Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) currently affects nearly 1 in 160 children worldwide. In over two-thirds of evaluations, no validated diagnostics are used and gold standard diagnostic tools are used in less than 5% of evaluations. Currently, the diagnosis of ASD requires lengthy and expensive tests, in addition to clinical confirmation. Therefore, fast, cheap, portable, and easy-to-administer screening instruments for ASD are required. Several studies have shown that children with ASD have a lower preference for social scenes compared with children without ASD. Based on this, eye-tracking and measurement of gaze preference for social scenes has been used as a screening tool for ASD. Currently available eye-tracking software requires intensive calibration, training, or holding of the head to prevent interference with gaze recognition limiting its use in children with ASD.

The aim of this work is to design, implement and validate a primary communication system based on a brain-computer interface. There are people who-for various reasons-are affected in their ability to externalize their communication, however, they receive and process information from different sources. This system would allow basic communication-allowing the user to answer closed questions-through thought. The system was implemented by analyzing and interpreting electrical signals from brain activity, collected through electrodes attached to the scalp. The analog electrical signals were received by a data acquisition system and digitized for computer analysis. We implemented different signal processing techniques, pattern analysis, and classification and discrimination methods. By analyzing these signals and interpreting the electrical patterns, was achieved understand answers to simple q...