Latest news with #ErezFreud
The Irish Sun
07-05-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
The simple hand test that could reveal if you or your child has autism in a matter of minutes
A QUICK hand test could help spot autism in children, experts say. Scientists noticed small differences in how autistic and non-autistic people move their fingers when doing a simple task. Advertisement 2 Adults were asked to use their thumb and finger, with small trackers on them, to pick up blocks of different sizes Credit: York's Department of Psychology The test takes just two minutes and looks at how someone grasps an object. It's said to be 85 per cent accurate at picking up the neurodevelopmental condition. To create the test, researchers asked autistic and non-autistic people with the same IQ to pick up blocks, of varying sizes. and put it back in the same spot and return their hand to the starting position. Using artificial intelligence, the experts closely studied the participants' movements. Advertisement They discovered non-autistic people adjusted their grip more to precisely match the size of the block. Meanwhile, those with autism took slightly longer to complete the entire movement. Lead author Professor Erez Freud, a psychology expert at York University in Canada, said the results were impressive. "Our models were able to classify autism with approximately 85 per cent accuracy, suggesting this approach could potentially offer simpler, scalable tools for diagnosis," he said. Advertisement Most read in Health Graphic Warning Autism Many autistic people may struggle with things like understanding social cues, holding conversations, or dealing with loud noises or changes in routine. EastEnders' Colin Salmon reveals his son is autistic as he opens up about how much latest storyline means to family It can also affect motor skills. Some may find tasks like writing, using cutlery, or catching a ball more difficult. Advertisement Movements might be slower or less coordinated, and fine motor control – like picking up small objects – can be harder than usual. The researchers, who shared their findings in the journal 'Autism currently affects about one in 50 Canadian children, and timely, accessible diagnosis remains a major challenge," Professor Erez added. "Our findings add to the growing body of research suggesting that subtle motor patterns may provide valuable diagnostic signals – something not yet widely leveraged in clinical practice.' Advertisement 2 Professor Erez Freud says the test could lead to simpler and more widely available ways to diagnose autism Credit: York's Department of Psychology It comes as autism diagnosis waiting lists in England hit a record high. The latest NHS figures, from December 2023, show 172,022 people were waiting for an assessment – up 47 per cent from the year before. Read more on the Irish Sun If you're interested in being evaluated for autism, begin with your family doctor, who will evaluate you to be certain that there isn't an underlying physical illness accounting for your behaviours. Advertisement Your doctor may refer you to a psychiatrist or What are the signs and symptoms of autism in children? The NHS outlines the signs of symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in school-age children. Spoken language Preferring to avoid using spoken language Speech that sounds very monotonous or flat Speaking in pre-learned phrases rather than putting together individual words to form new sentences Seeming to talk "at" people rather than sharing a two-way conversation Responding to others Taking people's speech literally and being unable to understand sarcasm, metaphors or figures of speech Reacting unusually negatively when asked to do something by someone else Interacting with others Not being aware of other people's personal space, or being unusually intolerant of people entering their own personal space Little interest in interacting with other people, including children of a similar age, or having few close friends, despite attempts to form friendships Not understanding how people normally interact socially, such as greeting people or wishing them farewell Being unable to adapt the tone and content of their speech to different social situations – for example, speaking very formally at a party and then speaking to total strangers in a familiar way Not enjoying situations and activities that most children of their age enjoy Rarely using gestures or facial expressions when communicating Avoiding eye contact Behaviour Repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, rocking back and forth, or flicking their fingers Playing in a repetitive and unimaginative way, often preferring to Play with objects rather than people Developing a highly specific interest in a particular subject or activity Preferring to have a familiar routine and getting very upset if there are changes to their normal routine Having a strong like or dislike of certain foods based on the texture or colour of the food as much as the taste Unusual sensory interests – for example, children with ASD may sniff toys, objects or people inappropriately
Scottish Sun
07-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
The simple hand test that could reveal if you or your child has autism in a matter of minutes
