Upcoming Research Presentations and Conferences

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Highlighting the work of researchers from around the world, Behavior Imaging is excited to announce, and take part in the following upcoming presentations and conferences via autism case studies, research, and supporting evidence-based practices for the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

ITASD 2014 Paris Conference: Digital Solutions for People with Autism

October 3rd – 4th, 2014
Paris, France

Autism Speaks is co-sponsoring the 2nd International Conference on Innovative Technologies for Autism (ITASD 2014), at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, October 3rd and 4th. This year’s conference will focus on developing and using digital tools to improve the lives of people with autism. The conference & workshop will bring together individuals with autism and their families with scientists, educators, therapists and other professionals to create an opportunity for dialogue and exchange of best practices.

Invited to talk, Gregory D. Abowd, a distinguished Professor in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech, will be speaking about the pilot evaluation of a novel telemedicine platform to support diagnostic assessment for autism spectrum disorders. The diagnostic assessment study research project combines the expertise of Behavior Imaging Solutions, Georgia Institute of Technology, and leading diagnostic and behavioral health organizations to make state-of-the-art technical innovations to the Behavior Imaging telehealth system, and will evaluate the enhanced system in two critical clinical settings affecting Autism Spectrum Disorders.

5th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics AHFE 2014

July 19th -23rd, 2014
Kraków, Poland

The conference’s objective is to provide an international forum for the dissemination and exchange of scientific information on theoretical, generic, and applied areas of ergonomics, including, physical ergonomics, cognitive ergonomics, social and occupational ergonomics, cross- cultural aspects of decision making, ergonomics modeling and usability evaluation, human digital modeling, healthcare and special populations, safety management and human factors, and human side of service engineering.

This year’s speakers will include Behavior Imaging’s, Ron Oberleitner, and Uwe Reischl, who will be discussing “Telehealth Technology Enabling Medication Management of Children with Autism”.

This discussion will cover assisting healthcare providers in the management of autism symptoms with a newly developed smartphone application that will allow physicians to observe a patient’s behavior between office visits while managing their medication based on the symptoms observed. This smartphone application is able to better assist the physician in monitoring patients with autism spectrum disorders more accurately compared to the subjective reports provided by caregivers during office visits.

Georgia Tech via Agata Rozga will present BI research on Naturalistic Observation Diagnostic Assessment to the CDC Prevention Research Branch: Learn the Signs Act Early

Agata Rozga is a research scientist in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. As a Developmental Psychologist with a research focus on autism spectrum disorders, she specializes in early identification and diagnosis, socio-emotional development, and verbal and nonverbal communication. Her current research explores the potential role of human-centered computing and computer-human interaction in impacting research on the social and communicative development of children with diagnoses within the autism spectrum.

The CDC recognizes the importance of early recognition of developmental disabilities such as autism for parents and providers. By understanding the impact this has on families the CDC invested in a campaign: Baby Steps: Learn the Signs. Act Early, in order to provide parents with help measuring their children’s progress by monitoring how they play, learn, speak and act.

Behavior Imaging Upcoming Research Presentations at Child Psychiatry Conference

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Behavior Imaging and their clinical research partners have collaborated on a number of upcoming projects in order to provide a better fundamental understanding of telemedicine in autism research, diagnosis, and treatment at this year’s American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry annual meeting.

This year Behavior Imaging will present the following 2014 research papers in an effort to share their investigative studies with other researchers and practitioners seeking to further their professional and educational growth:

  • Supporting Remote Diagnostic Assessment for Autism: A Clinician-Guided Asynchronous Telemedicine System
  • Use of Behavior Imaging Technology to Verify Inter-Rater Reliability in a Multi-Site Pharmaceutical Trial
  • Autism Medication Management By Asynchronous Telemedicine: A Case Study

Inspiring the future: Past Behavior Imaging AACAP Involvement

Behavior Imaging has been involved with AACAP in past conferences and have successfully demonstrated the Med smartCature App for dozens of doctors, researchers, and professionals at the AACAP Annual Conference in 2013. While some talked about its potential as a way doctors could stay connected with international or long-distance practices or research projects, others were interested in how it would help during pharmaceutical clinical trials.

