“Ynmo Tifli” Initiative Showcases the Kingdom's Experience at the Global ASQ Symposium in Lisbon and Explores International Experiences in Early Detection and Intervention
May 13, 2026
By Dr. Fahad Alnemary
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had a notable presence at the ASQ Around the World Symposium, held in Lisbon last September, through the participation of the “Ynmo Tifli” initiative in presenting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's experience in early detection and tracking children's developmental progress via the comprehensive national application, Tawakkalna.
The Kingdom's participation aimed to showcase the “Ynmo Tifli” experience and also benefit from advanced international experiences in using the ASQ tool to track developmental progress, early detection, and early intervention, as the conference brought together experts, researchers, and entities from around the world to share expertise and experiences regarding the use of the tool.
The ASQ tool is currently used in more than 80 countries worldwide, with several countries sharing their experiences at the conference, highlighting diverse models for using the tool in early detection and tracking children's developmental progress.
In Bulgaria, the tool was utilized within support programs for families and communities most in need to detect developmental gaps and provide early intervention. In Taiwan, the tool was implemented within inclusive educational environments to monitor children's progress in kindergarten. In Ukraine, a digital system was developed to apply the tool following war and displacement to facilitate barrier-free access to services for families.
China also presented its experience in integrating the tool into national standards for autism spectrum disorder screening, carrying out more than 300,000 electronic screenings. In the Canadian province of Quebec, the tool was utilized within early childhood centers and nurseries for early detection and child monitoring under the Agir tôt program. Likewise, Inuit communities in northern Canada presented their experience in developing linguistic tools and indicators that respect local culture and community values for children.
In this context, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's experience stood out as the first global experience in which the ASQ tool was integrated into a comprehensive national application serving millions of users through the “Ynmo Tifli” initiative—one of the world's largest digital initiatives in early detection and intervention—contributing to broadening access for families across different regions of the Kingdom and reducing barriers related to developmental services and early detection.
The initiative is also continuing its research and scientific efforts, with an extensive study currently underway to standardize and assess the psychometric properties of ASQ-3 in Arabic, based on data from more than 43,000 child beneficiaries of the initiative, which is anticipated to be among the largest global studies associated with the tool.
The “Ynmo Tifli” initiative comes in partnership with the Al Faisalya Women Charity in Jeddah and with support from Saudi Aramco, as part of national efforts to advance early detection and early intervention for children in the Kingdom.
The initiative has also seen qualitative advancements recently, most notably the issuance of a circular by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development mandating all nurseries and child hospitality centers to implement developmental screening programs, in addition to incorporating early detection services into the proactive registration steps for the upcoming school year for first-grade primary and kindergarten students.
It is noted that the figures presented during the conference reflected the initiative's data at the time of participation, while the initiative has since seen rapid growth in the number of beneficiary families and children. The number of children added to the platform today has exceeded 960,000 from various regions of the Kingdom, while the number of children screened developmentally has surpassed 176,000, with a goal to reach one million children over the coming months.
These efforts reflect the Kingdom's direction toward building an integrated national ecosystem that supports early childhood, empowers families, enhances opportunities for early intervention, and improves the quality of life for children and their families, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
Originally published in Arabic. This English version was produced with AI-assisted translation; the Arabic original remains the reference.