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A QUICK hand test could help spot autism in children, experts say. Scientists noticed small differences in how autistic and non-autistic people move their fingers when doing a simple task. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Adults were asked to use their thumb and finger, with small trackers on them, to pick up blocks of different sizes Credit: York's Department of Psychology The test takes just two minutes and looks at how someone grasps an object. It's said to be 85 per cent accurate at picking up the neurodevelopmental condition. To create the test, researchers asked autistic and non-autistic people with the same IQ to pick up blocks, of varying sizes. and put it back in the same spot and return their hand to the starting position. Using artificial intelligence, the experts closely studied the participants' movements. Read more on autism HEALTH CHECK From being fussy to difficulty sleeping - early signs of autism in your child They discovered non-autistic people adjusted their grip more to precisely match the size of the block. Meanwhile, those with autism took slightly longer to complete the entire movement. Lead author Professor Erez Freud, a psychology expert at York University in Canada, said the results were impressive. "Our models were able to classify autism with approximately 85 per cent accuracy, suggesting this approach could potentially offer simpler, scalable tools for diagnosis," he said. Autism can affect people in several different ways, including how they communicate, interact socially, and process information. Many autistic people may struggle with things like understanding social cues, holding conversations, or dealing with loud noises or changes in routine. EastEnders' Colin Salmon reveals his son is autistic as he opens up about how much latest storyline means to family It can also affect motor skills. Some may find tasks like writing, using cutlery, or catching a ball more difficult. Movements might be slower or less coordinated, and fine motor control – like picking up small objects – can be harder than usual. The researchers, who shared their findings in the journal Autism Research, said looking at how people move their hands could be a quicker and easier way to help spot autism. 'Autism currently affects about one in 50 Canadian children, and timely, accessible diagnosis remains a major challenge," Professor Erez added. "Our findings add to the growing body of research suggesting that subtle motor patterns may provide valuable diagnostic signals – something not yet widely leveraged in clinical practice.' 2 Professor Erez Freud says the test could lead to simpler and more widely available ways to diagnose autism Credit: York's Department of Psychology It comes as autism diagnosis waiting lists in England hit a record high. The latest NHS figures, from December 2023, show 172,022 people were waiting for an assessment – up 47 per cent from the year before. If you're interested in being evaluated for autism, begin with your family doctor, who will evaluate you to be certain that there isn't an underlying physical illness accounting for your behaviours. Your doctor may refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist for in-depth assessment.
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
The simple hand test that could reveal if you or your child has autism in a matter of minutes
A QUICK hand test could help spot autism in children, experts say. Scientists noticed small differences in how autistic and non-autistic people move their fingers when doing a simple task. 2 The test takes just two minutes and looks at how someone grasps an object. It's said to be 85 per cent accurate at picking up the neurodevelopmental condition. To create the test, researchers asked autistic and non-autistic people with the same IQ to pick up blocks, of varying sizes. and put it back in the same spot and return their hand to the starting position. Using artificial intelligence, the experts closely studied the participants' movements. They discovered non-autistic people adjusted their grip more to precisely match the size of the block. Meanwhile, those with autism took slightly longer to complete the entire movement. Lead author Professor Erez Freud, a psychology expert at York University in Canada, said the results were impressive. "Our models were able to classify autism with approximately 85 per cent accuracy, suggesting this approach could potentially offer simpler, scalable tools for diagnosis," he said. Autism can affect people in several different ways, including how they communicate, interact socially, and process information. Many autistic people may struggle with things like understanding social cues, holding conversations, or dealing with loud noises or changes in routine. EastEnders' Colin Salmon reveals his son is autistic as he opens up about how much latest storyline means to family It can also affect motor skills. Some may find tasks like writing, using cutlery, or catching a ball more difficult. Movements might be slower or less coordinated, and fine motor control – like picking up small objects – can be harder than usual. The researchers, who shared their findings in the journal Autism Research, said looking at how people move their hands could be a quicker and easier way to help spot autism. 'Autism currently affects about one in 50 Canadian children, and timely, accessible diagnosis remains a major challenge," Professor Erez added. "Our findings add to the growing body of research suggesting that subtle motor patterns may provide valuable diagnostic signals – something not yet widely leveraged in clinical practice.' 