About the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

AACAP is the leading national, professional medical association that is dedicated to treating, and improving the quality of life for children, adolescents, and families affected by mental & emotional disorders.Their mission is to promote the healthy development of children, adolescents, and families through research, training, prevention, comprehensive diagnosis and treatment and to meet the professional needs of child and adolescent psychiatrists throughout their careers.

AACAP’s 61st Annual Meeting will be on October 20-25th, 2014 in San Diego, CA. This meeting is a key opportunity for professionals in child and adolescent psychiatry and allied disciplines to assemble from around the world to advance their understanding of the many facets of child development, developmental biology and psychology, developmental psychopathology, assessment, treatment, prevention and public policy.

The AACAP is committed to maintaining a professional atmosphere that encourages interactions at the highest intellectual and ethical levels. They are committed to the free and prompt sharing of scientific, clinical and other information for the primary purpose of enhancing the best practices in child and adolescent psychiatry. This, in turn, promotes the very best treatment for children and their families experiencing psychiatric illness and developmental disorders.

ASYNCHRONOUS TELEHEALTH TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER – Lang, M , Oberleitner, R

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Telehealth technology is a tool that allows behavior professionals and others to make valuable observations, gather data, and propose more targeted, appropriate remediation for areas in which an individual with an autism spectrum disorder needs to progress. This tool can be used across natural settings of home, school, and community, and it has practical applications including use in classroom observation and Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. The capability of telehealth technology to serve children and families remotely means that parents of children in rural settings can receive more frequent and consistent services from a greater variety of professionals.

This chapter will look at:

-Defining telehealth and asynchronous telehealth for autism (Behavior Imaging® technology)

-How Behavior Imaging® can help professionals observe problem behaviors in the classroom

-How the results of observation via Behavior Imaging can aid at the Individualized Education Program (IEP) of a student with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

-How telehealth technology further helps IEP team members

-Case study via the ‘Beacon Day School project’

(Chapter in Cutting Edge Therapies for Autism (May, 2014); available at  www.autismone.org  )

Revising Autism Interventions to Meet Demand, Improve Early Care

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Summary of “Telehealth-based Systems for Diagnosis, Management and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Challenges, Opportunities and Applications,” (2013), Angjellari-Dajci F., Lawless, W. F., Agarwal, N., Oberleitner, R.., Coleman, B., Warsi, S., and Kavoossi, M. In  I. M. Miranda and M. M. Cruz-Cunha eds. Handbook of Research on ICTs for Healthcare and Social Services: Developments and Applications, Hershey, PA: IGI

One out of every 110 American children has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and the cost of caring for and treating ASD has risen to over 3 million dollars per person. Those are the numbers reported by authors of another chapter in IGI’s new book, Handbook of Research on ICTs for Healthcare and Social Services. With skyrocketing costs and ever-increasing demands, the current in-person delivery methods for ASD are understaffed and unable to handle the slew of problems currently facing the ASD community in America.

However, champions of new telehealth programs, including Behavior Imaging, say—and pilot studies appear to confirm—that telehealth diagnosis, treatment, and management of ASD have the potential to meet demand while also providing the effective early treatment that professionals have now realized is so important. Proponents of telehealth care for ASD argue that while the initial implementation of telehealth interventions could be costlier than in-person care, the long-term results would be more cost- effective, providing every family and individual with the accurate and early care they need.

