Keynote Speakers
Evelyn Kroesbergen
(William Cruickshank Memorial Lecture in honor of the Academy’s founder)
Professor of Special Educational Needs
Behavioural Science Institute of Radboud University
Title
Twice exceptionality: Characteristics and educational needs of gifted students with learning disabilities
Abstract
In this lecture, we will explore how learning disabilities manifest in gifted students. What are the differences and similarities compared to other students with learning disabilities, and what can we learn about learning disabilities in general from studying this particular group? There are large discrepancies between various cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics in these students. How does this affect their learning and development, and what do they need to learn effectively and develop their potential? Practical implications regarding the identification and educational needs of twice-exceptional students will be addressed.
Short CV
Evelyn Kroesbergen is full professor of Special Educational Needs at the Behavioural Science Institute of Radboud University, the Netherlands. She leads a research group on the educational needs of children with learning disabilities and gifted children. Her research focuses on the cognitive characteristics of children with special educational needs, with a special focus on mathematical development and dyscalculia. Another research line is focused on the early identification and education of gifted children with learning disabilities.
Andreas Demetriou
Professor Emeritus
University of Cyprus and University of Nicosia
Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts
Title
The Typical and Atypical Developing Mind: A Common Model
Abstract
We present a theory of atypical development based on a developmental theory of the typical mind integrating developmental, cognitive, and psychometric research. We first outline the theory of typical development. The theory postulates central cognitive mechanisms, such as relational integration, executive and inferential processes, and domain-specific processes underlying different environmental relations, such as visuospatial or quantitative relations. Cognitive development advances in cycles satisfying developmental priorities in mastering these systems, such as executive control in preschool, inferential control in middle childhood, and truth control in adolescence. We then discuss atypical development, showing how developmental disorders emerge from deficiencies in one or more of the processes comprising mental architecture. Deficiencies in relational integration mechanisms, together with deficiencies in social understanding yield ASD. Deficiencies in executive processes yield ADHD. Deficiencies in symbolic representation yield specialized learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia. Finally, we discuss clinical and educational implications, suggesting specific remediation programs.
Short CV
Andreas Demetriou is Professor Emeritus of Psychology of the University of Cyprus and the University of Nicosia and a founding member of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts, a fellow of Academia Europea, the International Academy of Education. and the Association of Psychological Science. He is an Honorary Doctor of Middlesex University London and the University of Szeged, Hungary, and an Honorary Professor of Durham University, UK and the Northeastern Normal University, China. He was the Minister of Education and Culture of Cyprus. He studied at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and the University of New South Wales, Australia. He was a professor of psychology at the Aristotle University, Greece (1975-1996), the University of Cyprus (1996-2008), and the University of Nicosia (2011-2017). He served in top academic positions, such as President of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts, Vice-Rector and Acting Rector of the University of Cyprus (1999-2002) and founding President of the Cyprus University of Technology (2004-2008). He is a member of many learned societies, including the International Society for Research on Intelligence. He is also on the editorial board of several journals, including Intelligence, the Journal of Intelligence, and Intelligence and Cognitive Abilities. He published more than 200 books and articles in top technical journals presenting his work on cognitive development, intelligence, and related applications. His book, GROWING MINDS (with George Spanoudis, Routledge), Routledge 2018, presents his theory of cognitive development. The book EDUCATING THE DEVELOPING MIND, Routledge 2024, presents the applications of the theory in education. Recent papers published in Psychological Review (2023) and Development and Psychopathology (2024) show the empirical substantiation of the educational aspects of the theory for typical and atypical development. The journals New Ideas in Psychology (1998), Developmental Review (1999), Developmental Science (1999), Educational Psychology Review (2011), Intelligence (2014), Journal of Intelligence (2018), and Human Development (2018) devoted special sections for the discussion of his theory of cognitive development, its relations to general theory of intelligence, and implications for education.