Reaching students with reading disabilities during the summer

Christodoulou, J. A., Azor, A. M., & Marks, R. A. (2024). Reaching students with reading disabilities during the summer. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 11(1), 67-75. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732223122063 

Summary: Directed toward policymakers and school leaders, this article provides an overview of summer program options for school-age students and offers recommendations for improving access and quality of opportunities to foster reading skills.

Reflections on the past two decades of Mind, Brain, and Education

Ozernov-Palchik, O., Pollack, C., Bonawitz, E., Christodoulou, J. A., Gaab, N., Gabrieli, J. D. E., Kievlan, P. M., Kirby, C., Lin, G., Luk, G., & Nelson, C. A. (2024). Reflections on the past two decades of Mind, Brain, and Education. Mind, brain and education: the official journal of the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society, 18(1), 6–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/mbe.12407 

Summary:  Mind, brain, and education community members offer an overview of the links between cognitive neuroscience and education since the early 2000s.

Cognitive Neuroscience and Education

Luk, G. & Christodoulou, J.A. (2023). Cognitive Neuroscience and Education. In P. A. Schutz & K. R. Muis (Eds.) Handbook of Educational Psychology, 4th edition. Routledge. Chapter 17. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429433726

Summary: This chapter focuses on cognitive neuroscience as it relates to education, and proposes a model of transdisciplinary collaboration offering examples from bilingualism and summer learning outcomes.

How neuroscience can help to overcome adversity in education

Romeo, R. & Christodoulou, J.A. (2022). How neuroscience can help to overcome adversity in education. In A. Holliman & K. Sheehy (Eds.), Overcoming adversity in education, 1st edition. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003180029 

Summary: In this chapter, we discuss how the field of educational neuroscience can inform educational practice as it pertains to both endogenous and exogenous adversities with a specific focus on two types: socioeconomic disadvantage and reading disabilities.

Socioeconomic status and reading outcomes: Neurobiological and behavioral correlates

Romeo, R. R., Uchida, L., & Christodoulou, J. A. (2022). Socioeconomic status and reading outcomes: Neurobiological and behavioral correlates. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 2022(183-184), 57–70. https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20475 

Summary: In this chapter, we examine reading outcomes and socioeconomic status (SES) using a developmental cognitive and educational neuroscience perspective, focusing on reading achievement and intervention outcomes.

Online training modules for teaching assessment skills to graduate student clinicians

Radville, K. M., Larrivee, E. C., Baron, L. S., Kelley-Nazzaro, P., & Christodoulou, J. A. (2022). Online training modules for teaching assessment skills to graduate student clinicians. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 53(2), 417–430. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00068 

Summary: Researcher-developed and scalable online training modules were created and shown to improve knowledge for assessment skills for beginning and advanced graduate students. These training modules can be used as a model for developing teaching materials across a range of assessments and related topics that are scalable in the context of remote teaching and learning.

Knowledge gaps for functional outcomes after multilobar resective and disconnective pediatric epilepsy surgery: Conference Proceedings of the Patient-Centered Stakeholder Meeting 2019

Jones, M., Harris, W. B., Perry, M. S., Behrmann, M., Christodoulou, J., Fallah, A., Kolb, B., Musiek, F., Paul, L. K., Puka, K., Salorio, C., Sankar, R., Smith, M. L., Naduvil Valappil, A. M., Walshaw, P., Weiner, H. L., Woo, R., Zeitler, P., & Abel, T. J. (2022). Knowledge gaps for functional outcomes after multilobar resective and disconnective pediatric epilepsy surgery: Conference Proceedings of the Patient-Centered Stakeholder Meeting 2019. Epileptic Disorders, 24(1), 50–66. https://doi.org/10.1684/epd.2021.1373 

Summary: A joint initiative among multidisciplinary community members identified areas in need of attention for children post-surgery for epilepsy as (1) hydrocephalus; (2) mental health issues; and (3) literacy and other educational outcomes.

Reading: Insights on a common skill from uncommon cases

Christodoulou, J.A. (2017). Reading: Insights on a common skill from uncommon cases. In M.S. Schwartz & E.J. Pare-Blagoev (Eds.), Research in Mind, Brain and Education, 1st edition. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315670621a 

Summary: This chapter explores the importance of understanding vulnerable learners in the context of their learning settings.

Dispelling the myth: Training in education or neuroscience decreases but does not eliminate beliefs in neuromyths

Macdonald, K., Germine, L., Anderson, A., Christodoulou, J. A., & McGrath, L. M. (2017). Dispelling the myth: Training in education or neuroscience decreases but does not eliminate beliefs in neuromyths. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1314. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01314 

Summary: This study is the first to use a large sample from the United States to compare the prevalence and predictors of neuromyths among educators, the general public, and individuals with high neuroscience exposure. We found that a core group of 7 “classic” neuromyths factored together (items related to learning styles, dyslexia, the Mozart effect, the impact of sugar on attention, right-brain/left-brain learners, and using 10% of the brain). The general public endorsed the greatest number of neuromyths, with significantly fewer by educators, and still fewer endorsed by the high neuroscience exposure group. The two most commonly endorsed neuromyths across all groups were related to learning styles and dyslexia.

