After a 1995
PhD at titled 'The phonological, semantic and syntactic skills of children with specific reading disability' at the
University of Queensland, she moved to the
University of Canterbury, rising to full professor.[1]
Much of Gillon's research relates to phonological awareness intervention in childhood reading disorders.
In March 2021, Gillon was made a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi, recognising that her research "has resulted in transformation of both speech-language therapy and class teaching practices throughout the world... and is positively enhancing the well-being of thousands of children and their whānau in Aotearoa New Zealand."[3]
Selected works
Gillon, Gail T. Phonological awareness: From research to practice. Guilford Publications, 2017.
van Bysterveldt, Anne K., Gail T. Gillon, and Catherine Moran. "Enhancing phonological awareness and letter knowledge in preschool children with Down syndrome."
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education 53, no. 3 (2006): 301–329.