Allianz France has just formed a partnership with the start-up Mila to support the remediation of children with learning disorders, such as dyslexia, dysorthographia, dyscalculia, and more. A pilot scheme currently aimed at employees of the German insurance group. Here’s a look at this innovative initiative.
Allianz France‘s approach to DYS disorders
Affecting nearly 7 million people in France, learning disorders do not benefit from optimal medical follow-up—access to care remaining as limited as it is a source of deep social inequality.
Indeed, coverage for certain professionals, despite being qualified to help children with DYS disorders (occupational therapist, graphotherapist…), remains too limited by health insurers and other insurance providers to ensure long-term remediation follow-up.
In September 2022, Allianz France decided to launch an innovative initiative with the start-up Mila: for a period of 7 months, the insurer’s 8,500 employees will be able to access the Mila-Learn app for free for 3 months.
The playful, medically-grounded Mila-Learn device
Published by the company Bmotion technologies, Mila-Learn is an app dedicated to children with DYS disorders. In a playful environment, with music and video-game touches, it rolls out exercise sessions designed to stimulate the child’s abilities—whether reading, attention, working memory, visuo-spatial analysis, flexibility, or inhibition.
Used at home alongside more traditional remediation sessions (with a speech therapist, for example), the app has already reached 6,000 children aged 7 to 14… It is currently the subject of a national clinical study, with the Pitie-Salpetriere hospital in Paris. In phase 3, it is being evaluated in the same way as a medicine—the goal being to turn it into a medical device covered by France’s national health insurance…
The Allianz/Mila partnership
At the end of the Mila-Learn medical device’s trial period at Allianz France, at the end of March, its use and how families perceive it will be assessed. Depending on the feedback, this initiative could be included in the employees’ group health insurance contract.
Charlotte Guy-Duquesne, HR Development and Talent Management Director at Allianz France, explains the reasoning behind this approach: “Because these disorders can be a major source of isolation for young children, Allianz France chose Mila-Learn, an innovative device where technology offers new ways to develop remote training protocols. With this solution, tested by more than fifty employees and praised throughout the company, we want to make everyday life easier for our employees and contribute to the development of innovative solutions for young people’s health.”[1]
Mila’s president, Francois Vonthron, for his part, says he is proud and honoured by the trust shown by Allianz France: “Taking into account the everyday difficulties faced by parents, Mila aims to contribute to better care for learning disorders in children, by offering a fun game that helps encourage children to engage with the medical device.”1
[1] Citation: https://newsroom.allianz.fr/actualites/allianz-france-et-la-start-up-mila-sassocient-pour-proposer-aux-enfants-des-collaborateurs-allianz-france-atteints-de-troubles-specifiques-des-apprentissages-le-dispositif-medical-mila-learn-ded7-98cdb.html
