Biola LEARN

Dr. Robin LaBarbera started her teaching career in inner city Los Angeles as a Kindergarten teacher, third and fourth grade combination class teacher and as an Educational Therapist working with children in K-5 with learning difficulties. LaBarbera has two bachelor’s degrees in business administration/marketing and criminal justice, two master’s degrees in education and special education/autism, a Ph.D. in Educational Studies, and a Doctorate in Social Work. Dr. LaBarbera is also the founder of Peer2Peer Counseling Supports, which trains young people with lived experience of adversity (e.g., homelessness, substance abuse, foster care, physical/emotional abuse, poverty, juvenile justice, mental health concerns such as depression and anxiety, etc.) to support their peers in building lives of well-being and resilience. Having served as professor of special education at Biola for over 13 years, Dr. LaBarbera retired in 2019 as Faculty Emerita. She has conducted numerous local and international presentations (e.g., Lebanon, Vietnam, India), and has also s published several articles and books related to the education of students with learning difficulties. In addition, Dr. LaBarbera authored the textbook, Educating students with autism spectrum disorders: Partnering with families for positive outcomes, from Sage Publications. Dr. LaBarbera serves as an officer on two Boards of Directors: An educational program for children with learning differences in private schools, called Opportunity Schools; and she is the co-founder of a Foundation that seeks to maximize capacity in urban ministry organizations, called Kingdomworks SDG Foundation. In her free time, she is an active runner, cyclist and scuba diver with her husband.