Well Child Lens is a website for parents and doctors that offers original professional documentary video content on all aspects of early detection, diagnosis, and intervention therapy for toddler-age children at risk for or diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The site was created to be part of the solution to a healthcare crisis: the need for early detection of autism in children under three years of age so that they can be started on therapies at a time when they can have the greatest impact, allow for the best possible outcomes, and potentially change a child's life. The centerpiece of this strategy and WellChildLens.com is the interactive Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (iM-CHAT), a video-enhanced version of a validated, parent-report screening tool designed to assess risk of ASD in children under three years old.
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iM-CHAT Demo
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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has mandated that every child be screened for an autism spectrum disorder twice before the age of three—at the 18-month and 24 or 30-month well child visits. Despite the AAP mandate, less than 50% of doctors perform any developmental screening at all, let alone autism-specific screening, at well-child visits. Well Child Lens and the iM-CHAT are designed to increase the number of children who are screened by allowing for easier online screening, educating doctors about autism spectrum disorders, and empowering parents to educate themselves and become the first line of defense in watching and promoting their child’s social, emotional, and communicative development, gaining the skills needed to recognize when and if any delays or at-risk behaviors emerge and alert their pediatrician as soon as possible.
Speech Therapy: Identifying Body Parts
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In this clip, Jazmere, age 2, works with his therapist, Sandy Pih, on identifying body parts. He also repeats the words said by the therapist, exhibiting echolalia, a common feature for many people with ASD.
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Response To Name
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Deborah Fein, PhD., talks about a major indicator for ASD, a child’s response to voice, specifically, their own name. The video shows several examples of typically developing children responding to their name, and compares them with clips of children with ASD, who do not respond.
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Well Child Lens was originally conceived in 2006, as part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk Alert (ASDRA) project, which was funded as a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the National Institutes of Health. That project culminated in a prototype website with a library of short documentaries about many aspects of autism spectrum disorders and related therapies in children five and under. In 2009, GeneticaLens won a continuing grant from the NIH, which funded Phase II of the project, resulting in: doubling raw footage; more than doubling the number of experts (both on camera and behind the scenes); expanding the library of filmed subjects; creating hundreds more documentaries, including a feature length film and two additional continuing medical education courses; and developing the entire website, database system, and related applications.
Receptive Language Skills
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Latha Soorya, PhD., discusses the importance of receptive language skills as the basis for many other skills.
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Expressive Language Skills: A Simple Request
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This clip demonstrates the difficulty many people with ASD have using expressive language skills, such as making a request. The video compares Alex, a typically developing 2-year-old, with Ryan, a 4-year-old with ASD.
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You can access all the Well Child Lens videos
at www.wellchildlens.com
at www.wellchildlens.com