This event brings together education technology researchers, educators and industry professionals who will share their experience in creating user-centred and evidence-based products for people with special educational needs. During this event, we will hear from university students and educators who will share their stories and ideas around bridging the gap between research and practice to create exceptional products that can help students grow and succeed.

Kinems makes ground-breaking multisensory educational games for PreK-5 students with kinesthetic & learning analytics. Kinems enables technology-rich classroom environments with highly stimulating, game-based interventions. Personalized activities based on IEP goals boost motivation while also increasing student achievement and attendance, improving motor skills and academic performance along the way. Kinems integrates occupational therapy tasks with academic learning activities and makes education more efficient & effective. It enables teachers and OTs to achieve more in less time, as they facilitate instruction effectively and they work with more children in groups. Kinems works with universities in the US and EU and validates the effectiveness of the novel multi-sensory movement game-based learning approach. Based on pre- and post-test we measure the impact on academic performance and the improvement of students' visual-motor skills.

At Filisia, we work at the intersection of Assistive Tech and Edtech. We develop learning and assistive technology devices to help create inclusive learning, therapy and play environments that effectively support people of all ages and abilities to communicate, learn and play. Our main product, Cosmo, is a unique system combined of interactive Cosmoid switches and a collection of evidence-based games, aiming to support the development of a variety of cognitive and physical skills while adding an extra layer of fun to the learning process. Our team worked with Dr Lila Kossyvaki, a lecturer in Severe, Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties at the University of Birmingham, and Dr Sara Curran from Cambridge University. We conducted a research study with Cosmo and measured its impact on the engagement, emotional expression and social communication of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Speakers:

Dr Lila Kossyvaki is an Assistant Professor in Severe Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities in the School of Education at the University of Birmingham.

Dr Rosie Rushton is a doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham

Prof. Symeon Retalis is a Chief Scientific Officer at Kinems

Michael Boloudakis is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Kinems

Georgios Papadakis is the founder and Chief Product Officer at Filisia