Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-5r2nc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-09T13:51:03.750Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reading and writing skills in young adults with spina bifida and hydrocephalus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2004

MARCIA BARNES ,
MAUREEN DENNIS  and
ROSS HETHERINGTON
MARCIA BARNES
Affiliation:
Brain and Behavior Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
MAUREEN DENNIS
Affiliation:
Brain and Behavior Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
ROSS HETHERINGTON
Affiliation:
Brain and Behavior Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Reading and writing were studied in 31 young adults with spina bifida and hydrocephalus (SBH). Like children with this condition, young adults with SBH had better word decoding than reading comprehension, and, compared to population means, had lower scores on a test of writing fluency. Reading comprehension was predicted by word decoding and listening comprehension. Writing was predicted by fine motor finger function, verbal intelligence, and short-term and working memory. These findings are consistent with cognitive models of reading and writing. Writing, but not reading, was related to highest level of education achieved and writing fluency predicted several aspects of functional independence. Reading comprehension and writing remain deficient in adults with SBH and have consequences for educational attainments and functional independence. (JINS, 2004, 10, 655–663.)

Keywords

Spina bifidaAdulthoodLiteracy
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 10 , Issue 5 , September 2004 , pp. 655 - 663
Copyright
2004 The International Neuropsychological Society

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Adams, M.J. (1990). Beginning to read. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Anderson, E.M. & Spain, B. (1977). The child with spina bifida. London: Methuen & Co.
Baddeley, A.D. (1986). Working memory. Oxford, UK: Clarendon.
Barnes, M.A. (2002). The decoding-comprehension dissociation in the reading of children with hydrocephalus: A reply to Yamada. Brain and Language, 80, 260–263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, M.A. & Dennis, M. (1992). Reading in children and adolescents after early-onset hydrocephalus and in normally developing age peers: Phonological analysis, word recognition, word comprehension, and passage comprehension skill. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 17, 445–465.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, M.A. & Dennis, M. (1996). Reading comprehension deficits arise from diverse sources: Evidence from readers with and without developmental brain pathology. In C. Cornoldi & J. Oakhill (Eds.), Reading comprehension difficulties: Processes and interventions (pp. 251–278). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Barnes, M.A. & Dennis, M. (1998). Discourse after early-onset hydrocephalus: Core deficits in children of average intelligence. Brain and Language, 61, 309–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, M.A., Faulkner, H.J., & Dennis, M. (2001). Poor reading comprehension despite fast word decoding in children with hydrocephalus. Brain and Language, 76, 35–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, M.A., Faulkner, H., Wilkinson, M., & Dennis, M. (in press). Meaning construction and integration in children with hydrocephalus. Brain and Language.
Barnes, M.A., Pengelly, S., Dennis, M., Wilkinson, M., Rogers, T., & Faulkner, H. (2002). Mathematics skills in good readers with hydrocephalus. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 8, 72–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berninger, V.W. (1999). Coordinating transcription and text generation in working memory during composing: Automatic and constructive processes. Learning Disability Quarterly, 22, 99–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berninger, V.W., Cartwright, A.C., Yates, C.M., Swanson, H.L., & Abbott, R.D. (1994). Developmental skills related to writing and reading acquisition in the intermediate grades: Shared and unique functional systems. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 6, 161–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berninger, V.W. & Rutberg, J. (1992). Relationship of finger function to beginning writing: Application to diagnosis of writing disabilities. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 34, 198–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berninger, V.W. & Swanson, H.L. (1994). Modifying Hayes and Flower's model of skilled writing to explain beginning and developing writing. In E. Butterfield (Ed.), Children's writing: Toward a process theory of the development of skilled writing (pp. 57–81). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Berninger, V.W., Yates, C., Cartwright, A., Rutberg, J., Remy, E., & Abbott, R. (1992). Lower-level developmental skills in beginning writing. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 4, 257–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruininks, R.H., Woodcock, R.W., Weatherman, R.F., & Hill, B.K. (1996). Scales of independent behavior–revised (SIB–R). Chicago: Riverside.
