Raising Parents’ Awareness for the Early Detection of Autism Symptoms & Screening
Parto is a new service for Iran Autism Association which empowers parents to recognize “Autism symptoms” at the right time, access trusted resources, and find support. Together, we turn confusion into clarity and hope into action.
SUMMARY
Content
PROBLEM
In Iran, most are not diagnosed until age 5-6
years past the critical 2-3 intervention window.
Parents face a maze:
unawareness of how symptoms differ from normal childhood behavior
scarce Persian-language resources
confusing screenings
Autism is taboo
Solution
A Persian digital screening service guiding parents from awareness to specialist access
Questionnaire in-app screening test validated with specialists
Reduce stigma through tone: supportive information, not a judgment
DESUGN PROCESS
Design Process A human-centered, four-phase process guided the development of Parto, from understanding the problem to validating the solution with real users.
Research & Discovery
Discovery Research Four parallel research streams uncovered the scale of the problem - from specialist knowledge to lived parent experience - building a full picture of why early autism detection consistently fails in Iran.
Insights
Parents dismiss early signs as normal behaviour
Autism stigma prevents families from seeking help
No routine screening before school age in the public system
No Persian-language, parent-focused screening tool exists
Benchmarks
The project began with a landscape analysis of autism diagnosis patterns in Iran, combined with a benchmarking review of four existing autism screening services in the world and the only one in Iran:
Core mission:
Raise awareness and enable timely intervention through targeted, accessible screening
Concept Design
User Flow (Journey Map)
This flow aims to build trust, reduce friction, and provide clarity at every step, especially for parents or individuals who may be going through this process for the first time.
User Flow Test
To ensure a smooth flow, I reviewed the wireframe with three colleagues. Their feedback revealed several points:
Note:
Changes were applied directly in UI.
The scheme
The color palette follows the Autism Iran design system. In the UI design, I incorporated the well-known autism icon (the puzzle piece) as a key visual element.
Usability Test
Conducted with 10 families who had children aged 2-5 years at “Shaparak Kindergarten”.Parents were asked to complete four key tasks the main metric was task success rate:
.
Raising Parents’ Awareness for the Early Detection of Autism Symptoms & Screening
Parto is a new service for Iran Autism Association which empowers parents to recognize “Autism symptoms” at the right time, access trusted resources, and find support. Together, we turn confusion into clarity and hope into action.
SUMMARY
Content
PROBLEM
In Iran, most are not diagnosed until age 5-6
years past the critical 2-3 intervention window.
Parents face a maze:
unawareness of how symptoms differ from normal childhood behavior
scarce Persian-language resources
confusing screenings
Autism is taboo
Solution
A Persian digital screening service guiding parents from awareness to specialist access
Questionnaire in-app screening test validated with specialists
Reduce stigma through tone: supportive information, not a judgment
DESUGN PROCESS
Design Process A human-centered, four-phase process guided the development of Parto, from understanding the problem to validating the solution with real users.
Research & Discovery
Discovery Research Four parallel research streams uncovered the scale of the problem - from specialist knowledge to lived parent experience - building a full picture of why early autism detection consistently fails in Iran.
Insights
Parents dismiss early signs as normal behaviour
Autism stigma prevents families from seeking help
No routine screening before school age in the public system
No Persian-language, parent-focused screening tool exists
Benchmarks
The project began with a landscape analysis of autism diagnosis patterns in Iran, combined with a benchmarking review of four existing autism screening services in the world and the only one in Iran:
Core mission:
Raise awareness and enable timely intervention through targeted, accessible screening
Concept Design
User Flow (Journey Map)
This flow aims to build trust, reduce friction, and provide clarity at every step, especially for parents or individuals who may be going through this process for the first time.
User Flow Test
To ensure a smooth flow, I reviewed the wireframe with three colleagues. Their feedback revealed several points:
Note:
Changes were applied directly in UI.
The scheme
The color palette follows the Autism Iran design system. In the UI design, I incorporated the well-known autism icon (the puzzle piece) as a key visual element.
Usability Test
Conducted with 10 families who had children aged 2-5 years at “Shaparak Kindergarten”.Parents were asked to complete four key tasks the main metric was task success rate:
.
Raising Parents’ Awareness for the Early Detection of Autism Symptoms & Screening
Parto is a new service for Iran Autism Association which empowers parents to recognize “Autism symptoms” at the right time, access trusted resources, and find support. Together, we turn confusion into clarity and hope into action.
SUMMARY
Content
PROBLEM
In Iran, most are not diagnosed until age 5-6
years past the critical 2-3 intervention window.
Parents face a maze:
unawareness of how symptoms differ from normal childhood behavior
scarce Persian-language resources
confusing screenings
Autism is taboo
Solution
A Persian digital screening service guiding parents from awareness to specialist access
Questionnaire in-app screening test validated with specialists
Reduce stigma through tone: supportive information, not a judgment
DESUGN PROCESS
Design Process A human-centered, four-phase process guided the development of Parto, from understanding the problem to validating the solution with real users.
Research & Discovery
Discovery Research Four parallel research streams uncovered the scale of the problem - from specialist knowledge to lived parent experience - building a full picture of why early autism detection consistently fails in Iran.
Insights
Parents dismiss early signs as normal behaviour
Autism stigma prevents families from seeking help
No routine screening before school age in the public system
No Persian-language, parent-focused screening tool exists
Benchmarks
The project began with a landscape analysis of autism diagnosis patterns in Iran, combined with a benchmarking review of four existing autism screening services in the world and the only one in Iran:
Core mission:
Raise awareness and enable timely intervention through targeted, accessible screening
Concept Design
User Flow (Journey Map)
This flow aims to build trust, reduce friction, and provide clarity at every step, especially for parents or individuals who may be going through this process for the first time.
User Flow Test
To ensure a smooth flow, I reviewed the wireframe with three colleagues. Their feedback revealed several points:
Note:
Changes were applied directly in UI.
The scheme
The color palette follows the Autism Iran design system. In the UI design, I incorporated the well-known autism icon (the puzzle piece) as a key visual element.
Usability Test
Conducted with 10 families who had children aged 2-5 years at “Shaparak Kindergarten”.Parents were asked to complete four key tasks the main metric was task success rate:
.