“It Depends on the Choices that Are Made Now.” Parental Perspectives on the Use of Automated Methods in Early Childhood Developmental Checks

Abstract

Automated methodologies and artificial intelligence (AI) raise new opportunities to support assessment of young children’s development. Little is known about parents’ views on such technologies, which could have implications for development and adoption of innovations in this area. In this study, we use an acceptability framework to explore in what contexts and under what conditions, automated, AI-based assessment of early child development might be accepted by parents. Seventy-three complete online survey responses were gathered from parents of children under 5 years of age, living in England. Analysis was conducted via a combination of descriptive and thematic analyses. We found that parents showed a mixture of worry and optimism about AI-based assessment, as well as a substantial number who were ambivalent or uncertain of their views. We discuss findings in relation to acceptability considerations for wide-spread innovation and implementation of automated analyses in early childhood services.