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Department of Special Education

SED

  • Hellenic Authority for Higher Education

Laboratory of Educational Neuroscience & Developmental Disorders

Director: Filippos Vlachos, Professor of the Department of Special Education

Contact: Tel+302421074739 mail: fvlachos@uth.gr

Aim

Νευροεπιστήμη

The laboratory aims to contribute to the modernization of Education and Special Education and the upgrading of initial training and specialization of special educators through the cultivation of research mainly in three axes:

  • advancing our theoretical background on the ways in which current knowledge about the functioning of the human brain can find applications in education.
  • developing assessment procedures for a more complete understanding of developmental disorders
  • the production of knowledge and tools so that the data from neuroscientific research can find direct applications in the field of early detection, accurate diagnosis, early and personalised educational intervention.

Areas of research/academic activity

The research and academic activities of the Laboratory include:

  • The study on the neurobiological basis of the mechanisms of learning
  • The study and evaluation of the school environment in relation to the learning needs of students.
  • The development and evaluation of educational methodologies based on the findings of neuroscientific research
  • The investigation of brain lateralisation and its relationships with the development of cognitive abilities, academic performance and learning styles, both in typical individuals and in clinical populations
  • Research on the neurobiological mechanisms of oral and written language development
  • Research on the neurobiological mechanisms of the development of mathematical skills
  • Research on the nature and causes of developmental disorders
  • The development of screening procedures for neurodevelopmental disorders
  • The development and evaluation of diagnostic procedures for neurodevelopmental disorders
  • Research on the validity and effectiveness of methods of intervention and treatment of Developmental Disorders
  • The longitudinal study of Developmental Disorders across the whole spectrum of individual development and the link between them and professional rehabilitation and quality of life
  • To develop cooperation with and promote support for organisations of parents and people with developmental disabilities
  • The production and evaluation of educational material and educational software
  • The training and specialisation of teachers working in both formal and special education structures
  • The coverage at undergraduate and postgraduate level of teaching and research needs of the Department of Special Education, as well as of the other Departments of the University of Thessaly, in the subjects it deals with.
  • The cooperation and exchange of scientific knowledge with other academic or research institutions in Greece and abroad.
  • The organization of seminars, symposia, conferences, lectures, as well as the realization of publications and publications.
  • The provision of services in accordance with the provisions of P.D. 159/1984 “Conditions for the provision of services by the University laboratories to individuals and all types of organisations” (A΄ 53).

Actions – Events

16/3/2023 – We are our brain! – 8th General Lyceum of Volos

17/3/2023 – Do we know our Brain? – University of Thessaly, Saratsis Amphitheatre

13/3/2024 – Discovering our brain! – 8th General Lyceum of Volos

02/4/2024 – Workshop: Assessment and Intervention in Autism with emphasis on Language Development – University of Thessaly, Saratsis Amphitheatre

