“Autism, Theory of Mind and Bilingualism” (AuTism) (ΕΛ.ΙΔ.Ε.Κ. 2023-2025, Principal Investigator: Maria Andreou)

The principal aim of the proposed project is to investigate the relationship between language, ToM, EFs, and bilingualism, by investigating high-functioning autistic children (20-bilingual and 20-monolingual Greek-speaking, along with 40 neurotypical). The findings will have a societal impact in the every-day life functioning of autistic children and their families, as they will highlight mechanisms underlying their language and cognitive behaviors, as well as ways of improving them through evidence- based interventions, with the aim of debunking the myth that bilingualism exacerbates impairments in autism. The project will also fund two doctoral theses at the Department of Speech and Language Therapy, enhancing the research activity and academic prospects of young  researchers. The project is implemented in the framework of H.F.R.I call “Basic research Financing (Horizontal support of all Sciences)” under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0” funded by the European Union –NextGeneration EU (H.F.R.I. Project Number: 14942, Principal Investigator: Maria Andreou).

For more information, please visit the Programme's website: https://www.autism-slt.gr/
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553504653914
 

The AMALGAM Research Project: Language Phenotyping in Autism Using Machine Learning (ΕΛ.ΙΔ.Ε.Κ. 2024-2025, Principle Investigator: Eleni Peristeri, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Collaborator: Department of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Peloponnese, Maria Andreou)

The AMALGAM projects aims to investigate qualitative and quantitative differences between children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and typically-developing children at the different stages of narrative production and comprehension processes. The AMALGAM project will employ eye-movement paradigms to capture the processes that underlie message conceptualization and formulation in narrative production, and the integration of different sources of information (linguistic, cognitive) in narrative comprehension. The project will also employ EEG-based metrics of autistic children’s theory of mind skills as potential biomarkers of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Taking advantage of the multimodal nature of the AMALGAM project and Machine Learning approaches, we aim to provide robust neurocognitive outcome measures to characterize the large heterogeneity in the autistic language phenotype, which can be used to inform effective interventions for the specific population. This research is funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research & Innovation—H.F.R.I., within the research project entitled “Language Phenotyping in Autism Using Machine Learning” which is implemented in the framework of H.F.R.I. called “Basic Research Financing (Horizontal Support of All Sciences)” under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0” funded by the European Union—NextGenerationEU (H.F.R.I. Project Number: 14864), P.I.: Eleni Peristeri.

For more information, please visit the Programme's website:
https://www.new.enl.auth.gr/amalgam/

The purpose of the present study is a) to develop and validate a Greek dysarthria assessment test for patients with various neurological diseases based on qualitative and quantitative speech/voice analysis and b) to examine the relationship of dysarthria with other variables, e.g., neurological findings.

The methodology of the present study includes qualitative assessment of speech through a written history, administration of a dysarthria assessment test, intelligibility measurement, and a list of clinical signs of dysarthria with a Likert scale (0-4) based on another research. In addition, quantitative acoustic analysis of speech will be performed in activities such as sustained phonation, diadochokinesis and reading of a Greek passage. Finally, a possible differentiation of patients will be made by detecting language indicators and reading rates.

The participants will be 200 patients with dysarthria and 200 healthy individuals who will be informed by the research team about the study and will sign a consent form before it is carried out. Each participant's speech will be recorded and analyzed at normal conversational and loudness levels. The research has been approved by the Research Ethics and Ethics Committee of the University of Peloponnese (2677/12.2.2024).

The development of a dysarthria test in the Greek population will provide speech therapists with an assessment and treatment tool and fill a large gap in the literature.

Mapping of barriers and facilitators for Addressing Problems in Communication, Swallowing, and Mobility in persons at-risk of poverty during early development and advanced age (MAPCoSMO)

Principal Investigator:  Emilia Michou, Assistant Professor, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Patras, Greece

Affiliated Institute: Department of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Peloponnese

Coordinator from University of Peloponnese: Evangelia - Antonia Efstratiadou, Assistant Professor, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Peloponnese

The research project entitled " Mapping of barriers and facilitators for Addressing Problems in Communication, Swallowing, and Mobility in persons at-risk of poverty during early development and advanced age (MAPCoSMO) " is being carried out within the framework of the EL.ID.E.K. "Funding for Basic Research (Horizontal support for all Sciences)" of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan "Greece 2.0" with funding from the European Union - Next Generation EU (EL.ID.E.K. Project Number: 15301).

For more information please visit the University of Patras website: http://logoth.upatras.gr/ereyna/

Clinical Application of Computational Linguistics in People with Aphasia: From Coding to Talking (CALCA)

Principal Investigator: Ilias Papathanasiou, Professor, Department of Medicine, National and University University of Athens

Affiliated Institute:   Department of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Peloponnese
Coordinator from University of Peloponnese: Evangelia - Antonia Efstratiadou, Assistant Professor, Department of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Peloponnese

The Research Project entitled "Clinical Application of Computational Linguistics in People with Aphasia: From Coding to Talking" is implemented in the framework of the EL.ID.E.K. "Funding of Basic Research (Horizontal support of all Sciences)" of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan "Greece 2.0" with funding from the European Union - Next Generation EU (Project Number EL.ID.E.K.: 16344).