Characterization of Written Language Skills in Children and Adolescents with Myelomeningocele

Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a type of open spina bifida caused by the improper closure of the neural tube during development, which can lead to motor, neurological, and cognitive impairments. Recurrent hospitalizations may negatively impact development and literacy acquisition. Understanding this population's reading and writing challenges is essential for transforming their educational practices. This study aimed to characterize the written language skills of children and adolescents with MMC. This cross-sectional, quantitative, qualitative study involved nine children and adolescents with MMC of both sexes, aged 7 to 15 years, with academic difficulties. They were assessed regarding intellectual capacity, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, phonological working memory, reading and writing words and nonwords, identifying graphical aspects of writing, and attitudes toward reading. The results showed that all participants performed worse in the execution than the verbal domain; six performed below expectations in phonological awareness, with the greatest deficits at the phoneme level; four had impairments in rapid automatized naming; six performed below expectations in phonological working memory, with severe deficits in reading and writing. Moreover, four participants had graphic changes consistent with signs of dysgraphia. Despite these challenges, all participants were interested in reading and writing. It is concluded that the children and adolescents in this study had difficulties in skills related to reading and writing development but were interested in and enthusiastic about reading.