Innovative methods for remote assessment of neurobehavioral development

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic necessitated adaptations in research operations, limiting in-person interactions.
• Maintaining continuity of developmentally-timed data collection was critical for ongoing research.
• Pivoting to remote assessment methods became essential to mitigate data loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe innovative methods for remote assessment of a parent-child cohort.
• To focus on key areas: perinatal environment, neurobehavioral development, parent-child interaction, and health outcomes.
• To provide recommendations for adapting in-laboratory assessments to remote data collection.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of novel remote assessment protocols for a parent-child cohort.
• Utilized technology for assessing perinatal environment, neurobehavioral development, and health.
• Disseminated methods to eight research sites participating in the HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study.

Main Results:

• Successful adaptation of in-laboratory assessments for remote data collection.
• Established remote methods for evaluating child neurobehavioral development and parent-child interactions.
• Facilitated continued data collection across multiple research sites during the pandemic.

Conclusions:

• Remote assessment methods proved effective in overcoming pandemic-related research limitations.
• These methods offer potential advantages over traditional in-laboratory neurodevelopmental assessments.
• The developed protocols have broad applicability beyond the immediate pandemic context for child development research.