Earlydia

Our Organization

Ladaat

What is the name of your solution?

Earlydia

Provide a one-line summary of your solution.

Mobile kit for accessible autism detection in the first 12 months of life

What specific problem are you solving?

Early signs of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often go unnoticed, especially in underdeveloped countries, leading to delays in professional assessment and diagnosis. We solve this problem with an accessible screening tool providing an autism indication and important information before age 1.

Inaccessibility and late diagnosis are just a portion of the difficulties associated with the current ASD diagnosis process. The average age of diagnosis in developed countries is 4 years old, preventing children from receiving critical early treatment. The current problems in diagnosis include reliance on subjective behavioral symptom assessment and trained experts causing huge backlogs and expenses. These are especially unfeasible in underdeveloped countries.

Another essential challenge to address is the behavioral differences between males and females on the spectrum, which result in a significantly late diagnosis of girls with ASD all around the globe.

ASD prevalence is rising globally and is currently estimated at almost 2% of the total population. The latest prevalence reports set the statistics on 1 of 44 children in the U.S. Countless evidence shows that early diagnosis, followed by early intervention, leads to dramatic improvements in the child’s development and his/her family’s overall quality of life. 

Our mission is to detect autism early and provide additional important information, such as Electroencephalography (EEG) summaries, in an accessible manner. Our solution is mobile and can be deployed in any clinic, with no need for experts. This can drastically improve the child's abilities, the prevalence of comorbid conditions, and overall costs of care. Early intervention is estimated to save $19,000 in care costs annually for a single child in the U.S alone. Today, 80,000 newborns a year in the U.S and 1.2 to 2 million globally, will later in life be diagnosed with autism.

What is your solution?

We offer a simple and accessible tool for the early detection of ASD in the first 12 months of life.

The solution, to be used by healthcare providers, includes a kit with easy-to-setup electroencephalography (EEG) caps and two tablets. An intuitive tablet application guides providers through a simple screening test. Throughout the short test, the infant watches different stimuli presented on
the second tablet's screen while his or her neural activity and eye movements are recorded. The signals are securely transmitted to the cloud, where AI algorithms quickly analyze them and produce a reliable diagnosis. The screening result, together with additional information will be available to collaborating healthcare organizations through an API. The test is done while the tablet is mounted on a tripod at the infant's eye level. A small EEG amplifier will connect to the EEG patch and wirelessly connect to the tablet (via Blue Tooth Low Energy).

Following up to date research, we aim to at first provide an indication for ASD at the age of 6 months and eventually, with enough data, a standalone diagnosis test, revolutionizing the way ASD is diagnosed.

Additionally, we will collaborate with partners to enable crucial EEG tests to be done in areas with less access and for their analysis by professional neurologists.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

We work to improve the lives of autistic people and their families. We aim to drastically shorten the time for diagnosis, enabling children on the autism spectrum to acquire better socio-communicative skills, reduce comorbidities and increase their overall quality of life. 

Our vision is to provide autism diagnoses and neurological data in areas where there is severe underdiagnosis today, but populations in almost any country can greatly benefit from the tool we are building. That being said, we recognize we should focus on children with higher risk for autism.

The solution will autistic children to grow to be more independent adults as well as improve their family's well-being.

The first few years of life are crucial for our development, these are the years in which neuroplasticity is at its peak and we acquire basic and fundamental life skills. Early intervention is proven to be monumental in its effects, and the NIH even states "the child may no longer be diagnosed with ASD later in life".

In developed countries, due to the backlog and the long waiting times between the different meetings necessary in the current diagnosis process, an official diagnosis is provided too late. 

How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?

We are socially driven entrepreneurs, teaming up to fulfill a vision for better and more accessible healthcare.

Jonathan decided to pursue his passion and find ways to improve the lives of people with neurological and mental disorders. As someone diagnosed with OCD at a late age following the COVID-19 pandemic and a close family member of an adult with ASD and developmental disabilities, he decided to focus on the early diagnosis of disorders. 

After diving into the subject, researching the scope of the problem in different disorders, and reading scientific research in the field, we decided to focus on autism. We interviewed parents of autistic children, pediatric nurses, and developmental experts in order to refine our idea and start building something that will be of actual wide-scale use. We contacted experts in academia, healthcare providers, and nonprofit organization to learn more and cultivate collaborations.

We decided to participate in a contest hosted by an organization established specifically to foster innovation and improve rights for autistic people. Since then we had the privilege to hear feedback from autistic adults, parents, industry leaders, and other social entrepreneurs.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Enabling new models for childcare or eldercare that improve affordability, convenience, or community trust.

Where our solution team is headquartered or located:

Our solution's stage of development:

How many people does your solution currently serve?

Currently none, working on pilots with local communities.

Why are you applying to Solve?

We hope Solve can help us overcome legal and regulatory barriers, reach less accessible countries and recruit the right talent to make it all happen. We must adhere to strict regulatory guidelines and make sure our technology holds to the highest standards.

In which of the following areas do you most need partners or support?

Monitoring & Evaluation (e.g. collecting/using data, measuring impact)

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Jonathan Sadka