Early Detection of ASD Before Age 2 via Cortical Morphology and Explainable Geometric Deep Learning

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre 

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is typically diagnosed through behavioral assessments at ages 2 to 3 or later. However, Hazlett et al. demonstrated the feasibility of early diagnosis by identifying significant brain overgrowth between 6 and 24 months, which can serve as an early indicator of ASD (Hazlett, 2017). While neuroimaging studies offer promising insights, rapid structural changes during the first two years and the heterogeneous neurological abnormalities in ASD hinder stable and consistent diagnosis. To address these issues, we propose NeuroExplainer, a novel surface-based analysis approach for more precise and interpretable early ASD diagnoses.