Pocket-sized gadget for detecting autism in children

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LENA is a technology that analyzes speech patterns of young children to detect autism.

What is LENA? LENA is the only technology that automatically collects and analyzes information about a child’s natural language environment and development. The LENA feedback reports help parents improve a child’s cumulative language experience and accelerate that child’s language and cognitive development, and preparedness for school.
Who is LENA for? Parents and caregivers of children ages 0 to 4.

Why is it important? Several hundred research studies over the last 50 years document the importance of talking to and interacting with your baby, especially during the first three years. Groundbreaking research by two renowned university researchers, Drs. Betty Hart, Ph.D., and Todd Risley, Ph.D., revealed that the quantity of talk a child experienced between birth and age 3 directly correlated with the child’s IQ and vocabulary size. The LENA Foundation was founded based on the key elements of this study and our own normative study shows that saying 17,000 words per day, which is equal to the 85th percentile, will greatly enhance your child’s potential.

Who developed it? A team of world-class scientists, including experts in linguistics, speech recognition technology, computer engineering, speech analysis, statistics, speech language pathology, language research and developmental pediatrics. Recognizing that achievement gaps already exist at kindergarten entry, LENA was developed to give parents useful information to help ensure they are providing the richest language environment possible to their children during the critical years between birth and age 4, before they enter school.

How does it work? Parents follow a simple three-step process, 2-3 times a month:

1. In the morning, slip the LENA Digital Language Processor (DLP) into the pocket of specially designed LENA clothing.

2. At the end of the day, plug the DLP into your PC. The audio data will transfer and software analysis begins.

3. View your reports to analyze your conversations, identify patterns of talk throughout the day and receive percentile rank information.

I figured the pocket sized gadget would have been a christmas style sleighbell or a blinking pen. The Aspie kid would either throw it away in frustration at it's illogical stupidity or obsess over it and end up collecting bells the rest of their lives.

This already exists. They are called 'eyes' and 'ears'.

Well, maybe if it doubled as a fishing rod, like Ron Popiel's Pocket Fisherman, or if mom could also use it in the kitchen: "It slices, it dices, it makes julienne fries"