In Palestine and Jordan, there are few master’s programs (M.A.) that focus on refugee populations (i.e., the German Jordanian University offers a Master Program in Social Work related to refugees). None of them, nor any of the other 25 that target involuntary migrations in universities in the USA and in Europe, address the central aspect of this project, the effects of the refugee situation on the neurodevelopment of children.
Another innovative aspect of the project is its foundation in a body of knowledge that was not available until now. Neuroscience has now provided evidence for how certain environmental and health-related conditions modulate neurodevelopment in childhood.
An additional novel characteristic of the project is that it targets professionals from a variety of disciplines. The diploma aims for professionals to acquire a set of shared knowledge that allows them to work as a team through transparent communication about objectives, their work with children, the methods used to achieve aims, and the roles carried out.
In addition to this shared knowledge base, a specialization for professional psychologists is also included in a series of highly specific evaluation and intervention activities. The objective is for these professionals to be able to lead teams in the field of neurodevelopment and to apply tests and intervention programs to reduce alterations detected in screening carried out by other professionals.
Regarding evaluations, the main innovative aspect is the project’s application of adapted and validated tests in a digital format. This facilitates both screenings by all professionals and in-depth evaluations by professionals with greater competencies in the field of neuropsychology.
Training native professionals during the project is also an innovative strategy that guarantees that the diploma will continue after the project has finalized and will lead to improvements in child neurodevelopment, and thus to the society as a whole.
