Co-Design and Field Testing of a Platform to Support the Screening of Learning Difficulties

The screening of specific learning disabilities faces many challenges, such as: 1) the lack of an educational alliance between schools, families, and clinicians; 2) the lack of quantitative data about children’s difficulties and their progression over time; or 3) the inefficiency of access to care when it is truly needed. To address these issues, this work presents ESSENCE, a platform aimed at supporting schools throughout the entire process, from identifying children with difficulties to reporting cases to child neuropsychiatrists. Following an iterative co-design process with all relevant stakeholders, several system components were defined, developed, and refined with users’ feedback. The final prototype was field-tested over one year by approximately 70 children, their teachers, and some clinicians. Compliance, the System Usability Scale, and custom satisfaction questionnaires were used to evaluate the system. Compliance was high, with at least five sessions conducted in 80% of the weeks. 82% of children reported good usability, and 92% were satisfied with the experience. The quantitative data collected through ESSENCE enhance the process of identifying specific learning disabilities, making it more targeted and beneficial for both children in need and the health-care system.