Behavior Imaging Technology: The Beginning of a New Era for Autism Diagnosis and Assessment

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Summary of “Behavior Imaging®’s Assessment Technology: A Mobile Infrastructure to Transform Autism Diagnosis and Treatment,” (2013), Oberleitner, R., Abowd, G., Suri, J. S. In  M. F. Casanova, A. S. El-Baz, and J. S. Suri, eds. Imaging the Brain in Autism, New York: Springer

Today’s medical community may be looking at a new era of better understanding and better care for individuals with autism, according to the authors of a chapter in Springer’s new book, Imaging the Brain in Autism. Since many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) cannot explain their behavior or what triggers it, treatments often require lots of at-home or at-school observation. This can be costly, however, due to the time it takes to travel to a home, and it can also be ineffective if the child isn’t comfortable with the observer. New telehealth technology Behavior Capture resolves both of these issues through home-based cameras that upload recorded videos to an online platform.

And it isn’t just the ability to upload video that makes Behavior Capture so valuable. Through its comprehensive documentation system (called Behavior Connect), doctors and clients or caregivers can annotate videos, upload test results and medical histories, and record questions and comments, all on a secure HIPAA-compliant online program. Professionals are already seeing promising results in Australia, where they have connected rural families with doctors in Melbourne.

Behavior Capture and Behavior Connect technology is also going mobile with a growing suite of smartphone apps. Electronic imaging like this is still in its early stages, but the opportunities for faster, cheaper, and more accurate healthcare are both encouraging and exciting.

Story From the Field: Family’s Outlook Changed Through Video Journaling

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As we celebrate the completion of important research on our new Med smartCapture mobile app for medication management, we look back at one of the important moments that showed the usefulness of the video self-reports the new app enables.

Download docx Press Release

In 2010, Matthew, then a junior high student, was struggling with how to understand his teachers’ instruction, interact with his peers, and communicate his needs to those he trusted. He was discouraged and frustrated, and, what is worse, he was isolated in his frustrations because his autism hindered him from communicating his feelings and thoughts to those around him. His mother, Diana, was equally discouraged and was desperate to understand what her son was going through and how she could help.

At the recommendation of their doctor and a program they were a part of as a US military family, Diana and Matthew looked into a program that allowed Matthew to create a private video journal within a secure online platform, which he could then share with his doctor. And that was the beginning of a year-long healing process for both Matthew and Diana.

The program used Behavior Imaging’s Behavior Connect platform to allow Matthew to securely connect with his doctor. The platform also aimed to help parents collect video data of their child’s behavior and let their doctor organize, tag, and store the videos, therefore assisting their doctor in assessing and treating behavioral disorders. Thanks to the positive results families and doctors have experienced through programs like the one Matthew and Diana participated in, Behavior Imaging is working on a new version of the app available to any family in the same situation. Last month, thanks to a grant from Autism Speaks, Behavior Imaging concluded tests on the Med SmartCapture app, a mobile app that takes the same technology Matthew and Diana used a step further by transforming it into a smartphone application that brings that interactive element between patients, caregivers, and their doctors.

Almost immediately upon using the platform to interact with their doctor, both Matthew and Diana saw the benefits of being constantly supported by and connected with their doctor, even when trips to the doctor’s office were impracticable or impossible. “I knew that the doctor was available, pretty much at all times. We had the ability for Matthew and us to have that face-to-face connection,” Diana says.

As Matthew and Diana continued to interact with their doctor through the program, Matthew found he was able to communicate more, allowing Diana and their doctor to see and hear just how difficult our world is to a person with autism. It was the beginning of a new and better stage for their family as Matthew was able to communicate his needs, thoughts, and emotions, and Diana and others were able to see how Matthew was struggling and how they could support and help him.

“We were getting somewhere,” Diana says of the year they spent using Behavior Imaging’s technology. “It is an ongoing process (and major work) to support, learn, and understand how to communicate with someone with autism. Having the technology was priceless.”

To Ron Oberleitner, founder and CEO of Behavior Imaging, stories like Matthew and Diana keep him and his company going. “There is such a challenge to get access to one’s doctor outside of office visits, and so it is always exciting and important when someone makes progress the way Matthew did from home,” he says. “We’re thrilled that our technology has made such an impact on his family.” The future potential of the app is just at the beginning, Mr. Oberleitner says, as millions of other families living with autism may find the app just as helpful.

