The bbMiradas programme, a pioneering initiative for the early detection and intervention of autism, run by the Miradas Foundation and Autismo Burgos, has diagnosed 201 babies across Spain. Since its launch in 2018, a total of 755 babies have taken part in this innovative programme.
As part of the Spanish Strategy on Autism Spectrum Disorders, approved in 2015 by the Council of Ministers, bbMiradas is aligned with the strategic priorities focused on the early identification, diagnosis and specialised intervention for autism. The Miradas Foundation, Autismo Burgos and Autismo España have worked tirelessly to develop this programme, which is now a global benchmark.
BbMiradas: Innovation in Early Detection
‘BbMiradas’ has established itself as a unique and innovative programme for the early detection and intervention of autism in babies under 36 months. Using a combination of traditional diagnostic techniques, eye-tracking technology and a specialised algorithm, the programme offers free interventions to babies identified as having suspected autism. These interventions are designed to provide guidance, support and socio-communicative stimulation to both the baby and their family, thereby improving their present and future quality of life.
Early detection enables early intervention and allows us to capitalise on the period of greatest neural plasticity, which occurs between 0 and 36 months. As various studies have shown, this helps to reduce the impact that autism has on the quality of life of those affected and their families, as well as on society as a whole.
Simona Palacios, the foundation’s president, emphasises that the programme “has marked a turning point for the families and babies who benefit from it”, as well as for the wider system, “as it enables engagement and intervention at a crucial stage in a person’s development”.
National Expansion and Technological Development
The bbMiradas programme is currently active in 10 Spanish provinces: Burgos, Albacete, Badajoz, Ceuta, Granada, Huesca, Murcia, Segovia, Seville and Valencia, through local organisations belonging to the Autismo España network that have joined the programme. This nationwide expansion has been made possible thanks to close collaboration between the Miradas Foundation and Autismo España, and funding from the Ministry of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda.
Furthermore, through a collaborative project between the Miradas Foundation and the University of Burgos – specifically the GRINUBUMET research group, operating under the auspices of the University of Burgos’s Miradas por el Autismo Chair – a new algorithm – bbLearning – has been developed, which has enhanced the programme’s predictive capabilities using data generated from eye-tracking.
Awards and Recognition
The bbMiradas programme has received national recognition. The most recent accolade was awarded by the Rafa Nadal Foundation in the Social Innovation category in March this year. Other accolades include the 2022 Innovators Award from El Mundo Castilla y León, the 4th Social Innovation Awards in Castilla y León 2023 by FUNDOS, and the 2023 Social Innovation Award from the Spanish Association of Foundations (AEF).
Futuro y Expansión Internacional
Looking ahead, Fundación Miradas is working to roll out the programme in other countries across Europe and the Americas, which have already expressed an interest in this model of early detection and intervention; as Palacios confirms, the organisation’s commitment is “to help as many families and babies as possible, regardless of where they live”.