Duke University has developed a smartphone app that can detect an early sign of autism in toddlers — potentially foreshadowing a future when the disorder can be flagged for parents with very young children, hopefully allowing earlier screening and treatment.

Why it matters: Autism isn’t curable, but it is treatable — behavior therapy and other interventions can reduce symptoms and help with a child’s overall development.

These treatments are most effective when a child is very young, but in the U.S., most children with autism aren’t diagnosed until after age four, even though the disorder can be diagnosed at just 14 months old.

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