PROVIDENCE – A startup intended to improve therapy for children with ADHD took home the top award at the Rhode Island Business Competition last week.
The early-stage digital health company, Q2Behave, enhances an existing, commonly-used treatment for children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder by using a wearable device to provide positive reinforcement, said founder and child psychiatrist Geanina Oana Costea.
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The need for improved ADHD treatment, as well as accessibility, is “tremendous,” Costea said. The disorder, which causes symptoms such as difficulty with focusing, organizational skills and restlessness, lead to low self-esteem, depression and difficulty in school for children, and may also continue into adulthood.
In 2016, a study by the National Survey of Children’s Health estimated that 8.4% of U.S. children aged 2-17 have an ADHD diagnosis.
A common form of behavioral therapy for ADHD involves a parent, teacher or other caregiver using a sticker chart to reward a child for goal behaviors, such as sitting still in a classroom or at the dinner table.
Q2Behave would digitize this process using a wearable device, likely in the form of a watch, to sense motion and provide a visual recognizing positive behaviors.
The behavioral therapy’s traditional format is “pretty labor intensive for the parent,” Costea said. “Because it’s based on observation, they have to monitor the child at all times, and because of that, it’s subjective.”
Providers then need to make treatment recommendations for children based on a parent’s limited observations, Costea said.
Q2Behave would eliminate the need for constant monitoring and give more accurate data on a child’s behavior, Costea said, which can help providers make further treatment recommendations.
Costea, who launched the startup in 2020, is currently preparing to start clinical trials for proof of concept. The device will initially be available as a consumer product, she said, but with increased adoption, the company will pursue a digital therapeutic classification that makes the device available on a prescription-only basis.
By creating an additional, more efficient treatment option, Costea said the technology could help improve children’s access to affordable ADHD treatment and ease workflow for providers amid what experts are calling a youth mental health crisis.
Currently, children and their families are experiencing “a systemic issue of limited services for pediatric health, and it’s affecting access to care,” Costea said. “Children are waiting a matter of months to see a provider.”
“In the end, possibly, providers may be available for treating more patients,” she added, and “to treat patients more efficiently.”
Q2Behave rose to the top out of 45 other applicants in the Rhode Island Business Competition, which awarded a total of $140,000 in cash and prizes.
The judges also recognized three finalists: AtomICS, a startup storing and processing digital data in disordered small molecule mixtures; MediCircle, which works to redistribute unused cancer medication through hospital partnerships; and Plantopia, a startup creating a plant-based, allergen-free food production facility.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
