Teaching, Learning, And Development Lab

The Teaching, Learning, and Development (TLD) Lab at NYU Abu Dhabi studies how interactions with caregivers shape children’s development and learning. Our work focuses on the everyday moments with caregivers that influence early childhood development, such as conversations at the dinner table, bedtime routines, and joint play but also a caregiver’s tone, a teacher’s body language, or a parent’s glance, and how these shape children’s regulation, resilience, and readiness for life. We believe children do not develop in isolation. They grow through connection, in relationships, routines, and cultural contexts that caregivers help shape. Our research is relational, collaborative, and community-rooted. Led by Antje von Suchodoletz, we work with families, educators, and practitioners to understand how self-regulation, and well-being develop, and how science can inform real practice. Our work spans diverse settings while keeping the people at the center: children and caregivers.