Helen Grech
Biographic Data
| ID | 4609751 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Helen Grech |
| GIVEN NAMES | Helen |
| FAMILY NAME | Grech |
| SIGNATURE | GRECH H |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Malta |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4569-6155 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 10 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Mapping Literacy Practices in Bilingual Contexts for Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities
Literacy is crucial for academic, social, and personal development, yet individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) often face significant cognitive, linguistic, and educational barriers. This may be exacerbated within bilingual contexts. This scoping review focused on mapping recent literature on literacy practices for bilingual learners with ID. The scope was to identify effective instructional strategies and possible barriers to literacy i…
Literacy provision for students with intellectual disability in Malta
This study examined literacy services and practices for students with intellectual disabilities in Malta using a mixed‐methods design. The researchers analysed 17,345 individualised education plan (IEP) goals and conducted semi‐structured interviews with 12 inclusion coordinators in state, church and independent schools. Findings showed that literacy support is prioritised in early and primary education, with goals concentrated in primary years (…
Deciphering biliteracy in down syndrome
Aims and objectives: This study investigates the biliteracy capabilities of individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) in the Maltese-English bilingual context. The primary objective is to assess how Maltese biliterate participants with DS perform on Word and Nonword reading tasks and to identify potential differences between the two languages. Additionally, the research aims to determine how factors such as Phonological Awareness, Visual Perceptual Pro…
Designing gamified connected tools for bilingual language therapy and education
This research contributes to the growing field of technology-enhanced learning by demonstrating how gamification and connected technologies can address gaps in bilingual education and language therapy. It investigates the design, development, and evaluation of Olly’s Adventures: The City of Two Languages, a novel, gamified language intervention tool for bilingual Maltese-English-speaking children aged five to eight. The tool merges a physical boa…
The home literacy environment of individuals with Down Syndrome. A comparative study within a bilingual context
Nonword reading and other reading‐related skills in Down syndrome
The performance of children and young adults with Down syndrome (DS) on reading subskills and nonword reading was investigated. The performance of the participants with DS ( N = 42) was compared to that of typically developing ( N = 36) peers matched on fluid intelligence abilities. The study accounted for the different depths in orthography presented by the two languages. The independent samples t ‐test, Mann–Whitney U ‐test, ANCOVA and correlat…
Early lexical expression in children exposed to mixed input
Aims and objectives: This study documents early lexical expression in children whose language input in the home was predominantly Maltese, accompanied by regular exposure to English lexical mixing. Bilingualism and language contact were also present at the societal level. The study attempts to determine whether the children’s pattern of vocabulary growth corresponded to a monolingual or bilingual mode of development. Methodology: The expressive v…
How do 5-year-olds understand questions? Differences in languages across Europe
The comprehension of constituent questions is an important topic for language acquisition research and for applications in the diagnosis of language impairment. This article presents the results of a study investigating the comprehension of different types of questions by 5-year-old, typically developing children across 19 European countries, 18 different languages, and 7 language (sub-)families. The study investigated the effects of two factors …
Early expressive vocabulary skills
Investigations of early vocabulary production often employ a single method to measure children’s word use. This study examined expressive vocabulary development in children aged 1;0–2;6 years through a combination of picture naming, caregiver report and language sampling. The participants were predominantly exposed to Maltese at home, with gathered evidence providing novel documentation of early vocabulary development in this specific language-le…
Phonological acquisition in Malta
A total of 241 Maltese children aged 2;0—6;0 years, drawn randomly from the public registry of births, were assessed on a picture naming task to evaluate phone articulation, phonology and consistency of word production. Children were allowed to use the language they chose (either Maltese or English). Ninety-three children (38.6%) were reported by parents to speak both Maltese and English at home, 137 (56.9%) were reported to speak Maltese and 11 …
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Phonological acquisition in Malta
A total of 241 Maltese children aged 2;0—6;0 years, drawn randomly from the public registry of births, were assessed on a picture naming task to evaluate phone articulation, phonology and consistency of word production. Children were allowed to use the language they chose (either Maltese or English). Ninety-three children (38.6%) were reported by parents to speak both Maltese and English at home, 137 (56.9%) were reported to speak Maltese and 11 …
Early expressive vocabulary skills
Investigations of early vocabulary production often employ a single method to measure children’s word use. This study examined expressive vocabulary development in children aged 1;0–2;6 years through a combination of picture naming, caregiver report and language sampling. The participants were predominantly exposed to Maltese at home, with gathered evidence providing novel documentation of early vocabulary development in this specific language-le…
Early lexical expression in children exposed to mixed input
Aims and objectives: This study documents early lexical expression in children whose language input in the home was predominantly Maltese, accompanied by regular exposure to English lexical mixing. Bilingualism and language contact were also present at the societal level. The study attempts to determine whether the children’s pattern of vocabulary growth corresponded to a monolingual or bilingual mode of development. Methodology: The expressive v…
How do 5-year-olds understand questions? Differences in languages across Europe
The comprehension of constituent questions is an important topic for language acquisition research and for applications in the diagnosis of language impairment. This article presents the results of a study investigating the comprehension of different types of questions by 5-year-old, typically developing children across 19 European countries, 18 different languages, and 7 language (sub-)families. The study investigated the effects of two factors …
Nonword reading and other reading‐related skills in Down syndrome
The performance of children and young adults with Down syndrome (DS) on reading subskills and nonword reading was investigated. The performance of the participants with DS ( N = 42) was compared to that of typically developing ( N = 36) peers matched on fluid intelligence abilities. The study accounted for the different depths in orthography presented by the two languages. The independent samples t ‐test, Mann–Whitney U ‐test, ANCOVA and correlat…
Designing gamified connected tools for bilingual language therapy and education
This research contributes to the growing field of technology-enhanced learning by demonstrating how gamification and connected technologies can address gaps in bilingual education and language therapy. It investigates the design, development, and evaluation of Olly’s Adventures: The City of Two Languages, a novel, gamified language intervention tool for bilingual Maltese-English-speaking children aged five to eight. The tool merges a physical boa…
The home literacy environment of individuals with Down Syndrome. A comparative study within a bilingual context
Mapping Literacy Practices in Bilingual Contexts for Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities
Literacy is crucial for academic, social, and personal development, yet individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) often face significant cognitive, linguistic, and educational barriers. This may be exacerbated within bilingual contexts. This scoping review focused on mapping recent literature on literacy practices for bilingual learners with ID. The scope was to identify effective instructional strategies and possible barriers to literacy i…
Literacy provision for students with intellectual disability in Malta
This study examined literacy services and practices for students with intellectual disabilities in Malta using a mixed‐methods design. The researchers analysed 17,345 individualised education plan (IEP) goals and conducted semi‐structured interviews with 12 inclusion coordinators in state, church and independent schools. Findings showed that literacy support is prioritised in early and primary education, with goals concentrated in primary years (…
Deciphering biliteracy in down syndrome
Aims and objectives: This study investigates the biliteracy capabilities of individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) in the Maltese-English bilingual context. The primary objective is to assess how Maltese biliterate participants with DS perform on Word and Nonword reading tasks and to identify potential differences between the two languages. Additionally, the research aims to determine how factors such as Phonological Awareness, Visual Perceptual Pro…
Reading and Literacy Development (9 works) · Language Development and Disorders (8 works) · Psychology (8 works) · Linguistics (7 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Developmental psychology (3 works) · Literacy (3 works) · Maltese (3 works) · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism (3 works) · Neuroscience of multilingualism (3 works)