SKT, Early Diagnosis of Infant and Toddler Autism Spectrum Disorder Using AI

SK Telecom and Seoul National University Hospital announced on the 20th that they have established a dedicated space called the "Infant and Toddler Developmental Diagnosis AI Living Lab (AI Living Lab)" to accurately diagnose the presence and severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in infants and toddlers at an early stage using AI.

The "AI Living Lab" is a testing space designed to diagnose infants and toddlers with autism spectrum disorder early by utilizing behavioral diagnostic AI, and it is located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, near Seoul National University Hospital.

SK Telecom and Seoul National University Hospital announced on the 20th that they have established a dedicated space called the "Early Childhood Development Diagnosis AI Living Lab" to accurately diagnose the presence and severity of autism spectrum disorder in infants and young children at an early stage using AI.
[Photo by SKT]

Currently, South Korea faces difficulties due to a shortage of specialists responsible for early diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder. Although early diagnosis of autism spectrum is possible from 18 months of age, the demand for appointments at hospitals capable of providing diagnosis is so high that children typically have to wait until they are 5 years old to receive medical care, placing a heavy burden on medical institutions. To address this issue, SK Telecom and Seoul National University Hospital have been developing AI trained on the characteristic behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder since 2021. With the opening of the "AI Living Lab," it is expected to help medical professionals identify high-risk groups early and provide timely treatment.

The "AI Living Lab," designed to resemble a comfortable living room in a typical household, consists of three examination rooms equipped with specialized behavioral observation testing equipment such as high-performance cameras, and an observation room that integratively controls the equipment in each examination room. Parents concerned about their child's developmental delays can visit the "AI Living Lab" with their child and undergo tests including parent surveys, behavioral observation, eye-tracking, and language development assessments under the guidance of clinical experts.

SK Telecom’s deep learning-based Vision AI technology is used to observe and analyze the natural interactions between the child undergoing testing and their parent. Through this, the AI objectively measures the presence of autistic traits, their intensity, and frequency, and develops related diagnostic support models. For example, in the calling response test where the AI observes whether a child turns their head when called while facing away from the parent, it comprehensively evaluates factors such as the number of calls, response speed, and response intensity (angle of head turn) before the child responds, quantifying the severity of the disorder.

The weighting of evaluation results is adjusted according to the judgment of medical professionals, and as more data accumulates, the AI’s accuracy improves. The AI provides measurement data under consistent conditions and standards, and by simultaneously observing gaze, facial expressions, and behaviors, it offers more consistent and comprehensive assessments compared to parent surveys or separately recorded videos previously provided to medical staff.

Seoul National University Hospital determines the medical presence of disabilities by synthesizing data measured at the "AI Living Lab" and AI analysis results, and plans to operate a Fast Track system to promptly support treatment if a disability is diagnosed. Additionally, the AI will be used in the future to verify the effectiveness of autism spectrum disorder treatments.

SK Telecom and Seoul National University Hospital plan to test a total of 1,200 individuals (400 each from autism, high-risk, and general groups) at the "AI Living Lab" by the end of next year for AI early learning and model refinement. Furthermore, the developed AI will be provided as an Application Programming Interface (API) to support its use in guardian applications or expert clinical diagnostic systems.

Professor Kim Bung-nyeon of Seoul National University Hospital stated, “With the opening of the AI Living Lab, we will be able to screen for autism spectrum disorder early,” adding, “We also plan to develop AI that supports the healthy growth of all children in the long term.”

Um Jong-hwan, head of SKT ESG Alliance, said, “We are pleased that SK Telecom’s AI technology can be used for social good,” and added, “We will continue to strive to create various social values based on AI technology in the future.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.