Trude Nergård-Nilssen

Trude Nergård-Nilssen is Professor of Special Education in the Department of Teacher Education and Pedagogy at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Her academic career focuses on developmental language disorders and dyslexia across the lifespan, with particular expertise in early identification and intervention strategies.

Professor Nergård-Nilssen's research interests center on understanding the underlying causes of linguistic-cognitive conditions such as developmental language disorders (DLD) and dyslexia. She investigates reading-related cognitive difficulties and examines the complex interplay between language skills and reading abilities. Her work includes exploring early markers of language delay, speech sound development, and the relationship between these factors and later reading outcomes. She has developed innovative assessment tools for dyslexia screening applicable to individuals aged 5-90 years, including the Dysmate system which is owned by UiT but commercially licensed to Literate AS.

Her recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on systematic reviews and meta-analyses examining speech sound difficulties as risk factors for language and reading problems. She leads a large randomized controlled trial investigating interventions for children struggling with decoding and reading comprehension, with particular attention to evidence-based approaches that can be implemented in educational settings.

Professor Nergård-Nilssen teaches courses covering dyslexia, developmental language disorders, reading comprehension difficulties, and interventions for addressing reading/writing and language challenges. Her teaching ensures students stay updated with the latest research to implement evidence-based methods when working with children, youth, and adults facing learning challenges.

She is an active member of the research group "Interventions in educational psychology" (Intervensjoner innen pedagogisk psykologi) within the Department of Teacher Education. Her work has significant practical implications for special education teachers, speech therapists, psychologists, and educators who support individuals with language difficulties and dyslexia.