and hypertension, but this is the first study to review the existing literature on the use of telehealth to support ASD diagnostic assessment, the researchers claimed.
The review revealed two main approaches to using telehealth:
Real-Time method: For example, videoconferencing, which enables a range of health professionals in different areas to meet in real time with the family to assess the child or adult, reducing the need for travel or multiple appointments.
Store-and-Forward method
This method involves enables parents and caregivers to upload videos of a child’s behaviour to a web portal, allowing clinicians to see a child in their every days surroundings, which then better informs the assessment.
The team confirmed that both approaches are acceptable to both families and clinicians; and have good diagnostic accuracy.
They also improve access to professionals and reduce costs for accessing care. They enable the natural behaviours in the home setting to be observed; and can also enable both parents in divorced families to contribute to the diagnostic process.
“Telehealth can potentially improve the efficiency of the diagnosis process for ASD,” said Professor Sinead Brophy of Swansea University Medical School. “The evidence reviewed in our study shows that it can reduce delays and improve outcomes, when used in conjunction with existing methods. It could be of particular benefit to those with clear autism traits and adults with ASD.”
“Telehealth methods allow for collaboration and the sharing of experiences between the family, education, and ASD experts,” she said. “They can be just as good as face-to-face methods in terms of satisfaction for the patient, family, and clinician.”
Diagnosis
Telehealth methods also “reduce the time to diagnosis, particularly for those with more severe autism where there is good agreement in terms of the diagnosis compared to the face to face methods,” added Ph.D. student Manahil Alfuraydan of Swansea University Medical School, primary author of the research.
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