´óÏóÓ°Ôº

Welcome to the LEAD lab!

The Language, Experience, and Development (LEAD) lab, directed by Dr. Rachel Romeo, investigates how children’s early experiences—both favorable and adverse—influence their neural, cognitive, and academic development. We specialize in studying language and literacy development, but we are also interested in executive functioning, socioemotional cognition, and mental health across development. The lab combines methods from developmental psychology, cognitive neuroscience (fMRI, DTI, fNIRS, and EEG), education, and speech language pathology to study how young brains adapt to varying environments and lead to unique developmental paths. A primary focus of ours is to better understand both the causes and consequences of socioeconomic disparities in learning and development, and how translational cognitive neuroscience may better support educational equity. 

Research in the LEAD lab is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Institute for Museum and Library Sciences* (until it was defunded), the UMD Brain & Behavior Institute, the UMD College of Education, the UMD Graduate School, and the Maryland Initiative for Literacy and Equity. 

The LEAD lab is located on the 4th floor of the Benjamin Building on the campus of the ´óÏóÓ°Ôº Park: 3942 Campus Dr, College Park, MD 20742.