Málaga, (EFE).- Researchers from the universities of Málaga (UMA) and Alicante (UA) have developed an artificial intelligence tool to help early diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in minors, a condition which is estimated to be suffered by 5% of the population.
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes a massive deterioration in executive functioning and manifests itself in young children with symptoms such as attention deficit or uncontrolled hyperactivity and impulsivity.
However, these signs are often “the tip of the iceberg” of other more complex symptoms, such as problems when making decisions, planning, organizing, retaining important information or difficulties in regulating emotions and motivation, explain EFE the professors of the Faculty of Psychology and Speech Therapy of the UMA Rocío Juárez and Rocío Lavigne, who have carried out this work together with the UA researchers Ignasi Navarro and Juan Ramón Rico.
An early evaluation of ADHD is crucial for the effective treatment of affected people, but it is a “long and complicated” process that requires the intervention of professionals from different disciplines, such as neuropediatricians, child psychiatrists, psychologists or psychopedagogues, and the involvement of family members, teachers and other “observers” close to the minor.
The importance of early detection
According to the UMA teachers, it is difficult to make a comprehensive diagnosis of ADHD before the age of six: hence the idea of designing an instrument that can help experts detect this disorder as soon as possible.
Researchers from the UMA and the UA have created a computer program in which they have entered the parameters of 694 children aged 6 to 12 years diagnosed with ADHD in the last decade in Spain.
When new patient data is entered into the software, it analyzes the variables already incorporated, looks for common patterns, and establishes a possible diagnosis.
“Our machine learning model skillfully predicted ADHD diagnoses in 90% of cases and there is potential to improve even further by expanding our database,” those responsible for the research point out in a scientific article published by the ‘National Library of Medicine’.
As Rocío Lavigne comments, the idea is to increase this sample with up to 1,500 or 2,000 subjects in Spain, and even incorporate cases from abroad to extend the project to other European countries.
In validation process
The tool is currently a pilot test that must be perfected “to make it even more intelligent and predict better.”
Additionally, it has to be validated before it can be used by medical, psychological or educational professionals, and this is a process that may require a couple of more years of work.
The team has requested aid of 28,600 euros from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, through the 2023 call for Knowledge Generation Projects, to carry out this second phase of the project.
Rocío Juárez makes it clear that this software is intended to be “an aid” in the detection of ADHD cases, “never a substitute for a professional.”
The ultimate objective is to facilitate an early diagnosis, something that is “fundamental” in these cases, since “the longer it takes, the greater the risk of comorbidities,” that is, other added conditions, warns the UMA professor.
In fact, this is one of the disorders with the highest rate of comorbidity, since in 85% of cases those diagnosed have two or more conditions at the same time.
“The sooner it is detected, the sooner psychoeducational and/or pharmacological treatment will begin, if necessary, and the imbalance will be as minimal as possible and the child will have the greatest well-being,” the experts emphasize. EFE
