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Delays in the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in toddlers and postnatal depression (PND) in mothers are major public health issues. In both cases, early intervention is crucial.

We aimed to assess if a mobile app named Malo can reduce delay in the recognition of NDD and PND.

We performed an observational, cross-sectional, data-based study in a population of young parents with a minimum of 1 child under 3 years of age at the time of inclusion and using Malo on a regular basis. We included the first 4000 users matching the criteria and agreeing to participate between November 11, 2021, and January 14, 2022. Parents received monthly questionnaires via the app, assessing skills on sociability, hearing, vision, motricity, language of their infants, and possible autism spectrum disorder. Mothers were also requested to answer regular questionnaires regarding PND, from 4-28 weeks after childbirth. When any patient-reported outcomes matched predefined criteria, an in-app notification was sent to the user, recommending the booking of an appointment with their family physician or pediatrician. The main outcomes were the median age of the infant at the time of notification for possible NDD and the median time of PND notifications after childbirth. One secondary outcome was the relevance of the NDD notification for a consultation as assessed by the physicians.

Among 4242 children assessed by 5309 questionnaires, 613 (14.5%) had at least 1 disorder requiring a consultation. The median age of notification for …