Novel Procedures for Evaluating Autism Online in a Culturally Diverse Population of Children: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Pathway Development Study (Mirzaei, Buckley, Sayani, Katakis, Anand, Squire, Short, Franklin, Heys, 2025)

Venus Mirzaei, Jeanne Wolstencroft, Georgia Lockwood Estrin, Eleanor Buckley, Shermina Sayani, Panos Katakis, Reena Anand, Tessa Squire, Eleanor Short, Paige Frankson, David Skuse, Michelle Heys

JMIR Research Protocols, Vol 14, p e55741 (2025)

Available online at this link

Current autism assessment procedures are costly and resource-intensive. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telemedicine, highlighting the benefits of innovative diagnostic tools. Telemedicine-based pathways could enhance accessibility and equity in autism diagnostics. 

ObjectiveThe Children with Autism Technology Enabled Assessment (CHATA) project aims to develop and pilot an open-source autism diagnostic pathway for children up to 5 years old, delivered through telemedicine. The pathway is designed to be culturally and linguistically adaptable, increasing its applicability to diverse populations and integrating with existing National Health Service digital systems.