- On March 24, the Palestinian Network for Child Neurodevelopment was established within the framework of the NeuroDev Project.
- On April 5, Palestinian Children's Day, we interviewed researchers from the NeuroDev Project to discuss child neurodevelopment and the importance of strengthening research, training and quality care in Palestine.
The first years of life are crucial for any person's development. During early childhood, essential foundations are laid for lifelong learning, health and well-being. Experiences in this early stage, whether positive or negative, influence cognitive, emotional and social development.
An environment rich in stimulation, loving interactions and appropriate care is essential to nurture development and ensure each child reaches their full potential. However, in Palestine, the excessive violence faced by children means that many risk factors prevent proper development.
According to UNICEF figures, after almost 18 months of war and Israeli attacks, more than 15,000 children have been killed, nearly 34,000 have been injured, and more than one million have been displaced from their homes.
This is the adverse scenario for a generation of children facing unprecedented situations of violence. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), has indicated that in the first four months of the war in Gaza alone, more children lost their lives than in the rest of the world's wars in four years.
In this context, it has initiated the implementation of the NeuroDev Project, which aims to create a University Center for Neurodevelopment (UCN) in three Palestinian universities (An-Najah, Bethlehem and Hebron) to improve training and research in child neurodevelopment in the region. Through implementing practical training, research units and community services, the project aims to enhance the competencies of professionals working with children in Palestine to provide assessment and intervention services to children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
It is an Erasmus + project coordinated by the University of Granada, specifically by researchers from CIMCYC and the Faculty of Education Sciences. The Universities of Bethlehem, An-Najah and Hebron in Palestine and the University of Clermont Auvergne in France are part of the project. The kick-off meeting that initiated the project was held in the last week of February at the University of Granada.
NeuroDev continues the Erasmus+ NeuCaRe initiative, which established the first master's degree in Child Neuropsychology and Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Palestine. It is the result of more than a decade of collaboration between CIMCYC and Palestinian universities: "It started with a project on psychological assessment of children in refugee camps. Later, projects have continued to respond to the needs of Palestinian children," explains Miguel Pérez García, researcher at CIMCYC.
From zero to forever: the importance of early intervention
Mona was eight years old when the sound of bombing shook her world and killed her brother, just as she was on her way to give him a piece of bread. Since then, Mona has never spoken again. Mohammad Ajwah, Head of the Department of Psychology at Hebron University, recounts this true story to illustrate how violence is impacting thousands of Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
When children face adversity such as violence, poverty or lack of access to essential services, their neurocognitive and socioemotional development can be severely compromised. The consequences can manifest in developmental delays, mental health problems, learning difficulties, and language and communication problems.
Several studies have revealed that children in the West Bank and Gaza suffer from severe mental health problems, with a significant percentage of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Given the high exposure to trauma and toxic stress, which can affect the development of certain brain structures, early identification, assessment, and intervention in neurodevelopmental problems is urgent.
"Early intervention helps reduce the intensity of a child's symptoms of a disorder, in addition to strengthening their skills and decreasing differences with peers. This facilitates their adaptation and success in academic and non-academic environments," explains Bashaer Abu Khadeja of An-Najah University.
She works in the institute for Palestinian kids and stresses working with families: "Educating families is very important. We focus on mothers, fathers and/or caregivers. We know that if we support them, they will be able to support their children. For example, we have rehabilitation programs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, where we follow up at home and make sure that the caregivers develop skills to work with them."
Minerva Jaraisah of Bethlehem University noted that although the attacks are concentrated in some regions of Palestine, the entire society is exposed to violence and collective trauma.
“I especially want to recognize the role of many strong women working to lift their families.”
Assessment, infrastructure and training: 3 primary need
Hala Khalawi, a researcher at Bethlehem University, points out that one of the main challenges in working on child neurodevelopment in Palestine is that there are no statistics on the number of children with developmental disorders. "Many families in the West Bank and Gaza have a child with a developmental disorder. I'm sure the numbers are skyrocketing. But the point is that we don't have numbers." Khalawi also points out that there are currently great difficulties in child neurodevelopmental assessment:
"We don't have institutions that do a full range of neuropsychological or neurodevelopmental assessments for children. Also, there are many tools that we have to validate in our context."
NeuroDev aims to provide infrastructure and tools to promote Palestinian researchers' training in investigating, evaluating, and intervening in child neurodevelopment. Laboratory equipment and training in its use will be provided within the research units. Laetitia Silvert, a researcher at Clermont Auvergne University, explains that one of her university's main roles will be “to help my colleagues implement devices that allow them to record brain electrical activity and other neuropsychological assessment measures.”
In this way, the centers will have tools to measure Central Nervous System (CNS) and Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) activity and cognitive and emotional responses in children. It includes electroencephalogram (EEG), EyeTrackers, Electrocardiography (ECG), Electrodermal Activity (EDA), apps and assessment tools such as the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), BENCI or Bayley scales, among others. “So what we are trying to do in these centers is basically connect all the dots (assessment, training, research and community care) and create something multidisciplinary,” assures Hala Khalawi.
"Although there is no data on this yet, I think Palestine, the Gaza Strip, is going to be the part of the world with the most neurodevelopmental problems if we think about risk factors. So creating neurodevelopmental centers in Palestine is an ethical responsibility," says Dr. Ahmed Fasfous, a Bethlehem University researcher who did his PhD at CIMCYC.
All of that makes the implementation of NeuroDev more relevant than ever, and ensuring its long-term sustainability and impact is one of the priorities for the partner universities. Kamel Amayri, a researcher at Hebron University, stressed the importance of Palestinian universities having international partners and ensuring the initiative's sustainability for multiplying its reach. “With everything that is happening, the need for the project now is greater than before,” he said.
In this context, one of the project's first steps was the establishment of the Palestinian Network for Child Neurodevelopment, which was established on March 24, 2025. The network aims to create a network of professionals and organizations working collaboratively for neurodevelopment across Palestine.
