Children with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM) are more likely to display a pattern of good-decoding/poor comprehension than their neurologically intact peers. The goals of the current study were to (1) examine the cognitive origins of one of the component skills of comprehension, bridging inferences, from a developmental perspective and (2) to test the effects of those relations on reading comprehension achievement. Data from a sample of children with SBM and a control group (n = 78) who participated in a longitudinal study were taken from age 36-month and 9.5-year time points. A multiple mediation model provided evidence that three preschool cognitive abilities (working memory/inhibitory control, oral comprehension, narrative recall), could partially explain the relation between group and bridging inference skill. A second mediation model supported that each of the 36-month abilities had an indirect effect on reading comprehension through bridging inference skill. Findings contribute to an understanding of both typical and atypical comprehension development, blending theories from the developmental, cognitive, and neuropsychological literature. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–10)

In the past 25 years, scientific understanding of dyslexia and other learning disabilities has seen rapid progress in domains involving definition and classification, neuropsychological correlates, neurobiological factors, and intervention. I discuss this progress, emphasizing the central organizing influence of research and theory on basic academic skills on identification and sampling issues. I also emphasize how neuropsychological approaches to dyslexia have evolved and the importance of an interdisciplinary perspective for understanding dyslexia. (JINS, 2009, 15, 501–508.)

As currently defined, it is not clear whether Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD) should be considered a matter of kind or magnitude (Meehl, 1995). The taxonicity of NLD, or the degree to which it is best construed as discrete versus continuous, has not been investigated using methods devised for this purpose. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) is a method for finding subtypes of latent classes from multivariate categorical data. This study represents an application of LCA on a sample of children and adolescents with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM) (N = 44), those presenting with features of NLD (N = 28) but no medical condition, and control volunteers (N = 44). The two-class solution provided evidence for the presence of a taxon with an estimated base-rate in the SBM group of .57. Indicator validities (the conditional probabilities of indicator endorsement in each latent class) suggest a somewhat different priority for defining NLD than is typically used by researchers investigating this disorder. A high degree of correspondence between LCA classifications and those based on a more conventional algorithm provided evidence for the validity of this approach. (JINS, 2007, 13, 50–58.)

People with learning disabilities are at increased risk of impaired hearing. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of hearing impairment and ear disease in people attending the specialist Otolaryngology/Hearing Therapy clinic at the Phoenix NHS Trust, Bristol. The present and future process of such a service was explored. Data were obtained from the referral form and notes made by the consultant otolaryngologist. In 20 months, there were 226 consultations, 188 of which were new referrals. The majority of patients had verbal communication to some extent. Suspected infection/inflammation and unobtainable/abnormal tympanograms, each accounted for 43 per cent of reasons for referral. Twenty per cent of patients were normal otologically. Eighteen per cent were provided with hearing aids and nine per cent required surgery. Ten patients underwent brainstem evoked response testing, half of whom had aidable hearing. Our results are comparable to published data of similar units. It is recommended that combined otolaryngology/specialist hearing therapy services are continued and further developed.