Prevent summer learning loss before it happens

Christodoulou, J.A. (2017). Prevent summer learning loss before it happens. Landmark360  (https://www.landmarkschool.org/our-school/landmark-360-blog/?id=253261/prevent-summer-learning-loss-before-it-happens) 

Summary: Summer learning outcomes can potentially impact students who are vulnerable learners; this article discusses how to optimize summer learning opportunities.

The neurobiological basis of fluency

Katzir, T., Christodoulou, J.A., & Chang, B. (2016). The neurobiological basis of fluency. A. Khateb & I. Bar-Kochva (Eds.), Reading Fluency: Current insights from neurocognitive research and intervention studies (pp. 11-23). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30478-6_2 

Summary: This chapter provides an overview of reading fluency research, addressing the association of genetics and neurobiology to fluency deficits.

Assessing and understanding the needs of dual-language learners

Luk, G. & Christodoulou, J.A. (2016). Assessing and understanding the needs of dual-language learners. In S. Jones & N. Lesaux (Eds.), The Leading Edge of Early Childhood Education Linking Science to Policy for a New Generation (pp. 41-51). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Summary: In this chapter, we examine language and literacy development for children from linguistically diverse households and focus on characteristics of assessments regarding sensitivity to language diversity in young children.

Summer vacation: Important insights for reading development

Christodoulou, J.A. & Hoeft, F. (2015). Summer vacation: Important insights for reading development. International Dyslexia Association (https://eida.org).

Summary: The value of offering reading activities and programs during the summer is discussed in the context of vulnerable readers.

A meta-analysis of functional reading systems in typically developing and struggling readers across different alphabetic languages

Pollack, C., Luk, G., & Christodoulou, J. A. (2015). A meta-analysis of functional reading systems in typically developing and struggling readers across different alphabetic languages. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 191. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00191 

Summary: This meta-analysis of reading brain activation in typical and atypical readers of English, Dutch, Italian, German, French, and Norwegian showed common and distinct regions of activation, and support the universality of a signature pattern of brain activation in developmental dyslexia across alphabetic languages.

Physiological consequences of abnormal connectivity in a developmental epilepsy

Shafi, M. M., Vernet, M., Klooster, D., Chu, C. J., Boric, K., Barnard, M. E., Romatoski, K., Westover, M. B., Christodoulou, J. A., Gabrieli, J. D., Whitfield-Gabrieli, S., Pascual-Leone, A., & Chang, B. S. (2015). Physiological consequences of abnormal connectivity in a developmental epilepsy. Annals of Neurology, 77(3), 487–503. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.24343 

Summary: Our findings indicate that patients with epilepsy from gray matter heterotopia have altered cortical physiology consistent with hyperexcitability, and that this abnormality is specifically linked to the presence of aberrant connectivity.

Neuropsychological perspectives on social emotion and self

Immordino-Yang, M.H. & Christodoulou, J.A. (2014). Neuropsychological perspectives on social emotion and self. In R. Pekrun & L. Linnenbrink-Garcia (Eds.) International Handbook of Emotions in Education (pp. 607-624). New York, NY: Routledge.

Summary: In this chapter, we review technologies used to study the neurobiology of emotion (lesion studies, neuroimaging, psychophysiological, and hormone-sampling tools) and their potential uses in educational contexts.

Neurobiological correlates of language and literacy impairments

Mody, M. & Christodoulou, J.A. (2014). Neurobiological correlates of language and literacy impairments. In Stone, C.A., Silliman, E.R., Ehren, B.J., & Wallach, G.P. (Eds.), Handbook of language and literacy: Development and disorders (pp. 45-65). New York: Guilford Press.

Summary: We provide an overview of the processes involved in reading and language across the continuum of ability levels, emphasizing the contributions of neuroimaging findings across modalities.

New frontiers in education neuroscience

Christodoulou, J.A., Saxler, P., & Del Tufo, S.N. (2014). New frontiers in education neuroscience. In A. Holliman (Ed.), The Routledge international companion to educational psychology, 1st edition (pp. 202-212). New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203809402 

Summary: In this chapter we address the role of the brain in learning, specifically, in regards to identification, assessment, and prediction of learning from an education neuroscience perspective.

Advances in the neural substrates of language: Toward a synthesis of basic science and clinical research

Kovelman, I., Christodoulou, J.A. & Gabrieli, J.D.E. (2012). Advances in the neural substrates of language: Toward a synthesis of basic science and clinical research. In M. Faust (Ed.) Handbook of the neuropsychology of language (pp. 868-892). London: Wiley-Blackwell.

Summary: In this chapter, we address language development and difficulties in the context of cognitive neuroscience research and clinical implications.

Rest is not idleness: Implications of the brain's default mode for human development and education

Immordino-Yang, M. H., Christodoulou, J. A., & Singh, V. (2012). Rest is not idleness: Implications of the brain's default mode for human development and education. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(4), 352–364. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691612447308 

Summary: We review evidence for the brain state associated with ‘rest’ (i.e., default mode) and relations to psychological functioning, including associations with mental health and cognitive abilities like reading comprehension and divergent thinking, and discuss implications for education and development.