Smart phone games have potential to help diagnose autism, research finds

The study outlined that researchers could use the games to track the player’s hand movements to gather information to identify those children who might have autism.

The news comes as autism campaigners have warned that women and girls with the condition are not receiving the help they need because they are less likely to be diagnosed. It is currently estimated that around 700,000 people in the UK are living with autism, with one in 160 children likely to suffer with the neuro developmental disorder.

The study involved examining movement data gathered from 37 children with autism, aged between three and six. The touch sensitive screen monitored movement via embedded movement sensors.

Dr Jonathan Delafield-Butt, one of the researchers and a senior lecturer in child development, explained: “This is potentially a major breakthrough for early identification of autism, because no stressful and expensive tests by clinicians are needed.

“This study is the first step toward a validated instrument. Interestingly, our study goes further in elucidating the origins of autism, because it turns out that movement is the most important differentiator in the gameplay data.

"It is not social, emotional, or cognitive aspects of the gameplay that identify autism. Rather, the key difference is in the way children with autism move their hands as they touch, swipe, and gesture with the iPad during the game.

"This unexpected finding adds new impetus to a growing scientific understanding that movement is fundamentally disrupted in autism, and may underpin the disorder."