iBehavior—a preliminary proof of concept study of a smartphone-based tool for the assessment of behavior change in neurodevelopmental disabilities
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1217821
archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified
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Summary
This study introduces and evaluates iBehavior, a smartphone-based electronic ecological momentary assessment (eEMA) tool designed to track behavior changes in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs). The research addresses methodological limitations in traditional retrospective proxy-reporting, which is prone to recall bias and lacks rater training. By utilizing eEMA, the authors aim to capture near-real-time behavioral data, thereby improving the validity and reliability of outcome measures for clinical trials involving populations such as those with fragile X syndrome and Down syndrome. The proof-of-concept study involved ten parents of children aged 5–17 years with IDDs (seven with fragile X syndrome, three with Down syndrome). Participants underwent comprehensive training on the app’s use and behavioral calibration before completing daily ratings for 14 days. The iBehavior app assessed four primary domains: aggression and irritability, avoidant and fearful behavior, restricted and repetitive behaviors, and social initiation. For each observed behavior, caregivers reported frequency and intensity using anchored scales. To establish preliminary validity, participants completed traditional rating scales—the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C) and the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function 2 (BRIEF-2)—along with a user feedback survey. Results demonstrated high feasibility, with a 94% response rate across 140 possible observations and 100% completion of items for logged days. Convergent validity was supported by significant correlations between iBehavior domains and established measures. Specifically, iBehavior’s aggression and irritability frequency correlated significantly with ABC-C irritability and BRIEF-2 emotional control. Similarly, stereotyped and repetitive behavior intensity correlated significantly with ABC-C stereotypy, while avoidance and fearfulness domains showed significant associations with BRIEF-2 emotional control and shifting subscales. User feedback indicated high overall satisfaction, though technical issues with text reminders initially affected usability ratings. The findings suggest that iBehavior is a feasible and valid tool for assessing behavioral outcomes in individuals with IDDs. By mitigating recall bias through real-time reporting and ensuring rater accuracy via structured training, iBehavior offers a robust alternative to traditional retrospective questionnaires. The study concludes that this eEMA approach holds promise for use as a primary outcome measure in clinical trials, providing more sensitive and reliable data on behavioral fluctuations in neurodevelopmental populations.
Provenance
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| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | Crossref | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-18 |
| archive | success | canonical_url | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-25 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-26 |
| clean | success | clean | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-18 |
| chunk | success | chunk | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-18 |
| embed | success | embed | Qwen/Qwen3-Embedding-8B | — | 1 | 2026-06-18 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-18 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 6 | 2026-06-18 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-26 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.
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