A Smart Toy for Motor Function and Early Assessment of Children With Possible Autism

Summary

Autism diagnostic referrals across the UK have doubled within the last five years. Covid-19 has further delayed diagnostic pathways, while innovation has not kept pace in assisting clinical teams with low cost, fast, and unobtrusive pathways to shorten waiting times for families of children with possible Autism. Sensor-based technology offers a potentially cheap, small-scale, and unobtrusive way of collecting data while children interact seamlessly with smart play objects and toys that allows a clear comparison with neuro-typical groups or children.The present exploratory group intervention (intervention, interview, focus group, and questionnaire) will map out and investigate clinical interaction through the use of "Tangiball"-a new low-cost smart toy that is highly reliable and sensitive-that has the potential to significantly reduce the timing of the diagnostic process in young children with possible Autism. The "Tangiball" records user speed and accuracy of movement, which aligns with variability between neuro-typical children and children with Autism, but is it an acceptable clinical tool for diagnostics and play?

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Interventions

DEVICE

Tangiball

To enable baseline scores comparison, children will be matched according to age and score on the four-strand "Hands-On" assessment tool which takes 30 minutes to complete. Children will then play with the Smart Toy during a 20 minute session. Sessions will be recorded using an SD card within the Smart Toy which captures information on user speed and accuracy of placement of the detachable segments of the toy when placed into the main hub of the toy, allowing comparison between neuro-typical children and children with Autism. The intervention will run either in clinic (preferred option) or in children's homes-and in this case will be sent to them via post with the Standard Operating Procedure which can then be employed when children are taking part in the intervention via online video link (not recorded).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Brighton & Sussex Medical School

  collaborator OTHER

• Nottingham Trent University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Cambridge

  collaborator OTHER

• Council for Disabled Children

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Autistica

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• William Farr, Dr · Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT), Haywards Heath Health Centre, Haywards Heath

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

DEVICE_FEASIBILITY

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

2 Years

Max Age

5 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-02-01

Primary Completion

2023-03-30

Completion

2023-12-30

Countries

• United Kingdom

Study Locations