Learn more about the team of experts behind TILLS:
Nickola Wolf Nelson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, BCS-CL,
is professor emerita in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology and former director of the Ph.D. program in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at Western Michigan University. She is the editor of Topics in Language Disorders and author of Language and Literacy Disorders: Infancy through Adolescence (Pearson, 2010). Dr. Nelson’s research has focused on providing curriculum-based language and literacy assessment and intervention and working with families, teachers, and other professionals in collaborative service-delivery models, including a writing lab approach, in school settings. Two of her journal articles have won editors’ awards. She is coauthor of the Pediatric Test of Brain InjuryTM (PTBITM; with coauthors G. Hotz, N. Helm-Estabrooks, & E. Plante; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2010), which is conceptually related to the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy SkillsTM (TILLSTM).
Elena Plante, Ph.D., CCC-SLP,
is a professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at The University of Arizona. Her research has focused on the assessment and treatment of specific language impairment and language-based learning disabilities. She also has contributed knowledge concerning the neurobiology of such disorders as specific language impairment, dyslexia, and auditory processing disorder. For more than 20 years, she has published journal articles concerning assessment methods, focusing on how norm-referenced tests can be used in valid ways to address clinical concerns. She is coauthor of the Pediatric Test of Brain InjuryTM (PTBITM; with coauthors G. Hotz, N. Helm-Estabrooks, & N.W. Nelson; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2010), which is conceptually related to the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy SkillsTM (TILLSTM); a widely used textbook on communication disorders; and more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, three of which have won editors’ awards.
Nancy Helm-Estabrooks, Sc.D., CCC-SLP, BC-ANCDS,
is the Brewer Smith Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Western Carolina University. Her past positions include Professor of Neurology (Speech Pathology) at Boston University School of Medicine and Research Professor at both The University of Arizona and the University of North Carolina. Dr. Helm-Estabrooks’s research has focused on the assessment and treatment of neurologic communication disorders and the interface between language and other domains of cognition. Among her numerous publications are eight books, including the Manual of Aphasia and Aphasia Therapy, Third Edition (with coauthors M.L. Albert & M. Nicholas; PRO-ED, 2014); eight treatment programs, including the Problem Solving Therapy Program and Melodic Intonation Therapy; and six standardized tests, including the Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test (Pearson, 2001), the Aphasia Diagnostic Profiles (PRO-ED, 1992), the Brief Test of Head Injury (with coauthor G. Hotz; PRO-ED, 1991), and the Pediatric Test of Brain InjuryTM (PTBITM; with coauthors G. Hotz, N.W. Nelson, & E. Plante; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2010), which is conceptually related to the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy Skills™ (TILLS™).
Gillian Hotz, Ph.D., CCC-SLP,
is a research professor and the director of the KiDZ Neuroscience Center in the Department of Neurosurgery and of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Her research has focused on the clinical management and injury prevention of children with brain and spinal cord injuries. Her work in brain injury prevention includes evidence-based programs such as WalkSafe, BikeSafe, SkateSafe, and the Countywide Concussion Care program. Dr. Hotz has also coauthored two neurocognitive tests: the Brief Test of Head Injury (with coauthor N. Helm-Estabrooks; PRO-ED, 1991) for adults and the Pediatric Test of Brain InjuryTM (PTBITM; with coauthors N. Helm-Estabrooks, N.W. Nelson, & E. Plante; Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 2010) for children and adolescents, which is conceptually related to the Test of Integrated Language and Literacy SkillsTM (TILLSTM).