2 It comes as . The latest NHS figures, from December 2023, show 172,022 people were waiting for an assessment – up 47 per cent from the year before. If you're interested in being evaluated for autism, begin with your family doctor, who will evaluate you to be certain that there isn't an underlying physical illness accounting for your behaviours. Your doctor may refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist for in-depth assessment. What are the signs and symptoms of autism in children? The NHS outlines the signs of symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in school-age children. Spoken language Preferring to avoid using spoken language Speech that sounds very monotonous or flat Speaking in pre-learned phrases rather than putting together individual words to form new sentences Seeming to talk "at" people rather than sharing a two-way conversation Responding to others Taking people's speech literally and being unable to understand sarcasm, metaphors or figures of speech Reacting unusually negatively when asked to do something by someone else Interacting with others Not being aware of other people's personal space, or being unusually intolerant of people entering their own personal space Little interest in interacting with other people, including children of a similar age, or having few close friends, despite attempts to form friendships Not understanding how people normally interact socially, such as greeting people or wishing them farewell Being unable to adapt the tone and content of their speech to different social situations – for example, speaking very formally at a party and then speaking to total strangers in a familiar way Not enjoying situations and activities that most children of their age enjoy Rarely using gestures or facial expressions when communicating Avoiding eye contact Behaviour Repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, rocking back and forth, or flicking their fingers Playing in a repetitive and unimaginative way, often preferring to Play with objects rather than people Developing a highly specific interest in a particular subject or activity Preferring to have a familiar routine and getting very upset if there are changes to their normal routine Having a strong like or dislike of certain foods based on the texture or colour of the food as much as the taste Unusual sensory interests – for example, children with ASD may sniff toys, objects or people inappropriately
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
The simple test that reveals whether you or your child has autism in minutes
How you or your child grasp objects could reveal if either of you have autism, a study suggests. Scientists based the test on subtle differences they found in the way autistic people performed tasks in comparison to non-autistic people. The test, which takes just two minutes, involves analysing finger motions during grasping, and is reported to be 85 per cent accurate. To create the the test autistic and non-autistic people were asked to use their thumbs and index fingers, which had tracking markers attached, to grasp different blocks of varying size. They were then asked to lift each block and replace it in the same spot, before putting their hand back in the starting position. The researchers used machine learning to minutely study the participants' finger movements as they made these grasping motions. Analysing the data, they found non-autistic participants adjusted their grip size more precisely depending on how big the object was. In contrast the neuro divergent individuals took longer to complete the grasping movement compared to non-autistic individuals. 'Our models were able to classify autism with approximately 85 per cent accuracy, suggesting this approach could potentially offer simpler, scalable tools for diagnosis,' says lead author, Erez Freud of York University's Department of Psychology and the Center for Vision Research. It is estimated that over 700,000 adults and children in the UK have been diagnosed with autism, while almost 130,000 under 18s in England were still awaiting an assessment in December 2024, NHS figures showed. In addition to social and communication challenges, the neurodevelopmental disorder, can include motor abnormalities which often show up in early childhood. The researchers say testing for these motor movements early could lead to faster diagnoses. 'The main behaviours markers for diagnosis are focused on those with relatively late onset and the motor markers that can be captured very early in childhood may thus lower age of diagnosis,' said Professor Batsheva Hadad, from the University of Haifa and a key collaborator in the study published in the journal Autism Research. 'Timely, accessible diagnosis remains a major challenge. Our findings add to the growing body of research suggesting that subtle motor patterns may provide valuable diagnostic signals—something not yet widely leveraged in clinical practice,' professor Freud added. Both groups had average IQs and were matched on age and intelligence. Young adults were used instead of children to rule out any differences in the findings due to delayed development. It is not yet known exactly what causes autism, but it sometimes runs in families. People have it from the moment they are born, although it may not be spotted until childhood and sometimes much later. Typical signs of autism include trouble communicating, a lack of emotional intelligence, finding certain situations overwhelming and repetitive behaviours. Autism exists on a spectrum—some people will be able to lead fully functioning lives with no additional help. Others may need full-time assistance.
