SGER: Technologies to Support Early Detection of Developmental Delay in Children

这项探索性研究的小额补助金将开发和研究一个系统，通过改善家庭经验的数据采集来改善父母与专业人员之间关于儿童发展的沟通。先进的信息技术，特别是那些嵌入到自然环境中，如家庭，提出了一个新的，但目前未经测试的机会，早期发现发育迟缓的非常年幼的儿童。这一初步探索的积极结果可能会导致研究人员可用于检测和更好地理解发育迟缓的工具发生巨大变化。类似于X射线和核磁共振成像技术如何分别改变了骨科和神经病学的探索，该项目将探索基于计算机的工具的潜力，以支持行为成像，改变儿童发展的科学基础。简化的家庭行为捕捉是一种技术方法，可以迅速催化越来越多的技术研究人员对家庭相关应用感兴趣。这项研究的具体目标是展示视频记录行为的半自动分析如何通过早期检测自闭症的具体挑战将计算感知社区与行为科学社区联系起来。 越早开始对智力发育儿童进行教育干预，就越能有效地帮助儿童科普残疾。 这项创新研究的更广泛影响预计将包括改善教育和健康相关的评估，以及为家庭保存子女早期发育的丰富记录提供新工具。

This Small Grant for Exploratory Research will develop and study a system to improve parent-professional communication about child development through improved data capture of home experiences. Advanced information technologies, particularly those embedded into natural environments like the home, present a novel, but currently untested opportunity for early detection of developmental delay in very young children. Positive results from this initial exploration could lead to a dramatic transformation in the tools available to researchers to detect and better understand developmental delay. Analogous to how the technologies of X-Rays and MRIs transformed the exploration of orthopedics and neurology, respectively, this project will explore the potential of computer-based tools to support the imaging of behavior to transform the science underlying childhood development.Simplified behavior capture in the home is a technological approach that can rapidly catalyze a growing community of technology researchers interested in family-related applications. The specific goal of this research is to demonstrate how semi-automated analysis of video-recorded behaviors can connect the computational perception community to the behavioral sciences communities, through the specific challenges of early detection of autism. The earlier that educational interventions are started with atypically developing children, the more effective they are in helping the children cope with the disabilities. The broader impacts of this innovative research are expected to include improvements in educational and health-related assessment, and new tools for families to preserve rich records of their children's early development.