TAMPA, Fla. — Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine are using a new app to potentially track early signs of autism.

It's part of the 'Duke Sense to Know' study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, where the hope is to develop faster ways to assess child development.

Using the new Sense to Know app, children watch short movies while experts analyze responses.  

Researchers are looking for, among other things, differences in facial expressions, social attention and head movements.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Melissa Bailey with Bailey Psychology Group specializes in autism spectrum disorders.

She commented on the research, saying early intervention is essential.

"The earlier that we can catch these signs, the quicker we can do some of the interventions like ABA therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and early intervention makes all the difference,” said Dr. Bailey.

Dr. Bailey has personal experience assessing such services.

She has two grown children, a son and a daughter, who were diagnosed with autism as toddlers.

"A tool like this would have been able to identify him much earlier, so he ended up getting services closer to age three which is great but he probably could’ve done even earlier intervention services," said Dr. Bailey.

Dr. Bailey says the earlier the intervention, the better.