The BEAM Team studies reading, math, and attention development and difficulties among school-age children.

Our interdisciplinary efforts are at the intersection of clinical, education, and research perspectives.

We use neuroimaging and behavioral assessment tools to understand how thinking and learning is supported by the brain. Our research tools include standardized assessment of cognition, language, and literacy in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to understand the function and structure of the brain as it relates to behavior. We aim to translate findings about groups and averages to relevant interpretations for individual students or patients.

Our goal is to address the challenges that children face in school by improving our understanding of why they struggle. We also explore which interventions may work best for individual children, and how research, education, and clinical perspectives can be integrated to better understand learning outcomes.

Current Research Topics

  • What is the impact of summer activities on the reading development of typical readers and struggling readers?
  • What are the brain-behavior correlates of reading fluency in typical readers, struggling readers, and patients with Periventricular Nodular Heterotopia, a unique brain anatomy associated with reading fluency challenges?
  • What are the brain-behavior correlates of reading intervention efficacy in struggling readers?
  • What roles can cognitive factors and language experience play in struggling readers who are bilingual, in supporting or exacerbating reading challenges?
  • How does student engagement, actual and perceived, relate to academic outcomes and brain-behavior dynamics?