Wearable sensors may predict aggression in autistics

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A small wristband gives caregivers a one-minute warning that an individual with autism is about to become aggressive toward himself or others. Researchers presented the unpublished results today at the 2018 International Society for Autism Research annual meeting in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. ­­

The device, made by a Massachusetts-based company called Empatica, detects an individual’s heart rate, sweat levels, movement and skin temperature.

Using a combination of these features, the sensor predicts an aggressive outburst with 70 percent accuracy. When researchers program the device with an individual’s own data, the accuracy rises to 84 percent.

To train the device to recognize the warning signs of an outburst, the researchers worked with 20 nonverbal individuals with autism who had been admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit. The participants wore the wristband as they went about their typical day. (The only difference from a regular day was that a research assistant shadowed them and recorded their outbursts.)

The team collected data for 87 hours, during which the participants had 548 aggressive episodes. They looked at variables that might predict an outburst from three to one minutes before an episode.

The researchers used a machine-learning algorithm to analyze their data.

For example all autistic high school students required to wear them to prevent mass shootings.

Autism has absolutely nothing to do with School Shootings; that's a screwed up mind set