Cain, K. & Oakhill, J.V. (1999). Inference making and its relation to comprehension failure in young children. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 11, 489–503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cain, K., Oakhill, J.V., Barnes, M.A., & Bryant, P.E. (2001). Comprehension skill, inference making ability and their relation to knowledge. Memory and Cognition, 6, 850–859.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castree, B.J. & Walker, J.H. (1981). The young adult with spina bifida. British Medical Journal, 283, 1040–1042.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cataldo, M.G. & Cornoldi, C. (1998). Self-monitoring in poor and good reading comprehenders and their use of strategy. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 16, 155–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cornoldi, C., DeBeni, R., & Pazzaglia, F. (1996). Profiles of reading comprehension difficulties: An analysis of single cases. In C. Cornoldi & J. Oakhill (Eds.), Reading comprehension difficulties: Processes and intervention (pp. 113–135). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.
Cunningham, A.E. & Stanovich, K.E. (1998). What reading does for the mind. American Educator, 4, 8–15.Google Scholar
del Bigio, M. (1993). Neuropathological changes caused by hydrocephalus. Acta Neuropathologica, 18, 573–585.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dennis, M. & Barnes, M.A. (2002). Math and numeracy skills in young adults with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Developmental Neuropsychology, 21, 141–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dennis, M., Barnes, M.A., Hetherington, P., Robitaille, J., Hopyan, T., Spiegler, B.J., & Drake, J. (2000). Retrospective and prospective memory in adult survivors of spina bifida. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 6, 160.Google Scholar
Fletcher, J.M., Bohan, T.P., Brandt, M.E., Brookshire, B.L., Beaver, S.R., Francis, D.J., Davidson, K.C., Thompson, N.M., & Miner, M.E. (1992). Cerebral white matter and cognition in hydrocephalic children. Archives of Neurology, 49, 818–824.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fletcher, J.M., Brookshire, B.L., Bohan, T.P., Brandt, M.E., & Davidson, K.C. (1995). Early hydrocephalus. In B.P. Rourke (Ed.), Syndrome of nonverbal learning disabilities: Neurodevelopmental manifestations (pp. 206–238). New York: Guilford Publications, Inc.
Fletcher, J.M., Dennis, M., & Northrup, H. (2000). Hydrocephalus. In K.O. Yeates, M.D. Ris, & H.G. Taylor (Eds.), Pediatric neuropsychology: Research, theory, and practice (pp. 25–46). New York: Guilford.
Fletcher, J.M., Dennis, M., Northrup, H., Barnes, M.A., Hannay, H.J., Landry, S.H., Copeland, K., Blaser, S.E., Kramer, L.A., Brandt, M.E., & Francis, D.J. (in press). Spina Bifida: Genes, brain and development. International Review of Research in Mental Retardation.
Fletcher, J.M., McCauley, S.R., Brandt, M.E., Bohan, T.P., Kramer, L.A., Francis, D.J., Thorstad, K., & Brookshire, B.L. (1996). Regional brain tissue composition in children with hydrocephalus. Archives of Neurology, 53, 549–557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friedrich, W.N., Lovejoy, M.C., Shaffer, J., Shurtleff, D.B., & Beilke, R.L. (1991). Cognitive abilities and achievement status of children with myelomeningocele: A contemporary sample. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 16, 423–428.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gough, P.B., Hoover, W.A., & Peterson, C.L. (1996). Some observations on a simple view of reading. In C. Cornoldi & J. Oakhill (Eds.), Reading comprehension difficulties (pp. 1–13). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Graham, S., Berninger, V.W., Abbott, R.D., Abbott, S.P., & Whitaker, D. (1997). Role of mechanics in composing of elementary school students: A new methodological approach. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 170–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halliwell, M.D., Carr, J.G., & Pearson, A.M. (1980). The intellectual and educational functioning of children with neural tube defects. Zeitschrift fur Kinderchirugie, 31, 375–381.Google Scholar
Hayden, P.N., Davenport, S.L.H., & Campbell, M.M. (1979). Adolescents with myelodysplasia: Impact of physical disability on emotional maturation. Pediatrics, 64, 53–59.Google Scholar
Hetherington, R. & Dennis, M. (1999). Motor function profile in children with early onset hydrocephalus. Developmental Neuropsychology, 15, 25–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hetherington, R., Dennis, M., & Barnes, M., Drake, J., & Gentilli, F. (in press). Functional outcome in young adults with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Child's Nervous System.
