Developmental cognitive neuropsychology (Broché)

How independent are different components of cognitive skills during development ? Is the modularity seen in studies of adult neuropsychological disorders mirrored by modularity in development ? Are developmental neuropsychological disorders explicable against cognitive models ? What restrictions are there to developmental plasticity ? How many routes are there to competence ? Is there a single developmental pathway ? What do disorders of cognitive development tell us about normal developmental processes ? These are some of the questions, addressed by Developmental Cognitive Neuropsychology.
In certain cognitive domains, such as the analysis of reading and spelling disorders, the field is well developed, with extensive studies of the developmental dyslexias and dysgraphias. In other areas, such as the analysis of perceptual spatial disorders, pertinent studies are beginning, as in the analysis of developmental face recognition disorders, and the exploration of the spatial disorders of Williams syndrome.
In these areas, interesting routes for future inquiry are also evident. The text of this book is organised around seven key cognitive areas, within which the developmental disorders are addressed in turn : language, memory, perception, reading, spelling, arithmetic and executive skills. The first three may be considered the core areas of cognition. The second three involve specific cultural transmission in their acquisition.
The final area concerns higher order processes. The major emphasis of the book is upon developmental rather than acquired disorders. Throuout, case studies are used to convey an impression of the cases themselves and to illustrate how dissociations in performance are displayed.