Mission

Our Mission

The Bilingual Language and Literacy Laboratory was established in 2022 when Dr. M. Adelaida (Laida) Restrepo, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, joined the University of South Florida from Arizona State University. Our mission is to identify and promote the best language assessment and intervention practices for bilingual children at risk of academic difficulties. We specialize in oral language and emergent literacy development, with a focus on preventing academic challenges in bilingual children, particularly those who speak Spanish as their native language or other underrepresented languages in the U.S.

As a bilingual speech-language pathologist, Dr. Restrepo conducts research on the characteristics of bilingual children with typical and atypical language development, aiming to improve the assessment and intervention of oral language and literacy. Our lab is committed to bridging the gap in access to critical speech and language services for at-risk children, while advocating for the educational and linguistic needs of Latino families.

For more information on how to support our mission, please visit our Resources page or reach out to us via our Contact page. Explore our current projects to see the impact we’re making.