Researchers at Boston University have created a video game that helps them measure how people with autism process information. The game was developed to be easily accessible, so people on the spectrum can play it, even those who are nonverbal. The researchers are confident that the game will help give insight into how the autistic brain functions and that their findings will shape drug, therapy testing and development in the future. According to the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System, in 2023–2024, one in 44 children in Canada (2.25 per cent) was diagnosed as autistic. Symptoms range from person to person, but often affect communication and social skills, and include restricted and repetitive behaviours. As a result, researchers often rely on patient family members, especially of those with significant communication challenges, to help study these issues. A game changer in research Researchers believe the video game can be a game changer for that, they said in their findings which were published in Science Advances. “We found we can get these kids to engage and tell us, in their own language, how they’re perceiving the world,” said researcher Benjamin Scott, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University. The game was used in trial to help determine a potential trigger of perceptual impairments, known as “noisy evidence integration.” The phenomenon is linked to how the brain processes an abundance of sensory information. Autism researcher Helen Tager-Flusberg says having the means to include a broader range of children to take part in studies is exciting for families. Oftentimes, children with extreme autistic symptoms are shut out from studies since they can’t finish research tasks. “Understanding more about the kinds of difficulties autistic people have is always helpful,” she said. “Ultimately, the game was successful across the full range of the autism spectrum, including those falling in the profound autism category or with known genetic syndromes.” Study examines how autistic people manage sensory input The video game gets players to hunt for gems by following a treasure map. When a flash appears on the edge of the screen, it indicates a hidden gem. As players collect the gems, the researchers track how strong they are at spotting the flashes, which range in duration, timing and numbers. “We can collect some very detailed information about how you’re making decisions, perceiving the world, and learning to play the game,” said Scott. The game doesn’t require instructions, which gives players across the autism spectrum a levelled playing field, particularly those with communication-related symptoms. The study involved 300 children between the ages of 11-17, 200 of which were on the spectrum. The remaining children were neurotypical siblings. Most of the study’s players caught on to the game’s rules quickly, and adapted as it got harder. However, the learning curve was significant between those with autism and those without the neurodevelopmental disorder. When the game’s elements were tweaked, like timed light pulses, autistic players found it more challenging to use all the sensory evidence that was being presented. Ultimately, the autistic players were slower to grasp how to play the game, and showed reduced accuracy, versus the players who weren’t autistic. “The deficit seems to be in a component of perception called perceptual integration, where you are accumulating information over time to form a complex idea about the world,” Scott said. Game has potential to evolve: researcher While the game isn’t meant to be a tool of diagnosis, researchers say it could help translate how people take in the world around them and learn. However, Scott says it could one day used in more advanced ways, like understanding a range of traits or deficits from different disorders. “Clinical trials are underway for a variety of different drugs across autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders,” he says. “And this game could be an outcome measure.”