Indicative publications by members of the laboratory

  • Vlachos, F. Andreou, G. &.Andreou, E. (2003). Biological and environmental influences in visuospatial abilities. Learning and Individual Differences, 13, 339-347. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1041-6080(03)00014-1
  • Vlachos, F. & Karapetsas, A. (2003). Visual memory deficits in children with dysgraphia. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 97, 1281-1288. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.2003.97.3f.1281
  • Vlachos, F., & Bonoti, F. (2004). Left- and right-handed children’s drawing performance: Is there any difference? Laterality, 9, 397-409. https://doi.org/10.1080/13576500342000239
  • Vlachos, F. & Bonoti, F.  (2004). Handedness and writing performance. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 98, 815-824. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.98.3.815-824
  • Andreou, E., Andreou, G. & Vlachos, F. (2004). Studying orientations and performance in verbal fluency tasks in English as a second language. Learning & Individual Differences, 15, 23-33.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2004.05.001
  • Bonoti, F., Vlachos, F., & Metallidou, P. (2005). Writing and drawing performance of school age children: Is there any relationship? School Psychology International, 26(2), 243-255. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034305052916
  • Andreou, G., Vlachos, F. & Andreou, E. (2005). Affecting factors in second language learning.  Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 34(5), 429-438. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-005-6202-0
  • Vlachos, F., & Bonoti, F.  (2006). Explaining age and sex differences in children’s handwriting: A neurobiological approach. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 3, 113-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405620500371455
  • Andreou, Ε., Vlachos, F. & Andreou, G. (2006). Approaches to studying among Greek university students: The impact of gender, age, academic discipline and handedness. Educational Research, 18, 301-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131880600992363
  • Vlachos, F., Papathanasiou, I., & Andreou, G. (2007). Cerebellum and reading. Folia Phoniatrica et Logopaedica, 59, 177-183. https://doi.org/10.1159/000102929
  • Vlachos, F., Tsiftzi, F., & Agapitou, P. (2007). Evidence of cerebellar dysfunction in low-functioning children with autism. Cognition Brain Behavior, 11, 507-517. https://www.cbbjournal.ro/index.php/en/developmental-cognitive-neuropsychology/352-evidence-of-cerebellar-dysfunction-in-low-functioning-children-with-autism
  • Kasselimis, D., Margarity, M., & Vlachos, F. (2008). Cerebellar function, dyslexia and articulation speed. Child Neuropsychology, 14, 303-313. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297040701550138
  • Andreou, E., Andreou, G., & Vlachos, F. (2008). Learning styles and performance in second language tasks. TESOL Quarterly, 42, 665-674. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2008.tb00156.x
  • Vlachos, F. & Bonoti, F.  (2011). Handedness and drawing: Attempting to complete the picture. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 113, 277-280. https://doi.org/10.2466/10.11.25.PMS.113.4.277-280
  • Vlachos, F., Papadimitriou, A. & Bonoti, F. (2013). An investigation of age and gender differences in preschool children’s specific motor skills. European Psychomotricity Journal, 6, 12-21. https://www.psychomotor.gr/images/journal/Volume6/first_issue/4.VLACHOS_12_21.pdf
  • Vlachos, F., Andreou, E., Delliou, A. & Agapitou, P. (2013). Dyslexia and hand preference in secondary school students. Psychology & Neuroscience, 6, 67-72. https://doi.org/10.3922/j.psns.2013.1.10
  • Vlachos, F., Avramidis, E., Dedousis, G., Chalmpe, M. Ntalla, I., & Giannakopoulou, M. (2013). Prevalence and gender ratio of dyslexia in Greek adolescents and its association with parental history and brain injury. American Journal of Educational Research, 1, 22-25. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-1-1-5
  • Vlachos, F. Andreou, E., Delliou, A. (2013). Brain hemisphericity and developmental dyslexia.  Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34, 1536-1540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2013.01.027
  • Vlachos, F., Avramidis, E., Dedousis, G., Katsigianni, E., Ntalla, I., Giannakopoulou, M. & Chalmpe, M. (2013). Incidence and gender differences for handedness among Greek adolescents and its association with familial history and brain injury. Research in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 1, 6-10. https://doi.org/10.12691/education-1-1-5
