Developing a Mobile Application Linking the Microsystems of Young Children with Delays or Disabilities: A Case Study and Guidelines

Early intervention for young children with delays or disabilities is universally recognized as essential for helping children develop to their fullest potential. Despite worldwide efforts to implement various forms of Early Intervention, it remains a challenge for families to navigate the services without support. This study presents the collaborative program development of LinkI, a mobile application that can support families by enhancing integrated communication among the child’s microsystems (e.g., parents, therapists, and teachers). The stakeholders took a participatory role in sharing their experiences with early intervention and providing feedback regarding the preliminary design of LinkI. A qualitative analysis of the interviews highlighted the importance of incorporating a family-centered approach and the need for an efficient method of collaboration. Informed by the findings, we made revisions to create our final prototype of LinkI. This study anticipates facilitating mobile application development for comprehensive early intervention support through our suggested program design recommendations.