title: Sound of a hug.
abstract: Currently all diagnosis of autism is based entirely on behavioral measures. A theory put forward by the author suggests a way toward development of a purely empirical objective diagnostic tool. Focusing on hearing, the most social of the senses and specifically on the intriguing, yet seemingly unrelated phenomena of Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) and Attention Shift Delay (ASD), the author suggests a framework for research on the measurement of OAE that may lead to the development of just such a diagnostic tool. Byproducts of the research already include a patented hearing aid add-on for helping speech in background babble discrimination and an advanced wearable calming device that promises to improve the quality of life not only for people with autism, but many others who find themselves troubled by stress.
authors.affiliation: CTO, BioHug Technologies Ltd., Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Raffi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rembrand
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006309:Hearing; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000295:instrumentation; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy