How can clinicians detect and treat autism early? Methodological trends of technology use in research

S Bölte; K D Bartl-Pokorny; U Jonsson; S Berggren; D Zhang; E Kostrzewa; T Falck-Ytter; C Einspieler; F B Pokorny; E J H Jones; H Roeyers; T Charman; P B Marschik

doi:10.1111/apa.13243

How can clinicians detect and treat autism early? Methodological trends of technology use in research

Acta Paediatr. 2016 Feb;105(2):137-44. doi: 10.1111/apa.13243. Epub 2015 Dec 8.

Authors

S Bölte^{1

2}, K D Bartl-Pokorny³, U Jonsson¹, S Berggren^{1

2}, D Zhang³, E Kostrzewa¹, T Falck-Ytter^{1

4}, C Einspieler¹, F B Pokorny^{3

5}, E J H Jones⁶, H Roeyers⁷, T Charman⁸, P B Marschik^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
² Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Center for Psychiatry Research, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden.
³ Institute of Physiology, Research Unit iDN (interdisciplinary Developmental Neuroscience), Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Uppsala Child and Babylab, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
⁵ Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, Technical University, Munich, Munich, Germany.
⁶ Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK.
⁷ Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
⁸ Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.

Abstract

We reviewed original research papers that used quantifiable technology to detect early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and identified 376 studies from 34 countries from 1965 to 2013. Publications have increased significantly since 2000, with most coming from the USA. Electroencephalogram, magnetic resonance imaging and eye tracking were the most frequently used technologies.

Conclusion: The use of quantifiable technology to detect early ASD has increased in recent decades, but has had limited impact on early detection and treatment. Further scientific developments are anticipated, and we hope that they will increasingly be used in clinical practice for early ASD screening, diagnosis and intervention.

Keywords: Early autism spectrum disorder; Electroencephalogram; Eye-tracking technology; Magnetic resonance imaging; Review.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Autistic Disorder / diagnosis*
Autistic Disorder / therapy*
Electroencephalography
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Grants and funding

P 25241/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria