BJDP Call for Papers

Special issue - call for papers

Developmental disorders of language and literacy

Guest editors: Dr Chloe Marshall (City University) and Dr Souhila Messaoud-Galusi (University College London)

Submission deadline: 30^th June 2009

Method of submission: all manuscripts (which should be clearly labelled as submissions intended for this Special Issue) must be submitted through the Journal’s own peer review system, Editorial Manager, which can be accessed via the journal’s website.

Issue Scope

A significant proportion of children experience difficulty in acquiring communication skills. For example, an estimated 7% of children have Specific Language Impairment (SLI) while an estimated 10% have dyslexia. Many children with SLI also have dyslexia, and vice versa. Furthermore, a significant proportion of children have language and literacy difficulties that arise from a more generalised learning difficulty.

Recent research is uncovering not only the underlying nature and causes of language and literacy disorders, but also shedding light on the typical development of these skills. Current research issues include how the manifestation of language and literacy disorders changes through development, how specific languages and their modality impact on language and literacy impairments, why language and literacy disorders have such high co-morbidity, and the nature of the relationship between working memory impairments and impaired language and literacy.

This Special Issue aims to present the best current research into developmental disorders of language and literacy. Empirical studies are invited on topics which include, but are not restricted to, the following:

1. Phenotypic changes in language and literacy disorders during development.
2. Cross-linguistic and cross-modality aspects of developmental disorders of language and literacy.
3. Co-morbidity between developmental disorders of language and literacy.
4. Relationship between working memory impairments and developmental disorders of language and literacy.

Different types of study are invited, including

1. Studies that compare multiple groups (e.g. children with SLI, children dyslexia and those with both SLI and dyslexia)
2. Longitudinal and predictive studies
3. Cross-sectional studies
4. Meta-analyses

Authors are encouraged to pay particular attention to the implications of their work for the broader understanding of developmental processes. Prospective authors should consult the guest editors of they are in any doubt about the relevance of a submission.

All manuscripts will be sent out for anonymous peer review, following the usual procedures of the Journal. Authors should consult the Notes for Contributors for further information about submission requirements.

For further information about the Special Issue, please contact either of the Guest Editors:

Chloe Marshall: Chloe.Marshall.1@city.ac.uk

Souhila Messaoud-Galusi: s.messaoud-galusi@ucl.ac.uk

• BJDP Notes for Contributors
• Submit your paper online