A little hello! ✦
Hi there!
Laura Keegan, Ph.D.
I’m a developmental researcher, lifelong toy enthusiast, and someone with some pretty strong opinions about play.
I earned my Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Sciences from Boston University in 2026, where I studied how children learn through movement and play in their home environments.
I’m especially interested in making play and learning more accessible for all children, including those with disabilities, and how research can help us get there.
These days, I’m exploring where developmental science meets toys, children’s media, and all the little (and big!) ways play shapes our lives.
This little corner of the internet is still taking shape. I’m learning as I go, and there’s plenty more to come! ✦
Research, Play, and Everything In Between
A lot of how I think about development comes from ecological psychology, especially Eleanor Gibson's work on how children learn by exploring the world around them. Children aren't just taking things in. They're actively moving, playing, and discovering new ways to learn!
My dissertation, No Place Like Home: An Ecological Understanding of Motor Development, Play, and Language, explored these ideas through home-based research with infants and autistic children.
I'm currently working on papers about early mobility and language development, as well as motor–language relationships in autism. My interdisciplinary training has also shaped how I think about disability, accessibility, and opportunities toplay and learn.
After spending so much time studying play, I still have plenty of questions! ✦
A Few Things in the Works
Outside of the academic papers I'm writing and the data I’m still analyzing, I’ve got a few other ideas bouncing around! :)
This is a little space to try new things, learn some new skills, and explore questions that don’t necessarily need to become academic publications. Very much a work in progress!
Thoughts, Toys & Other Curiosities
Things I’ve Been Thinking About…
I have a lot of thoughts about play, and I'm hoping to give some of them a home here :)
From '90s toys and disappearing indoor play spaces to accessibility, children's media, and making everyday spaces more playful. Who doesn't love a little I Spy on a walk?
Some of it is research, some is nostalgia, and some is just me having strong opinions about things I care about. Mostly, I just wanted somewhere to put it all! ✦
A few things I’ve been thinking about:
- Where Did All the Indoor Play Spaces Go, and Why Do the Ones Left Look Like That? — In Defense of Ball Pits, Plastic Tunnels, and Slightly Terrifying Animatronics.
- The Forgotten Art of the Fast Food Toy
- Play Without Barriers: Thinking About Inclusive Toy Design
The blog is still in the works, but the thoughts certainly aren’t! ✦
Let’s connect!
Have something you’d like to talk about?
Have an idea, a question, or just want to talk about play? I'd love to hear from you!
I'm always happy to connect, collaborate, and learn something new. 💚