Project WILLD

Project WILLD (Writing in students with language-based learning disabilities) is an intervention designed to improve writing outcomes in students with LLD by targeting oral and written language at the word and sentence level. The intervention aligns with IEP goals for writing as well as speech, language, and communication goals as much of time is spent verbalizing, thinking, and writing.

We are currently recruiting Special Educators and Speech Language Pathologists to participate in the study, here are some important things you need to know to see if you qualify for the study:

Must be a licensed special educator or speech language pathologist who works with groups of students (up to 5) to target IEP goals.
Students must be in 4th and/or 5th grades and receive IEP services under the qualifying category of communication impairment, or specific learning disability.
Only one group of students on the caseload can receive the intervention, which is 2 times per week for 16 weeks.
You may be randomly assigned to either the WILLD intervention or business-as-usual (BAU), regardless of condition, you will receive $500 for participation. If you are in the BAU condition, you will receive the intervention kit and access to training videos at the completion of the study.
Most importantly, you will learn new ways to use small group instruction time to meet the diverse spoken and written language needs of students with LLD.
Click here for more details.

If you are interested in participating in the study, please contact Dr. Anthony Koutsoftas at anthony.koutsoftas@shu.edu or 973-275-2865 to set up a time to talk about the study.

About Project WILLD

Project WILLD (Writing in students with language-based learning disabilities) is a development and innovation project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES; Grant #R324A200046) that aims to develop and pilot an intervention designed to improve written language outcomes in 4th and 5th grade students with language-based learning disabilities (LLD). Students with LLD are those who struggle with reading, writing, or spelling with or without associated difficulties with spoken language (speaking and listening) requiring the support of either a speech-language pathologist or special educator. Students with LLD and those receiving special education services through an individualized education plan (IEP) under the qualifying category of: Communication (Speech/Language) Impairment, Specific Learning Disability, or Other Health Impairment.