Elena Grigorenko, PhD
Research & Publications
Biography
News
Research Summary
Dr. Grigorenko’s primary interest is in understanding the co-contribution of genetic and environmental risk factors to the manifestation of developmental and learning disabilities in children. She is especially interested in how children with special needs, such as those infected with intestinal parasites or diagnosed with autism, succeed by capitalizing on their strengths. Her work in this area has contributed to the field’s general understanding of the flexibility and malleability of human development. Dr. Grigorenko’s use of diverse methodologies, ranging from molecular genetics to cultural studies, enriches the field and provides more opportunities for understanding how children grow and mature. These methodologies include family designs (both behavioral and molecular-genetic) and educational intervention designs. To illustrate, her ongoing studies include research on international adoptees brought to the U.S. early in life; a study of rates of learning disabilities in harsh developmental environments with high rates of illness, intoxication, and poverty; and research on interactions between genetic and environmental risk factors for conduct problems. She is especially interested in studying risk factors for language and mathematics disabilities, autism, and violent criminal behaviors in pre-adolescent children.
Specialized Terms: Psychology; Learning disabilities; Neuropsychiatric genetics
Extensive Research Description
- Cognitive and linguistic adaptation of international adoptees in the US
- Learning disabilities in harsh developmental environments and their relation to infection, intoxication, and poverty in Africa
- Genes involved in language disorders in a genetically isolated population
- Genes involved in learning disabilities and cognitive processing, with special emphasis on studying minority samples in the US
- Interactions between genetic and environmental risk factors for conduct problems and the role of these factors in response to interventions in juvenile detainees
Coauthors
Research Interests
Child Development; Chronic Disease; Epidemiology; Learning Disabilities; Psychology; Public Health; Russia; Saudi Arabia; Global Health; Zambia
Public Health Interests
Child/Adolescent Health
Selected Publications
- "Speech Is Golden": The Importance of Colloquial Arabic for Reading Standard Arabic for Beginning Readers.Rakhlin N, Li N, Aljughaiman A, Grigorenko E. "Speech Is Golden": The Importance of Colloquial Arabic for Reading Standard Arabic for Beginning Readers. Journal Of Speech Language And Hearing Research 2024, 1-27. PMID: 38889224, DOI: 10.1044/2024_jslhr-23-00522.
- Dyslexia in the twenty-first century: a commentary on the IDA definition of dyslexiaElliott J, Grigorenko E. Dyslexia in the twenty-first century: a commentary on the IDA definition of dyslexia. Annals Of Dyslexia 2024, 1-15. PMID: 38877329, DOI: 10.1007/s11881-024-00311-0.
- The Role of Parasocial Relationships in Digital Learning: An Exploratory Case StudyKharitonova K, Zhukova M, Markov I, Razo M, Le K, Ayaz S, Ogbomo J, Garcia J, Kilani H, Grigorenko E. The Role of Parasocial Relationships in Digital Learning: An Exploratory Case Study. Modelling And Data Analysis 2024, 14: 67-88. DOI: 10.17759/mda.2024140105.
- The role of epigenetic mechanisms in the long‐term effects of early‐life adversity and mother–infant relationship on physiology and behavior of offspring in laboratory rats and miceBurenkova O, Grigorenko E. The role of epigenetic mechanisms in the long‐term effects of early‐life adversity and mother–infant relationship on physiology and behavior of offspring in laboratory rats and mice. Developmental Psychobiology 2024, 66: e22479. PMID: 38470450, PMCID: PMC10959231, DOI: 10.1002/dev.22479.
- Statistical and Machine Learning Analysis in Brain-Imaging Genetics: A Review of MethodsCheek C, Lindner P, Grigorenko E. Statistical and Machine Learning Analysis in Brain-Imaging Genetics: A Review of Methods. Behavior Genetics 2024, 54: 233-251. PMID: 38336922, DOI: 10.1007/s10519-024-10177-y.
- Editorial: Letter-sound knowledge, reading, reading comprehension and full literacyLyytinen H, Grigorenko E, Sigmundsson H. Editorial: Letter-sound knowledge, reading, reading comprehension and full literacy. Frontiers In Psychology 2024, 14: 1292457. PMID: 38239474, PMCID: PMC10794363, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1292457.
- Associations between telomere length, glucocorticoid receptor gene DNA methylation, volume of stress-related brain structures, and academic performance in middle-school-age childrenBurenkova O, Naumova O, Church J, Juranek J, Fletcher J, Grigorenko E. Associations between telomere length, glucocorticoid receptor gene DNA methylation, volume of stress-related brain structures, and academic performance in middle-school-age children. Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023, 17: 100223. PMID: 38223236, PMCID: PMC10787263, DOI: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2023.100223.
- Genetics and Literacy DevelopmentGrigorenko E. Genetics and Literacy Development. 2023, 292-315. DOI: 10.1017/9781009242585.013.
- Evidence-Based Interventions for ASD: A Focus on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) InterventionsGrigorenko E, Stephanie T, Lebedeva E, Bondar Y. Evidence-Based Interventions for ASD: A Focus on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Interventions. Психология Журнал Высшей Школы Экономики 2018, 15: 711-727. DOI: 10.17323/1813-8918-2018-4-711-727.
- The Genetics of Creativity: The Generative and Receptive Sides of the Creativity EquationBarbot B, Tan M, Grigorenko E. The Genetics of Creativity: The Generative and Receptive Sides of the Creativity Equation. 2013, 71-94. DOI: 10.7551/mitpress/9747.003.0008.
- Tracking CitationsChirkina GV, Grigorenko EL. Tracking Citations. Journal Of Learning Disabilities 2012, 47: 366-373. PMID: 23270837, DOI: 10.1177/0022219412471995.
- Gene Expression in the Human Brain: The Current State of the Study of Specificity and Spatiotemporal DynamicsNaumova OY, Lee M, Rychkov SY, Vlasova NV, Grigorenko EL. Gene Expression in the Human Brain: The Current State of the Study of Specificity and Spatiotemporal Dynamics. Child Development 2012, 84: 76-88. PMID: 23145569, PMCID: PMC3557706, DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12014.
- The COMT Val/Met polymorphism is associated with reading‐related skills and consistent patterns of functional neural activationLandi N, Frost SJ, Mencl WE, Preston JL, Jacobsen LK, Lee M, Yrigollen C, Pugh KR, Grigorenko EL. The COMT Val/Met polymorphism is associated with reading‐related skills and consistent patterns of functional neural activation. Developmental Science 2012, 16: 13-23. PMID: 23278923, PMCID: PMC3655431, DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01180.x.