Tech-driven autism care – from building smart playgrounds and classrooms – is at the core of Qatar Foundation (QF)’s 10-year autism strategy aimed at transforming diagnosis, care, and family support, according to QF’s Dr Hilal Lashuel.
“We are bringing all the technologies that allow us to capture these different features of the disease (autism) at a level that we can capture the unique features of everyone,” Dr Lashuel, the Research, Development and Innovation advisor to the chairperson of QF, told Gulf Times.
He said this includes integrating a range of technologies, from eye-tracking and voice analysis to advanced sensors that monitor interactions with robots and the surrounding environment.
Dr Lashuel, also QF’s Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) executive director, pointed out that this approach represents a significant departure from traditional clinical settings as QF envisions a future where diagnostic data is gathered in more natural environments, such as “smart playgrounds” equipped with sensing technologies.
“Instead of taking a person to a clinic, our vision is to bring a child to a playground but one that is connected with all the sensing technologies around them, and then we capture that data,” he said.
Dr Lashuel added that the huge amount of data collected in these environments will be analysed using artificial intelligence (AI), enabling earlier and more accurate diagnoses.
Beyond diagnosis, he said a key focus of the strategy is on empowering parents, who often find it challenging to monitor their child’s progress and make informed decisions about their care.
Dr Lashuel noted that many parents feel lost between infrequent doctor visits, unsure if their child is improving or not.
To address this, he said QF is developing technologies that can be used at home, allowing parents to track their child’s responses to interventions and monitor their overall progress.
“If you have a technology that allows you to understand the state of your child, how is he responding, how is he improving, is he getting worse, that is one of the unique things we are doing,” he said.
According to Dr Lashuel, the Autism Strategy 2025-2035 also aims to improve access to information and support for parents by creating a “community hub”.
This, he said, serves as an integrated pipeline, guiding parents through the entire process of diagnosis, care, and support. Parents will have access to relevant data, resources, and contact information, all facilitated through AI-powered technology.
Recognising the challenges of providing personalised care at scale, he said QF is also exploring how technology can support educators in the classroom. He cited Autism Sensing Centre of Excellence’s pilot projects that include the development of a connected classroom, equipped with technologies to assist with learning.
Dr Lashuel said the goal is to provide teachers with AI-driven insights that can help them tailor their approach to each student’s individual needs. “What we want eventually is to be able for the teacher to sit and do their job. Technology captures the information, and AI translates this information to individual insight.”