The Reading, Language and Learning Lab focuses its research on the early identification of students at risk for reading disabilities. In addition, the lab is focused on providing early intervention for students at risk of reading disabilities, including children with developmental language disabilities.
This includes longitudinal work examining early predictors of later reading comprehension and the development of early identification assessments. A second area of research includes the development and efficacy testing of reading intervention provided in a classroom setting for preschool and elementary students.
The lab's most recent work examined the structure of reading comprehension in older elementary and adolescent students. The ultimate goal of this work and its researchers is aimed at contributing to the development of assessments and reading interventions that specifically address reading comprehension in older students.
Another ongoing project is to investigate the efficacy of an intensive, small group oral-language intervention to first-grade students at risk for reading disabilities, particularly reading comprehension.
About the Lab Director
Mindy Bridges, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Intercampus Program in Communicative Disorders, directs the Reading, Language and Learning Lab. She is currently the principal investigator or co-investigator on three external grants funded by the National Institutes of Health and is also a co-investigator on grant funding from the Institute of Education Sciences.
Bridges is one of the founding members and steering committee of Providing Opportunities for Women in Educational Research (POWER). The mission of POWER is to connect, support and advocate for women conducting research in the fields of education and child development. POWER seeks to reduce gender inequity in leadership roles, establish a professional network to maximize career advancement and retention, and enhance women's visibility in the field.