A smartphone-based app can help improve the accuracy of data in some clinical trials involving individuals with intellectual disability, report researchers. The most common genetic causes of intellectual disability are Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome. The goal, said the researchers at University of California-Davis Health in the US, is to track symptoms related to executive function, often associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), using the new smartphone app called 'iBehavior'.

"It's a really smart use of a ubiquitous technology and it could make a huge difference in the accuracy of measurement in clinical trials," said David Hessl, a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UC Davis MIND Institute. Hessl was awarded a two-year, $431,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the project. The study will focus on children and young adults with intellectual disability.