Holler, K.A., Fennell, E.B., Crosson, B., Boggs, S.R., & Mickle, J.P. (1995). Neuropsychological and adaptive functioning in younger versus older children shunted for early hydrocephalus. Child Neuropsychology, 1, 63–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunt, G.M. (1990). Open spina bifida: Outcome for a complete cohort treated unselectively and followed into adulthood. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 32, 108–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, S.E., Garcia Martin, S.D., Kelley, J.M., Walton, B., Vlcek, C.K., Hassanein, R.S., & Holmes, G.E. (1998). Identification of medical and nonmedical needs of adolescents and young adults with spina bifida and their families: A preliminary study. Children's Health Care, 27, 47–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kintsch, W. (1994). Text comprehension, memory, and learning. American Psychologist, 49, 294–303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCarron, L. (1997). MAND: McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development. Dallas, TX: McCarron-Dial Systems.
McHale, K. & Cermak, S.A. (1992). Fine motor activities in elementary school: Preliminary findings and provisional implications for children with fine motor problems. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 46, 898–903.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, D.J.R., Blackburn, M.C., & Bax, M.C.O. (1993). A new clinic for young adults with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus—age 16–25 years. European Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 3(Suppl. I), 23–24.Google Scholar
Nation, K., Adams, J.W., Bowyer-Crane, A., & Snowling, M.J. (1999). Working memory deficits in poor comprehenders reflect underlying language impairments. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 73, 139–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nation, K. & Snowling, M.J. (1998). Semantic processing and the development of word-recognition skills: Evidence from children with reading comprehension difficulties. Journal of Memory and Language, 37, 85–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oakhill, J. (1993). Children's difficulties in reading comprehension. Educational Psychology Review, 5, 1–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearson, A., Carr, J., & Halliwell, M. (1988). The handwriting of children with spina bifida. Zeitschrift fur Kinderchirurgie, 43, 40–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perfetti, C.A. (1985). Reading ability. New York: Oxford University Press.
Powell, D.H., Kaplan, E.F., Whitla, D., Weintraub, S., Catlin, R., & Funkenstein, H.H. (1993). Microcog™ Assessment of Cognitive Function. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.
Prigatano, G.P., Zeiner, H.K., Pollay, M., & Kaplan, R.J. (1983). Neuropsychological functioning in children with shunted uncomplicated hydrocephalus. Child's Brain, 10, 112–120.Google Scholar
Rivera-Batiz, F.L. (1992). Quantitative literacy and the likelihood of employment among young adults in the United States. Journal of Human Resources, 27, 313–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaffer, J., Wolfe, L., Friedrich, W., Shurtleff, H., Shurtleff, D., & Fay, G. (1986). Developmental expectations: intelligence and fine motor skills. In D.B. Shurtleff (Ed.), Myelodysplasias and exstrophies: Significance, prevention, and treatment (pp. 359–372). New York: Grune & Stratton.
Spreen, O. (1982). Adult outcome of reading disorders. In R.N. Malatesha & P.G. Aaron (Eds.), Reading disorders: Varieties and treatments. New York: Academic Press.
Stellman-Ward, G., Bannister, C.M., & Lewis, M. (1993). Assessing the needs of the adult with spina bifida. European Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 3, 14–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stothard, S.E. & Hulme, C. (1992). Reading comprehension difficulties in children: The role of language comprehension and working memory skills. Reading and Writing, 4, 245–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stothard, S.E. & Hulme, C. (1996). A comparison of reading comprehension and decoding difficulties in children. In C. Cornoldi & J. Oakhill (Eds.), Reading comprehension difficulties: Processes and intervention (pp. 93–112). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.
Swanson, H.L. & Berninger, V.W. (1996). Individual differences in children's working memory and writing skill. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 63, 358–385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wechsler, D. (1981). Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Revised. New York: The Psychological Corporation.
Woodcock, R.W. (1991). Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery–Revised. Chicago, IL: Riverside Publishing Company.
Ziviani, J., Hayes, A., & Chant, D. (1990). Handwriting: A perceptual–motor disturbance in children with myelomeningocele. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 10, 12–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar