The first Griffiths Development Scales-Chinese Language Edition certification class organized by LIH Healthcare together with ARICD, was launched at Shanghai LIH Olivia’s Place from February 15-17, 2017.

The training included 12 pediatricians and therapists from LIH Olivia’s Place clinics in Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen, as well as 4 pediatricians from two hospitals in Shanxi Province. Dr. Denise Challis, the former Chair of the Association for Research in Infant and Child Development (ARICD), and Dr. Becci Dow, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Manager of LIH Olivia’s Place Shanghai were the instructors for the course. Dr. Fengyi Kuo, Occupational Therapist and Therapy Manager at Kunming LIH SkyCity Hospital, provided support with Chinese translation.

Participants’ assessment skills were greatly improved through structured lectures combined with case discussions, practical demonstration, and real case evaluation. Twelve of the participants passed and obtained Griffiths Registered User certification granted by ARICD.

The Griffiths Development Scales-Chinese Language Edition (GDS-C0 is adapted from the Griffiths Mental Development Scales – Second Edition (GMDS-2), originally published in English in 2006 by ARICD. The GDS-C is used for children from China aged 0-8 years. The standardization process was undertaken from 2009 to 2013 and involved 7 different locations across China. Clinical research results show that the GDS-C can effectively evaluate Chinese children’s motor function, learning difficulties, congenital mental development status and developmental disorder, vision problems, autism, degree of premature birth, and social/emotional development skills.

LIH Healthcare was officially authorized by ARICD, the copyright owner of the Griffiths Mental Development Scales and the international publisher Hogrefe in January 2016 to be the only sales, customer service, and training/certification provider in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. LIH Healthcare together with ARICD will also be responsible for bringing the GDS-C into wider use in greater China. To this end, LIH Healthcare will hold another four GDS-C training courses in 2017 in Kunming, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Shanghai in May and October. For more information about the GDS-C or to inquire about the training schedule and required qualifications, please contact LiQun, LIH Healthcare Sr. Training Manager , at qin.li@lih-healthcare.com.