  • Vlachos, F., Gaillard, F., Vaitsis, K. & Karapetsas, A. (2013). Developmental risk:  Evidence from large non right-handed samples. Child Development Research, 2013, Article ID 169509, 10 pages, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/169509
  • Andreou, E. & Vlachos, F. (2013). Learning styles of typical readers and dyslexic adolescents. Journal of Visual Literacy, 32(2), 1-14.  https://doi.org/10.1080/23796529.2013.11674707
  • Andreou, E., Vlachos, F., Stavroussi, P. (2013). Multiple intelligences of typical readers and dyslexic adolescences. International Journal of Education, Learning and Development, 1, 61-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/23796529.2013.11674707
  • Papadimitriou, A. & Vlachos, F. (2014). Which specific skills developing during preschool years predict the reading performance in the first and second grade of primary school? Early Child Development and Care, 184, 1706-1722.  https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2013.875542
  • Andreou, G., Vlachos, F. & Makanikas, K. (2014). Effects of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Obstructive Sleep Apnea on cognitive functions: Evidence for a common nature. Sleep Disorders, 2014, Article ID 768210, 18 pages, https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/768210
  • Bonoti, F., Tzouvaleka, E., Bonotis, K., Vlachos, F. (2015). Do Patients with Alzheimer’s disease Draw like Young Children? An Exploratory Study. Journal of Alzheimer’s disease, 43, 1285–1292. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-140528
  • Vlachos, F., & Papadimitriou, A. (2015). Effect of age and gender on children’s reading performance: The possible neural underpinnings. Cogent Psychology, 2, 1045224. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2015.1045224
  • Stavrussi, P., Vlachos, F., & Pisina, A. (2016). An examination of language and nonverbal abilities in twins with Apert syndrome. International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 15 (1), 63-68. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijdhd-2014-0027
  • Vlachos, F., Argiropoulos, V., & Papadimitriou, V. (2017). Effects of handedness and blindness on braille reading accuracy. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 1, 141-148. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-017-0020-x
  • Papadatou-Pastou, M., Haliou, E., Vlachos, F. (2017). Brain knowledge and the prevalence of neuromyths among prospective teachers in Greece. Frontiers in Psychology, section Educational Psychology. 8:804.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00804
  • Zygouris, N., Vlachos, F., Dadaliaris, A., Oikonomou, P., Stamoulis, G., Vavougios, D., Nerantzaki, E., & Striftou, A. (2017). A neuropsychological approach of developmental dyscalculia and a screening test via a web application. International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (iJEP), 4, 51-65. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v7i4.7434
  • Segkouli, S., Paliokas, I., Tzovaras, D., Lazarou, I., Karagiannidis, C., Vlachos, F. & Tsolaki, M. (2017). A computerized test for the assessment of mild cognitive impairment subtypes in sentence processing. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition: A Journal on Normal and Dysfunctional Development. 25(6), 829-851.  https://doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2017.1377679
  • Vlachos, F. & Bonoti, F.  (2018). Laterality and cognition: Handedness as a factor differentiating cognitive abilities.  Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience & Mental Health (Supplement), 1, 21-22. https://doi.org/10.26386/obrela.v1i0.31
  • Andreou, G., & Makanikas, K., Vlachos, F. (2019). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Semantic language abilities. Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science, 9(3), 130-143. https://doi.org/10.4236/jbbs.2019.93011
  • Vlachos, F. & Avramidis, E. (2020). The difference between developmental dyslexia and dysgraphia: Recent neurobiological evidence. International Journal of Neuroscience & Behavioral Science, 8(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.13189/ijnbs.2020.080101
  • Kosmatos, G., Nisiotou, I., Stavroussi, I., Vlachos, F. (2021). Hand Preference in Three Genetic Syndromes Associated with Intellectual Disability. International Journal of Education, Learning and Development, 9(9), 43-50. https://doi.org/10.37745/ijeld.2013
