Bilingual Language Development Lab

Bilingual Language Development Lab We study language in bilingual children with and without communication difficulties to promote development of both languages.

Estudiamos el lenguaje en niños bilingües con y sin problemas de comunicación para promover el desarrollo de ambos idiomas.

We are recruiting for Project ABC Familias! We are interested in understanding Autism in Latino families, and your parti...
08/17/2026

We are recruiting for Project ABC Familias! We are interested in understanding Autism in Latino families, and your participation is crucial! Swipe for the flyer en español ➡️ Contact us if you are interested in participating 🎉

Congratulations to Johanna Salisbury-Ferguson on her recent research article publication! 🎉 Her contribution to the bili...
08/17/2026

Congratulations to Johanna Salisbury-Ferguson on her recent research article publication! 🎉 Her contribution to the bilingual language development field is extremely valuable and we are so proud! Click the link in our bio to read the full article for yourself, or scan the QR code on this post!

Members of our team Nancy Garcia and Lava Probasco have recently shared presentations at a We Are Autism Parent Workshop...
08/08/2026

Members of our team Nancy Garcia and Lava Probasco have recently shared presentations at a We Are Autism Parent Workshop series! Swipe for more information on self-regulation and language facilitation ➡️

Meet Abhinav! He is an undergraduate linguistics major at UMass, and plans to pursue a masters in SLP! Outside of the la...
07/24/2026

Meet Abhinav! He is an undergraduate linguistics major at UMass, and plans to pursue a masters in SLP! Outside of the lab, he is an avid cyclist, and enjoys the outdoors, hiking and photography.
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¡Conoce a Abhinav! Es estudiante de licenciatura en Ligüística en UMass y planea cursar una maestría en Patología de Habla y el Lenguaje (SLP). Fuera de laboratorio, es un ciclista entusiasta y disfruta del aire libre, el senderismo y la fotografía.

Helga is a second-year SLP master's student at UMass, originally from Albania, who joined the BLD lab to deepen her unde...
07/24/2026

Helga is a second-year SLP master's student at UMass, originally from Albania, who joined the BLD lab to deepen her understanding of bilingual language development and contribute to research on effective assessment and intervention for bilingual children, as every child deserves an individualized approach. A bilingual speaker herself, she enjoys gardening, cooking, and exploring new places and cultures.
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Helga es estudiante de segundo año de la maestría en Patología del Habla y el Lenguaje en UMass, originaria de Albania, quien se unió al BLD Lab para profundizar su comprensión e intervención efectivas para niños bilingües, con la convicción de que cada niño merecenun efoque individualizado. Bilingüe ella misma, disfruta de la jardineria, la concina y explorar nuevos lugarea, culturas y experiencias.

Congratulations to Lavanda-Sofía Probasco who presented their first-year doctoral project at the Symposium on Research i...
07/23/2026

Congratulations to Lavanda-Sofía Probasco who presented their first-year doctoral project at the Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders on Saturday, June 6th! Congratulations also to Maria Alejandra Meneses Montoya, a recent graduate from our lab, who was also an author on the poster but could not attend the conference. Majandra’s creativity was instrumental to the design of the task and the stimuli.
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¡Felicitaciones a Lavanda-Sofía Probasco por la presentación de su primer proyecto doctoral en la conferencia, The Symposium on Research in Child Language Disorders, el Sábado, 6 de Junio! Muchas Felicidades también a Maria Alejandra Meneses Montoya, que se graduó recientemente de nuestro laboratorio, quien también es autora en el poster aunque no pudo atender la conferencia. La creatividad de Majandra fue fundamental para diseñar las actividades y los estímulos del experimento.

Meet Zoe! She is a senior at UMass Amherst studying Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences with a Spanish minor, drawn to...
07/21/2026

Meet Zoe! She is a senior at UMass Amherst studying Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences with a Spanish minor, drawn to the BLD lab by her interests in early childhood language acquisition and the intersection of psychology and bilingualism. Outside the lab, she enjoys pilates, reading, and volunteering, and is excited to contribute this year!
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¡Conoce a Zoe! Es estudiante de último año en UMass Amherst, donde estudia Ciencias del Habla, el Lenguaje y la Audición con un menor en Español, y se unió al laboratorio BLD por su interés en la adquisición de lenguaje en la primera infancia y la intersección entre la psicología y bilingüismo. Fuera del laboratorio, disfruta del pilates, la lectura y el voluntariado, ¡y està muy emocionada de contribuir este año!

Meet Lava! Lava is wrapping up the MA SLP program and is in their second year of doctoral studies in SLHS at UMass Amher...
07/20/2026

Meet Lava! Lava is wrapping up the MA SLP program and is in their second year of doctoral studies in SLHS at UMass Amherst, researching the intersection of bilingualism and autism in language development. Mexican-American and raised in the Chihuahua Desert on the El Paso/Juárez border, they are deeply devoted to their Latine community and dreams of a more neurodivergence-affirming culture -- when they aren't chasing that vision, they are soaking up nature with family, crocheting unfinished projects, cooking to music and winning at Mario Kart.
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¡Conoce a Lava! Elle está terminando el programa de maestría en SLP y se encuentra en su segundo año de estudios doctorales en SLHS en UMass Amherst, investigando la intersección entre el bilingüismo y el autismo en el desarrollo del lenguaje. Mexicana-americana y criada en el Desierto de Chihuahua, en la frontera entre El Paso y Juárez, elle está profundamente comprometide con su comunidad Latine y sueña con una cultura que afirme más la neurodivergencia -- cuando no está persiguiendo esa visión, elle disfruta de naturaleza con su familia, teje proyectos que nunca termina, cocina escuchando música y gana en Mario Kart.

Meet Abhinav! He is an undergraduate linguistics major at UMass, minoring in IT and Spanish with a certificate in Transl...
07/20/2026

Meet Abhinav! He is an undergraduate linguistics major at UMass, minoring in IT and Spanish with a certificate in Translation and Interpretation Studies. Since childhood, he's had a sharp ear for speech patterns and sound differences -- and as someone diagnosed with Asperger's at age 8, he's passionate about research on developmental differences.
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¡Concena Abinhav! Es estudiante de licenciatura en lingüística en UMass, con especialización secundaria en TI y español, además de un certificado en Estudios de Traducción e Interpretación. Desde la infancia, ha tenido un oído aguado para los patrones del habla y las diferencias fonéticas -- y como alguien diagnosticado con síndrome de Asperger a los 8 años, le apasiona la investigación sobre las diferencias del desarrollo.

Congratulations to Dr. Ada López González for a successful defense of her dissertation! We are so proud of all your hard...
07/09/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Ada López González for a successful defense of her dissertation! We are so proud of all your hard work, Ada!
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Felicidades a la Dra Ada López González por la defensa exitosa de su disertación. ¡Estamps muy orgullosos de todo tu trabajo, Ada!

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715 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA
01003

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