Video games test for autism, dyslexia

By Lisa Baertlein

LOS ANGELES, May 10 (Reuters Life!) - Bernard McCrory knows what happens when autism strikes and his company, Learning for Children, is selling video games to give children the help they may need.

As youngsters play the games the private U.S. company's testing technology looks for signs of autism or dyslexia.

Parents who are haunted by a feeling that something just isn't right with a child who avoids eye contact, resists cuddling, reacts extremely to changes in routine or has difficulty learning words or sentences, can use test results to plan their next step.

McCrory's granddaughter played his company's autism testing game and was later diagnosed with a mild form of Asperger syndrome, which falls within autism spectrum disorders.

"We're really throwing up a flag that there may be a problem here," said McCrory, who helped develop the testing technology at Caliber Learning Network, a Sylvan Learning Systems and MCI joint venture.

He and other executives were able to take the technology with them after the company went public in 1999 and have since invested about $2 million in the video game software.

Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder causing mild to severe developmental disabilities and, according to the advocacy group Autism Speaks, is diagnosed in 1 in 150 individuals.

The company said their games are not a replacement for professional medical testing, which can cost a few thousand dollars. Home and classroom versions of the games cost $50 and $90.

Children with autism often have trouble with spatial relationships and, in the game, will struggle to identify which hand a character is using to hold an object. They often are very good at naming numbers that come next in a sequence.

Youngsters with dyslexia, a learning disability affecting reading skills, will have trouble making words from scrambled letters or matching a picture of a cat to the word cat.

The autism testing game has won an endorsement from the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, started by the family of College Football Hall of Famer Doug Flutie.

Executive director Lisa Borges said early intervention is extremely important and that the software is an accessible tool for concerned parents.

Alex Wilkes was in that category about a year ago when her daughter played the autism testing game. The child, now four years old, was slow to start talking and didn't make eye contact. Medical testing ruled out a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome and the game pointed to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

"She liked the games. To this day, she doesn't know she's been through any of this," said Wilkes.

"It's not a definitive diagnosis. CD's don't replace a doctor. I was just looking for some direction," said Wilkes, who still plans to take her daughter to a doctor for testing.