Behavior Imaging Solutions is the culmination of over ten years of research by Ron and Sharon Oberleitner, whose son was diagnosed with autism in 1996. Founded in 2005, Behavior Imaging was recently awarded a $2.7 million grant by the National Institute of Mental Health to research Behavior Imaging technology for earlier diagnosis of autism and transforming pharmaceutical trials. The Behavior Connect platform is a solution to a wide array of problems in special education and healthcare, including Naturalistic Observational Diagnostic Assessment (NODA), pharmaceutical clinical trials, annd clinical staff support, training, and evaluation.

Positive Feedback from Clinicians and Researchers at Important Industry Conferences

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Throughout this fall, Behavior Imaging has been kept busy with invitations to key conferences in psychiatry (AACAP), education assessment (CCSSO), and disability (AUCD). Principle investigators in ongoing studies on behavior imaging technology and Behavior Imaging executives have presented NIH-backed research, trained investigators, and received a prestigious innovation award while continuing to receive feedback and foster connections among industry researchers and professionals at each conference.

NIH Naturalistic Observation Diagnostic Assessment Project at AUCD

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The Naturalistic Observation Diagnostic Assessment (NODA) from Behavior Imaging’s current NIH research project made an impact at the 2013 AUCD conference this month. SARRC’s Director of Research Dr. Christopher J. Smith presented on how NODA is designed to speed up autism diagnostic assessments. Behavior Imaging Solutions’ exhibit also allowed CEO Ron Oberleitner and others to talk about and demonstrate how Behavior Capture and Behavior Connect can revolutionize the way the disability community can diagnose, assess, and treat behavior disorders. The launch of Behavior Connect 2.0 and a suite of related smart phone apps have opened a lot of new opportunities for the behavioral health industry, including faster diagnosis and better oversight capabilities for supervisors.

Training Investigators and Expanding Our Apps’ Uses at the AACAP Annual Conference

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Ron Oberleitner, CEO of Behavior Imaging Solutions, has been keeping busy attending several conferences this fall, including the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) in Orlando, Florida late in October. At the conference, Ron and his team demonstrated our Med smartCapture App for dozens of doctors, researchers, and professionals and we were pleased to discover several new uses for this app. Some talked about its potential as a way doctors could stay connected with international or long-distance practices or research projects while others were interested in how it would help during pharmaceutical clinical trials. Most exciting, Ron and his team also trained investigators of a National Institute of Mental health-backed study on the use of Behavior Connect for another upcoming study using this technology.

Pharma Social Behavior Data in Home

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The aim of this study is to customize SmartCapture, a mobile device app for caregivers to video capture social scenarios in natural environments, and share them with an expert clinician. We will conduct a feasibility study of using NODA (Natural Observational Diagnostic Assessment) SmartCapture, tailored to specifically measure elements of social behavior, to evaluate its ability to provide an accurate representation of social functioning.

Behavior Imaging Solutions will customize NODA to meet the needs of specific outcome measures of a research study. The system will guide families to capture ‘social situations’, compatible with the goals of the clinical trial targeting social behavior. For this study, one of our research partners, SARRC, will recruit will recruit adolescents with ASD and their caregivers. Participants will be asked to capture on video the adolescent participating in social interactions with parents, siblings or friends. Clinicians will view the videos online and then score the appropriate elements of social behavior. The results of these assessments will be compared results from structured informant based assessments conducted with a caregiver.

Some of the goals are:

  • Provide conclusions regarding the clinical value of having the added smartCapture information.
  • Study reception to technology, ease of use, and what type of video data gets shared via our modified system.
  • Show this ‘social disability’ sample data to related ‘social disability’ researchers, and learn if it is a recommended tool set for future FAST-ASD research.

Some of the broader implications are:

  • Improving the type and clarity of data that can be gathered while studying social scenarios.
  • Facilitating fast and secure transmission of study data.
  • Reducing subjectivity by adding visual evidence data to support existing methods of interview and description.

>> More to Come ….