When toddlers start screaming, parents often wonder if it’s a run of the mill tantrum — or signs of something more serious.
A study at University of Massachusetts Amherst aims to help figure that out.
Researchers want to measure biological reactions among toddlers who already have risk factors for mental illness, such as anxiety or mood disorders, and those who don’t.
UMass Amherst psychologist Adam Grabell will attempt to identify differences in heart rate, breathing or electricity in the skin.
Grabell and his colleagues will put sensors on the kids' clothes and have them wear wristbands. In an earlier study, researchers confirmed toddlers were willing to wear the sensors for more than a month.
“And now we're ready to answer this big question, which is, can this technology predict mental illness, can predict tantrums before they happen?” Grabell said.
If it works, he said parents could more easily decide whether to consult with a doctor or just wait for their child to grow out of that stage.
While Grabell said there are other ways to diagnose mental health problems in children, such as consulting with pediatric psychiatrists, there are often long waiting lists and financial or geographic barriers.
“And so clinicians that we've interviewed have often talked about the need for more advanced tools that can be administered at home,” he said, “that can sort of complement the arsenal of tools that clinicians already have.”
The two-year study is funded by an almost $428,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health.
