Study Results of mCARE: Developing, Deploying, and Analysing the End-to-End Results of a Mobile-Based Remote Monitoring Tool for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Bangladesh

Mental health is one of the most neglected healthcare issues in developing countries. The situation is worse in the Global South due to stigma, superstitions, and many other social-cultural-financial constraints. Lack of mental health professionals and regular monitoring has deprived families raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) of the desired care and support. However, the overwhelming adoption of mobile phones in Bangladesh has created an unprecedented opportunity to overcome these various constraints. To leverage this opportunity, we designed, developed, and evaluated mCARE (Mobile-Based Care for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Remote Experience Sampling Method), a mobile application that integrates the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) with the local healthcare practice by putting the caregivers in the loop. mCARE collected behavioral and developmental progress parameter values from the caregivers of 300 children with ASD periodically (daily/ weekly/ biweekly/ monthly) along with sociodemographic data of the family. This paper reports: (a) the context and challenge identification phases that validate the requirement of a mobile based tool; (b) evolution of mCARE following Value Sensitive Design; (c) short term and long-term impact analysis (qualitative and quantitative) of mCARE, and; (d) broader implications of these findings for the HCI scholarship along with the impact of mCARE during COVID-19.