20 July 2023 - - US-based EarliTec Diagnostics, Inc, a digital health company developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic products for children with autism spectrum disorder and early childhood vulnerabilities, has announced US Food and Drug Administration 510(k) authorization of the second generation of its EarliPoint Evaluation for ASD for children ages 16-30 months old.

The company also announced the commercial launch for EarliPoint, which enables EarliTec to work with providers on introducing EarliPoint Evaluation and helps deliver on the company's mission of making earlier and more efficient identification and treatment for ASD accessible to children everywhere.

Conducted by qualified healthcare providers, the updated EarliPoint Evaluation displays curated scenes of social interactions on a portable tablet. Eye-tracking technology measures more than 120 focal preferences per second.

Using patented analysis technology, these data are compared to age-expected reference metrics to determine if the child is missing key moments of social learning.

Upon review of the data, including a personalized and detailed report, with visualizations from the test, clinicians have a timely, objective and accurate reading of the presence of autism, the severity of the child's social disability, and the child's level of verbal ability and non-verbal learning.

The journey to develop EarliPoint's technology started more than a decade ago, and it was brought to market and developed largely by the philanthropic support of Bernie Marcus of The Marcus Foundation, with additional investments made by the Georgia Research Alliance.

ASD is a common neuro-developmental condition that affects 1 in every 36 children, more than all childhood cancers, juvenile diabetes, and heart disease combined.

Many parents suspect symptoms of autism in the first 18 months of life, but the median age for diagnosis in the US is much later, at age 4-5 years.

For children of US racial and ethnic minorities, low-income and rural families, as well as girls with autism, this age is often even later.

EarliTec's technology quantifies Social-Visual Engagement by measuring a child's moment-by-moment looking behavior that is otherwise imperceptible to the human eye.

EarliTec's EarliPoint Evaluation can assist in the early identification of ASD and provides EarliPoint Severity Indices that correlate with levels of social disability, verbal ability and non-verbal learning as measured by clinicians using current gold-standard tools.

By directly measuring a child's moment-by-moment preferential attention to critical social information in the environment, EarliPoint provides the first objective ASD diagnostic and assessment tool for providers.

Autism spectrum disorder affects roughly 1 in 36 children, more than all childhood cancers, juvenile diabetes and heart disease combined.

While many parents suspect symptoms of autism in the first 18 months of life, the median age for diagnosis in the US remains four to five years of age, with stark disparities in outcomes affecting minority populations.

Lack of access to expert clinicians and other disparities in care can further delay diagnosis. Prolonged diagnosis delays access to treatment.

And yet, early intervention is one of the most important factors for improving lifetime outcomes.

EarliTec Diagnostics is a digital health company making earlier identification and treatment for ASD and related disabilities accessible to children everywhere.

Developed by leading researchers at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine and Yale University, EarliTec is pioneering the development of biomarkers that help parents, providers and caregivers understand how a child is viewing the world.

The company's initial product, EarliPoint Evaluation for Autism Spectrum Disorder, is the first objective measurement tool clinicians can use to assist in diagnosing and assessing ASD in children as young as 16 months of age.