Autism advocates look to tech but cash is an issue

SAN FRANCISCO – Some autism advocates are hopeful technology, from robots to custom-programmed Google Glass, can help individuals with the complex brain condition.

“Technology can lead an autistic person to contribute to society when doing so face to face is difficult,” said Scott Badesch, CEO of the Autism Society, addressing 50 invited guests who were brought together by banking giant UBS’ philanthropic wing here last week.

Badesch and others at the gathering —  lab researchers and autism advocacy group leaders, many of whom are parents of autistic children — have high hopes emerging technology can help those afflicted with autism spectrum disorder interact with others and more fully participate in the world.

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As evidence of the power of tech to help, Badesch another others pointed to a recent YouTube video called “Dillan’s Voice,” in which an autistic teen speaks via a text-to-voice app on a tablet. The video was released to mark April’s Autism Awareness Month.

“So many people can’t understand that I have a mind,” Dillan says in the video. “All they see is a person who is not in control. But now you can hear me. The iPad helps me to not only see my words but to hold onto my thoughts. Having a voice has changed everything in my life.”

The number of children ages 3 to 17 who are diagnosed with ASD has shot up in the last 16 years, from one in 150 to one in 68 today, according to the Center for Disease Control. Around 70 million are thought to have some form of autism worldwide.

Tech has the potential to play a critical role in opening up the world for those who feel shut out.

Researchers already are showing that certain apps, robots and wearable devices are helping some autistic children engage more with others. Autism Speaks, another advocacy group, lists a range of apps on its website aimed largely at developing communication skills in those with ASD, though the list notes when evidence of usefulness is more anecdotal than scientific.

Dennis Wall of the Autism Glass Project at Stanford University presented work he is doing using 35 pairs of original Google Glass augmented reality wear – Google is currently re-engineering the product – which are programmed to describe in a word to its users how the person facing them is feeling. A smile generates the word “Happy.”

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“The results we’re seeing are clear, in that kids who use Glass later make more eye contact when they’re not using Glass,” said Wall, who also founded Cognoa, a computational medicine startup whose app helps parents assess where their children are on the learning curve. “Kids naturally connect with wearables and robotics, which is why this is so exciting.”

Maja Mataric of the University of Southern California’s Interaction Lab accompanied her talk with video footage of autistic children mimicking robots on repeated Simon Says-like tasks.

She noted that robotics do not generate the sort of intimidating presence humans often do, and that they are able to repeat requests infinitely where humans will innately burn out.

“Kids (with ASD) can’t get enough care from humans because there are too many people who need care, and machines can help,” said Mataric, who predicts that within a few years in-home robotics who can help engage autistic children will be available for less than $1,000.

“Technology can be personalized for each individual child, much in the way that now only a parent can fully understand,” she said. “Besides, unlike humans, machines never get tired and they’re never unempathetic.”

MONEY HURDLE

The problem with realizing this robotic future is funding. Mataric and Wall both insist that for tech solutions to mature and scale, venture capitalists first need to overcome their hesitation over market size and profit potential.

“We always hear, ‘Austistic kids aren’t a big enough market,’” said Wall. “Special needs are seen as a niche. “Despite this, there’s an onslaught of new ideas surfacing to see where tech can help.”

Offering a receptive each to such pitch are folks such as billionaire investor Billy Frist and his wife Jennifer, both of whom attended the UBS event.

The couple has a child on the spectrum and has recently invested $20 million in Curemark, a bio-tech company doing research on the relationship between low levels of the digestive enzyme chymotrypsin and autism.

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“The whole point is here is simply to connect some of our clients on passion points with people working to make a difference,” said Bill Sutton, head of client philanthropy for UBS. “For many of our clients, it’s about seeing what good they can do with their philanthropy. And if they have a family member affected by something, well that becomes your end all.”

Getting financial buy-in from investors is critical to making any sort of tech solution take hold, said Marnin Kligfeld, general partner at Makena Partners. He has a daughter on the autism spectrum, and helps the family partnership allocate six- and seven-figure sums to smart ed-tech ventures focusing on ASD.

“Ultimately, unless the commercial sector helps, you’re done,” he said. “The venture community often is looking for that billion-dollar ride that leverages a huge market. But I would argue that with one in 68 children being diagnosed with ASD, this is a huge problem.”

And for those kids, UBS’s Sutton said “tech provides hope that can communicate better with the world around them. So it’s something we have to explore.”

Follow USA TODAY tech reporter Marco della Cava on Twitter: @marcodellacava