The new app for iOS, called “Autism & Beyond” which was developed on Apple Research Market Platform by Duke University, has shown to be effective and user-friendly for the screening of young children with signs of autism.

With parents' permission, the new app enables a smartphones' front camera to record videos of a child's reactions while watching a movie with the phone place facing them. This is done obtain autism risk behaviors such as attention, emotions and patterns. The recorded response is then sent to the research survey, where behavioral automatic coding software keeps track on the movements on the video and marks on the child's face after which their attention and emotions are measured.

Current the autism screening is done in the clinical settings for children, which requires highly trained professionals to administer the tests and check the results.

The new smartphone app approach can meet the areas that are underserved and make it much easier to check a child's behavioral changes over time, said Guillermo Sapiro, a professor at Duke University in North Carolina.

Guillermo also said that the app, mentioned in the npj Digital Medicine, can examine the emotional reactions in children without having to see a specialist in person, it can help to make an earlier diagnosis and help with treatment.