Cognoa's AI app for diagnosing childhood autism gets FDA green light

"In a first for the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, the FDA has given a green light to a program designed to help primary care doctors diagnose autism in children at an early age, potentially when interventions may have the greatest effect on their neurodevelopment.

Cognoa’s Canvas Dx app takes in questionnaires filled out by caregivers and information from physicians as well as video of a child interacting with others or performing tasks, before providing assistance in making a diagnosis for autism spectrum disorder either within the doctor’s office or remotely.

Intended for children between the ages of 18 months and five years, the machine learning software aims to help make clinical decisions faster than previous methods—which may require referrals to a specialist plus a difficult process that can take years to identify varying symptoms.

According to the FDA, though autism spectrum disorder affects about 1 in 54 children, and signs may first become apparent as early as 18 months, the average age at diagnosis may be closer to four-and-a-half years old.

In addition, nonwhite children, females and people from rural areas or disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds are often diagnosed later or missed altogether, according to Cognoa..." Lire la suite