SBIR Phase II: A Parent Coaching App to Help Support Children's Mental, Social and Emotional Health

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The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to empower parenting adults of children ages 5-12 years with the evidence-based tools they need to promote positive mental, social, and emotional health outcomes in their children. Approximately 5.7 million U.S. children between the ages 5-12 are diagnosed with a mental health condition, with an additional 20-60% suspected of being undiagnosed. Despite the importance of early intervention, only about 20% of these children receive treatment. Barriers to care, including access and affordability, become even more glaring in rural areas and in low income and communities of color. Innovative smartphone solutions can reach parenting adults from all backgrounds, as 85% of adults in the U.S. own a smartphone. This project offers an innovative, affordable, and accessible digital parenting solution, built by psychologists, educators, and developmental specialists, that seeks to close the child mental healthcare equity gap, in line with the NSF’s mission. Reduction solutions need to be prioritized to give children a chance at growing into healthy adults. The goal of the project is to build a parent coaching app, for parenting adults of children ages 5-12 years, that can tailor the content it delivers based on the specific physical, mental, social, and emotional needs of each child and parent. The key technical innovation at the heart of the app is its adaptive algorithms, which allow it to tailor the content journey based on a myriad of inputs. This core technology includes algorithms that deliver developmentally appropriate content suited for each unique family. In addition, the technology allows the app to detect when a higher level of care is needed and provides parents with education on seeking support. Integrating algorithms that track variable input allow the content to change over time, becoming more relevant and effective for evolving needs. This phase of research will be longitudinal and will include a significant sample size of parenting adult users in an effort to examine the functionality and positive impacts of the app, as well as to prepare the app for commercial launch in terms of scalability and security.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.