QADER and the Ministry of Health Conclude the First Phase of Training Specialists on Assessing Children's Cognitive Abilities

QADER for Community Development, in partnership with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, concluded the first phase of training programs aimed at building and enhancing the capacities of Ministry of Health staff and professionals from civil society organizations in the diagnosis and evaluation of children's cognitive abilities.

This training marks the culmination of over two years of collaboration between QADER and the Ministry of Health, focusing on establishing standards for diagnosing children with intellectual disabilities. The initiative seeks to institutionalize and improve diagnostic services for children with intellectual disabilities and develop the expertise of professionals in the Ministry and related organizations.

The first phase consisted of two-day training sessions for each group, divided across central, southern, and northern areas of the West Bank. Led by clinical psychologist Yiad Ghanadri Hakim, the training covered key topics such as the history of psychological diagnosis, cognitive ability assessment, ethics in diagnostics, legal frameworks, definitions and classifications of intellectual disabilities, differential diagnosis, and involving children and families in the diagnostic process.

Future training phases will include capacity-building programs focusing on diagnostic tools recommended in the Quality Standards Manual. These phases will cover topics such as evaluation tools, new diagnostic methods, supervisory programs, and the use of the EDUS tool, a screening and assessment tool, as part of the comprehensive training packages.