The article is written by BizMaker. Click on the image above to visit their website.
New app detects mental illness among children
Through a simple survey every week, mental illness among children and young people can be detected early. Now tested the app school in elementary schools around the country. - I myself have experience with friends who felt very bad at school, says medical student and innovator Ismael Hamoudi.
Many schools use questionnaires where students have to answer questions about their well-being once or twice a year. This is far too rare to be able to implement measures in time, believes the innovator Ismael Hamoudi, who developed his own digital solution: Skolado.
It is an app that, with inspiration from the gaming world, maps the children's well-being once a week. By answering five different questions, which vary from week to week, teachers and other school staff get a picture of how the child is doing, and can take measures earlier than with traditional methods.
- I worked for a while as a substitute and noticed how difficult it is to keep track of all the students, especially during breaks, in the changing rooms and in the dining hall. There are many things you can miss when it comes to how the children are doing, says Ismael Hamoudi, founder of Skolado.
The work on developing the app is in full swing and the tests are going well, awaiting launch after the summer.
Skolado has participated in BizMakers business development program Youth Wellness Accelerator 2021, for startup companies with digital solutions to combat mental illness in children and young people.
- The accelerator has opened many doors and we have made contact with new partners who are willing to help us move forward. We have also made contact with people who shared their experiences and advice, says Ismael, who took a break from his medical studies to invest fully in his innovation.
One of the partners from the program that collaborated with Skolado is Sundsvall municipality. Eva-Marie Thyberg, innovation strategist at Sundsvall municipality, sees a great need for the service.
- There is absolutely a need to identify signals as early as possible to slow down or remedy a downward spiral of ill-health, bullying or whatever it may be, says Eva-Marie.
One challenge is the connection to the tough requirements on ethics and confidentiality.
- Here we need to find ways forward for innovations that are created in the borderland between the private and public sector, says Eva-Marie.
She looks forward to continued collaboration with Skolado.
- We are here if they want more knowledge and tests. What we cannot do ourselves, perhaps we have a good network of contacts for, so our doors are open for continued dialogue. It's also about mutual learning, where we in the municipality get to see how things can work going forward. It's a journey we make together, says Eva-Marie.
Sundsvall municipality, Exactly, IBM, Game On Mid Sweden, GovTech Sweden, Region Västernorrland and Örnsköldsvik municipality were partners in the program.
Contact
Ismael Hamoudi, founder of Skolado
ismael@skolado.se
Eva-Marie Tyberg, innovation strategist at Sundsvall municipality
eva-marie.tyberg@sundsvall.se