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A machine learning autism classification based on logistic regression analysis

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Abstract

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition associated with significant healthcare costs; early diagnosis could substantially reduce these. The economic impact of autism reveals an urgent need for the development of easily implemented and effective screening methods. Therefore, time-efficient ASD screening is imperative to help health professionals and to inform individuals whether they should pursue formal clinical diagnosis. Presently, very limited autism datasets associated with screening are available and most of them are genetic in nature. We propose new machine learning framework related to autism screening of adults and adolescents that contain vital features and perform predictive analysis using logistic regression to reveal important information related to autism screening. We also perform an in-depth feature analysis on the two datasets using information gain (IG) and Chi square testing (CHI) to determine the influential features that can be utilized in screening for autism. Results obtained reveal that machine learning technology was able to generate classification systems that have acceptable performance in terms of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy among others.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Digital Technologies, Manukau Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Fadi Thabtah

  2. Information Technology, Auckland Institute of Studies, Auckland, New Zealand

    Neda Abdelhamid

  3. Department of Psychology, Centre for Applied Psychological Research, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK

    David Peebles

Authors
  1. Fadi Thabtah
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  2. Neda Abdelhamid
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  3. David Peebles
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Correspondence to Fadi Thabtah.

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Thabtah, F., Abdelhamid, N. & Peebles, D. A machine learning autism classification based on logistic regression analysis. Health Inf Sci Syst 7, 12 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13755-019-0073-5

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