SEL to develop early autism disorder detection device

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories is developing a medical device that could lead to earlier detection of autism spectrum disorder in children.

The local manufacturing firm announced in a news release Thursday that Georgina Lynch, principal scientist, was recently hired to lead a new medical devices team for establishing the technology.

The former associate professor at Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine left the university for SEL in November following the invention of a hand-held pupillometry prototype for autism disorder screening.

The college announced in its January newsletter Lynch began working on the medical tool in 2016 after completing her doctoral degree in neuroscience/psychology at WSU.

She moved into a research faculty role within WSU’s Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, which launched the Integrative Brain Function and Neurodevelopment Lab to conduct research on pupillometry light reflex and early autism detection.

It was there she experimented in ways to measure eye reactions of children with autism spectrum disorder. She led the creation of a fully functional prototype that integrated hardware and software to read pupillometry biometrics that informs risk for autism.

She and Lars Neuenschwander, WSU alumnus and medical doctor, patented the equipment they developed together in 2023. SEL purchased the technology in 2024 for further development of the device.

SEL founder Edmund Schweitzer said in the news release this tool could make screening for autism as simple as taking pictures. It works by detecting atypical pupil light reflexes, providing an indirect measurement of neural activity in the brain stem.

Kate Wilhite, SEL’s senior media manager, said in an interview that while the technology alone will not diagnose autism, it can provide an indicator of risk associating the reflex with an index related to the likelihood of autism. She added it supports behavioral screening in routine health care.

The hand-held tool would primarily be used by clinicians in well-child exams. Paired with other factors from a child’s history, the index can be considered by a physician in the decision-making process, Wilhite said.

The technology is groundbreaking in its application within regular medical care, Wilhite said. Current screening approaches are highly subjective, she added, there are still no physical measurements to diagnose autism to date.

New medical technology using eye-tracking has emerged in recent years that makes the process of diagnosis more objective. While there are two medical devices in existence that use eye tracking, Wilhite said they rely on visual attention, social engagement and tracking behavioral markers for autism.

The device SEL has in development will be the first tool that relies solely on a reflexive response.

SEL aims to expedite the diagnosis process with this technology. The device could detect the likelihood of autism in children as young as 24 months — speeding along diagnoses that currently averages around 49 months.

Lynch said in the news release early intervention positively affects outcomes for children with autism. Giving children up to two extra years of crucial intervention, she added, could mean the difference between a child acquiring verbal speech or remaining nonverbal.

SEL hopes to commercialize this technology and make it widely available. Wilhite said while the timeline is undetermined, the manufacturing firm is gaining ground.

She said most of 2025 will be spent working through the FDA regulatory and compliance requirements. SEL will also demonstrate the device’s feasibility and indications for use by collecting data through research in the area.

“It just feels right, that SEL, itself born from research at Washington State University, now has the honor of bringing this new WSU technology to life,” Schweitzer said in the news release. “Invented by Cougs, developed by Cougs … and soon to be manufactured, sold, and supported by Cougs.”

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.