  • Papadopoulou, A-K., Vlachos, F., Papadatou- Pastou., M. (2022). Cerebral lateralization of written language in children at risk for dyslexia and the effects of a phonological intervention. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience & Mental Health, 5(2), 89-97. https://doi.org/10.26386/obrela.v5i2.228
  • Zygouris, N., Vlachos, F., Stamoulis, G. (2022). ERPs in children and adolescents with Generalized Anxiety Disorder before and after an intervention program. Brain Sciences, 12(9), 1174. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12091174
  • Lagoudakis, N., Vlachos, F., Christidou, V., Vavougios, D. (2022). Τhe effectiveness of a teaching approach using Brain Based Learning elements on students’ performance in a Biology course. Cogent Education. 9:1, https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2158672
  • Lagoudakis, N., Vlachos, F., Christidou, V., Vavougios, D., & Batsila, M. (2023). The role of hemispheric preference in student misconceptions in biology. European Journal of Educational Research, 12(2), 739-747. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.12.2.739
  • Andreou, G., Aslanoglou, V., Lymperopoulou, V., & Vlachos, F. (2024). Morphological and phonological errors in the written language production of children with DLD. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 39(2), 235-248. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2023.2207055
  • Papadopoulou,  A.-K.,  Samsouris, C., Vlachos, F.,  Badcock, N., Phylactou, P., Papadatou-Pastou, M. (2024). Exploring cerebral laterality of writing and the relationship to handedness: A functional transcranial Doppler ultrasound investigation. Laterality, 29(1), 117-150.  https://doi.org/10.1080/1357650X.2023.2284407
  • Striftou, A., Zygouris, N. C., Vlachos, F., Patrikelis, P., & Messinis, L. (2024). The effectiveness of a reading and cognitive task-based Web delivered intervention program for children with reading difficulties. Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.2024.2313637
  • Lagoudakis, N., Vlachos, F., Christidou, V., Vavougios, D., Batsila, M. (2024). The use of brain based learning elements in a teaching approach for scientific understanding of biology concepts. American Journal of Educational Research, 12(7), 247-253. doi: 10.12691/education-12-7-5.  https://pubs.sciepub.com/education/12/7/5
  • Andreou, G., Vlachos, F., & Haftouras, N. (2007). The cerebellum and language functions. Psychology: The Journal of the Hellenic Psychological Society, 14, 113-126. https://doi.org/10.12681/psy_hps.23856
  • Papalexopoulos, P., Vavougios, D., Vlachos, F., & Karapetsas, A. (2008). The investigation of the effectiveness of the criteria for the construction of a physics text for students with dyslexia: The case of electric current. Themes in Science & Technology Education, 1, 91-106. http://earthlab.uoi.gr/theste/index.php/theste/article/download/10/5
  • Vlachos, F., & Daloukas, G. (2007). A longitudinal study on visual-motor skills development: Neurobiological approach. In Y. Theodorakis, M. Goudas, & A. Papaioannou, (Eds). Long papers of the 12th European Congress of Sport Psychology, 390-393.
  • Vlachos, F., Daloukas, G., & Karapetsas, A. (2007). Handedness and motor performance in preschool children. In Y. Theodorakis, M. Goudas, & A. Papaioannou, (Eds). Long papers of the 12th European Congress of Sport Psychology, 385-389.
  • Vlachos, F., Stavroussi, P., Pisina, A. (2012). Handedness distribution in children and adolescents with genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability. In M. Vucovic (Ed.) Proceedings of the Sixth International Scientific Conference “Special Education and Rehabilitation Today”, (pp. 81-85). Belgrade: University of Belgrade. ISBN 978-86-6203-037-5.
  • Argyropoulos, V., Papadimitriou, V., Vlachos, F. (2013). Hand preference of adults with blindness in everyday activities. Proceedings of the 6th ICEVI Balkan Conference, Cluj Napoca, Romania: International Council for Education and Rehabilitation of People with Visual Impairment.
  • Zygouris, N., Vlachos, F., et al., (2015). Learning difficulties screening web application. Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning, (pp. 650-654). Florence, Italy: IEEE Conference Publications.  DOI: 10.1109/ICL.2015.7318103
  • Zygouris, Ν., Stamoulis, G., Vlachos, F., et al., (2017). Screening for disorders of mathematics via a web application. In: 2017 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), (pp. 502-507). Athens, Greece: IEEE Conference Publications.  doi: 10.1109/EDUCON.2017.7942893.
