The future of mobile health ADHD applications

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common disorders that affect children. The diagnosis and the Cognitive-Behavioral treatment approaches are based on child´s behavioral assessment through pen and pen-and-paper procedures. A number of mobile applications have been designed not only to replace traditional methods but also to provide more accurate, objective, direct and reliable recordings, better management of ADHD symptoms, education and training about the ADHD or even tools for ADHD diagnosis. The WHAAM application through a virtual network provides features to monitor behaviors in a SMART way (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely). In other words, creating a network of people involved in child´s care (parents, educators, health professionals, relatives), WHAAM app allows data collection when the behavior occurs accompanied by information about its content and environment. Subsequently, gathered data is visualized and evaluated making possible an intervention planning and programming by the involved health professional. Additionally, the WHAAM app provides tools for evaluation of intervention efficacy. However, as emerging technologies came to facilitate healthcare delivery, there is a need for a continuous challenging and progress. Therefore, additional health data collection through advanced sensors and storage in big data hubs might be the new challenge of the future m-health applications.