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Trust in science is at an all-time low and it reflects so poorly on our culture. Thank you for doing all that you do.
Science is science. It’s neither intrinsically bad nor good. It’s the potential for misuse by people/organizations that can have bad or good motives that concerns people. Seeing how technology is put to use in China for control and monitoring of its population and how Apple is complicit with that when they feel it necessary will get people talking about any Apple technology that can be used to monitor our attention and engagement with what’s on our screens, even if the research has laudable goals, as this particular research does.
 
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Ouch! Not sure how I feel about this one. My son was diagnosed with Autism without the use of a phone. This seems too much like an invasion of privacy to me. No, thank you. Not interested!
The son of one of my nephews has Asperger's.

His parents wasted precious years bouncing from one false diagnosis to another before finding a doctor who got it right.

 
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I’m not even surprised this turned into a privacy debate full of misinformation, especially given what happened last month. This is not the kind of thing Apple would even make a part of iOS itself, it’ll be an app that you can download or not (assuming it actually comes out, which there is a chance it never will because after all, it is just a research study - some of them go absolutely nowhere). So anyone concerned about privacy shouldn’t be because believe it or not, you don’t have to use it.

I think this will be huge if it ever comes out. So many autistic children grow up undiagnosed, and if this can be used to help them get an actual diagnosis quicker (which is what this was made to even do), that will allow them to get the help and support they need much quicker. Undoubtedly a win.
 
People are mad that a potential cheaper and better method is being researched for viability that could improve the livelihood of families with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed kids? This is how things like glasses for colorblind people got developed.
 
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The son of one of my nephews has Asperger's.

His parents wasted precious years bouncing from one false diagnosis to another before finding a doctor who got it right.
Incorrect diagnoses are frustrating, but it's better to seek a second or third opinion than relying on Shazam for medical advice. I suspect each of the doctors they saw was aware of the Asperger's condition, they simply didn't prioritize it for your nephew's kid.

Now... if this was a tested medical device that only doctors had access to, so as to avoid WebMD diagnosis, and it could be used to speed up standard testing protocol, I would be more accepting of it. But for the love of all, don't give the general population an unreliable tool that could be used to ostracize someone.
 
Are you suggesting that iPhone would get it right sooner by monitoring the child’s looks and behaviour?

We'll have to wait and see what the research reveals, should the rumor be true. And if Apple, decides to go forward with it.
 
People are mad that a potential cheaper and better method is being researched for viability that could improve the livelihood of families with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed kids? This is how things like glasses for colorblind people got developed.
The problem is that the vast majority of work done on identifying autistic people is so that we can be forced into abusive “therapies” to conform to neurotypical standards, not to help that person thrive within their own abilities and challenges.
 
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The problem is that the vast majority of work done on identifying autistic people is so that we can be forced into abusive “therapies” to conform to neurotypical standards, not to help that person thrive within their own abilities and challenges.
And that is terrible, but it's still nice to have diagnostic capabilities that are more readily available and cost effective.
 
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Maybe this will be useful to someone. Maybe it'll just be another pipeline for selling things. Just hope they proceed with caution.
 
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The problem is that the vast majority of work done on identifying autistic people is so that we can be forced into abusive “therapies” to conform to neurotypical standards, not to help that person thrive within their own abilities and challenges.
You could call this a societal problem. Many “nails” that stick out “get hammered”. The conformity vs individuality debate is an age old one
Trust in science is at an all-time low and it reflects so poorly on our culture. Thank you for doing all that you do.
I’ll bite, I don’t think it’s a trust in ‘science” so much as a complete distrust in any authority. If you look at the arguments of the “anti-science” folks you’ll often find their arguments based on the idea that the sources of the information are unreliable or out to form a draconian society.

And it’s not without some precedent, look at how our governments and leaders have often betrayed our interests and abused their power.

Now that we have genuine problems that need leadership and trust in authority. But a sizeable number of people look at past abuses and have made up their minds to distrust anything that comes from authority.
 
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As a parent of a child who was diagnosed with Autism I find this interesting and also intriguing.
As a parent I find it EXTREMELY disturbing to hand a child an iPhone to observe behavior.
I am glad my children grew up in the non-smartphone world for the most part ...
 
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I was referring to the technology existing. You don’t have to agree but if you don’t think this will evolve then you probably don’t understand the concept of mission creep.

No, I don't see it evolving into something Apple will force on its users. They are free to experiment with their own hardware/technology - it doesn't affect you or me in the least unless we choose to participate. Take a deep breath and come down off the soap box.
 
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No, I don't see it evolving into something Apple will force on its users. They are free to experiment with their own hardware/technology - it doesn't affect you or me in the least unless we choose to participate. Take a deep breath and come down off the soap box.

It‘s not a soap box. It’s an opinion. Already said you don’t have to agree.
 
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As a parent of a child who was diagnosed with Autism I find this interesting and also intriguing.
As a parent I find it EXTREMELY disturbing to hand a child an iPhone to observe behavior.
I am glad my children grew up in the non-smartphone world for the most part ...

When having your child diagnosed would you not prefer the doctor give you some device or an app that you can hand over to your bairn and have them watch some videos in the comfort of your own home then click a link to share that data with said doctor so they can review before inviting you in for a rather scary and invasive appointment?

I mean, children also behave differently depending on the environment they are in. I was diagnosed based on observation in school followed by the learning support teacher taking me out to 'help with my reading'. My behaviour at home was never once questioned and my mum didn't know bugger all about it until the school had already done a full investigation.
 
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The son of one of my nephews has Asperger's.

His parents wasted precious years bouncing from one false diagnosis to another before finding a doctor who got it right.

MY son was diagnosed as Bi-polar and put in a "hospital" for a few months when he was living with his mom for a couple of years. Got him back and got further into it and a few new doctors (including his neurologist) keep pointing towards Autism. His disability is still listed as Bipolar and epilepsy but the more we look into it, the more we agree with the latest doctors.
 
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