  • Zygouris, Ν., Vlachos, F., Dadaliaris, D., et al., (2018). New tasks for a dyslexia screening web application. In: ICL2018 – 21th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning, (pp. 1322-1330). Kos Island, Greece: IEEE Conference Publications. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11932-4_26
  • Tsiftzi, F., Papoudi, D., Avramidis, E., Misailidi, P., Vlachos, F. (2024). Behavioral assessment of cerebellar function in preschool children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The 14th Asian Conference on Psychology & Behavioral Sciences: Official  Proceedings. (pp. 453-460). Tokyo: Japan. https://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/acp2024/ACP2024_79054.pdf
  • Tsiftzi, F., Papoudi, D., Avramidis, E., Stavroussi, P., Misailidi, P., Vlachos, F. (2024). Balance and gross motor skills impairments characterize young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The 14th Asian Conference on Psychology & Behavioral Sciences: Official Proceedings. (pp. 445-452). Tokyo: Japan. https://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/acp2024/ACP2024_79053.pdf
  • Chalmpe, M., Agapitou, P., Bonoti, F., Vlachos, F. (2024). Visual memory deficits in children with ADHD. The European Conference on Education (ECE2024): Official Proceedings. London: U.K.
  • Lagoudakis, N., Vlachos, F., Chalmpe, M. (2024). Is there any influence of brain hemisphericity on the understanding of biology concepts? Evidence from two instructional approaches. Proceedings of the 17th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation. November 11-13. Seville (Spain).
  • Chalmpe, M., Vlachos, F. (2024). Investigating the double-deficit hypothesis of developmental dyslexia in a shallow orthography. Proceedings of the 17th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation. November 11-13. Seville (Spain).
  • Andreou, G., Andreou, E., Vlachos, F. (2006).  Individual differences in second language learning among university students. In S. Hogan (Ed.): Trends in Learning Research (pp. 81-98). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers. ISBN 1-59454965-6
  • Andreou, G., Vlachos, F., & Makanikas, K. (2012). Neurocognitive deficits in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). In T. Heinbockel (Ed.): Neuroscience (pp. 93-114). InTech, ISBN 979-953-307-407-7. Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/neuroscience/neurocognitive-deficits-in-patients-with-obstructive-sleep-apnea-syndrome-osas
  • Zygouris, N., Vlachos, F., Dadaliaris, A. et al., (2017). The implementation of a web application for screening children with dyslexia. In M.E. Auer et al. (Eds.), Interactive Collaborative Learning, Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing (pp. 415-423). DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-50340-0_36. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3-319-50339-4
  • Zygouris, N., Vlachos, F., Dadaliaris, A., Karagos, A., Oikonomou, P., Striftou, A., Vavouguios, D. & Stamoulis, G. (2020). New Tasks for a Dyslexia Screening Web Application. In M. E. Auer and T. Tsiatsos (Eds.): The Challenges of the Digital Transformation in Education, Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, (pp. 263-271). DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-11932-4_26. Cham, Switzerland:  Springer International Publishing. ISBN 978-3-030-11931-7
  • Tzivinikou, S., Vlachos, F. & Moutavelis, A. (2020). Preschool Special education in Greece. In: J. Kauko, & M. Waniganayake (Eds.), Bloomsbury Education and Childhood Studies. London: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-350-99592-5
  • Aslanoglou, V., Andreou, G., Vlachos, F., & Lymperopoulou, V. (2023). Writing Skills of Individuals With Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). In D. Katsarou (Ed.), Developmental Language Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence (pp. 323-337). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-0644-4.ch024
  • Aslanoglou, V., Andreou, G., Vlachos, F., & Lymperopoulou, V. (2025). Reading Skills of Individuals With Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). In D. Katsarou, M. Sofologi, & E. Efthymiou (Eds.), Psycholinguistic Dynamics and Educational Inclusion for Children and Adolescents (pp. 151-170). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-8931-7.ch008
  • Hellenic Authority for Higher Education
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