Organisation:
Kidaura Innovations Private Limited
Location:
Mumbai, Maharashtra
Problem:
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a childhood neuro-developmental disorder. It is a condition related to brain development that causes impairments in three major areas – social interaction, communication, and imagination. Its global prevalence is estimated at 1 in 59 children as per Centres for Disease Control (CDC). The symptoms of Autism often surface from 18-36 months of age. Autism spectrum Disorder has a wide range of conditions, for a child with classic autism the symptoms are easily noticed and can be identified even by an untrained eye. But for a child with borderline autism, there lies a challenge.
It is a challenge for someone with little or no expertise to distinguish an autistic child amongst typically developing children. It is usually missed or mistaken as delayed developmental milestones or slow learners. This delay in identification causes the child to miss out on the golden period (3-5 years) of development and growth, which is crucial in maximizing the positive impact of Early Intervention and therapies as the brain is more adaptable at a younger age. Due to which professional help is obtained after the age of 6-7 years.
Our direct beneficiaries are the children (3-6 age group) but in a way, we are helping schools to identify the children at the right age. Right now we are targeting pre-school across Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik. In Nashik, we have piloted our platform with 6 mainstream schools.
Solution:
Kidaura has built a game-based digital screening platform that can help to flag children with potential risk to autism and other related conditions in 3-6 years of age. The underlying framework with the help of technology such as Artificial Intelligence and Big Data assesses the child through a series of interactive age-appropriate activities which requires little or no expertise. Based on which it suggests whether the child has a potential risk of autism within 3-6 years of age.
In order to validate our idea, we conducted 2 pilots across 6 mainstream schools where we screened 919 pre-school children (3-6 age group) and also tested our platform with the identified set of 52 children across 5 special school and therapy centers.
During our pilot, out of 919 mainstream children we flagged 82 children (different than the other typically developing children) and out of 82 flagged children 40 of them underwent a quick assessment by an expert (Developmental Pediatrician). Out of these 40, 10 were confirmed by the expert that had a potential risk to autism and other related conditions such as learning issues, ADHD and sensory issues.
Scalability and Impact:
Pilots conducted with 52 children across 5 Therapy Centers and Special Schools, 900+ children across 6 Pre-schools . These results are confirmed by a Development Pediatrician. They are on a journey to create a positive impact on the enhancing lives of children with development conditions.
The year is 2021 and Slam Out Loud is a Sustainable social enterprise that has a skilled and committed team of people impacting individuals across at-risk spaces in 10 states of the country. The partnerships we engage in are win-win that enable and foster mutual growth. Our work together empowers individuals to achieve more, dream bigger and create their future.
Financial Requirements:
NA
Awards and Recognition:
In the past 4 years, Slam Out Loud has raised resources (funds and material) from different sources including:
Online Crowdfunding – raising money through campaigns