Video Game Has 80% Success Rate in Identifying Autistic Kids

Doctors may soon be able to diagnose autistic children using a new movement-tracking video game tool, which can distinguish autistic kids from their non-autistic peers with an 80 percent success rate.

The game was also able to distinguish children with autism from those with ADHD – two diagnoses that often get jumbled – with 70 percent accuracy.

The tool is named the Computerized Assessment of Motor Imitation, or CAMI. In the game, a child is asked to follow along with the dance-like, whole-body movements of an on-screen character for 1 minute. Meanwhile, two cameras – one in front, one behind – records the child's movements, and then the CAMI system assesses the child's imitation score.

These vary from zero, which is no imitation at all, to 1, which is 'perfect' imitation, based on a well-trained researcher's ability to imitate the avatar.

While traditional understandings of autism often focus on social communication difficulties, research has shown sensory-motor difficulties play a big role in the condition, and may even underlie some of the communication challenges.

Autistic children often have trouble imitating the movements and expressions, which through body language make up a key component of human communication.

"CAMI taps into these sensory-motor difficulties, showing that they are not shared with children with ADHD," says Nottingham Trent University psychology researcher Bahar Tunçgenç.

The study tested the tool on 183 children aged 7 to 13. Among this group, 21 children had a sole diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 35 had a sole diagnosis of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), 63 had co-occurring ASD and ADHD, and 65 were neurotypical, meaning they had neither diagnosis.

Children were assessed for autism and ADHD symptoms using traditional diagnosis tools, along with a CAMI score based on their performance in the video game.

Among autistic children, there was a strong association between low CAMI scores and increased autism symptoms, especially measures of social affect, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors.

However, their low CAMI scores were not associated with ADHD traits or motor ability. For neurotypical children, on the other hand, CAMI scores related closely to inattention and motor ability.

The ADHD group received higher CAMI scores than the children with both ASD and ADHD, but their scores were not significantly different from the ASD-only group, suggesting the system may need some refinement before it can be relied on for diagnosis.

"What really makes CAMI so exciting is its simplicity," Tunçgenç says. "Video games are already so popular. It's fun for kids and delivers fast results that are easy to interpret for clinicians. My hope is for CAMI to eventually be used in clinical practices everywhere."

This research was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.