CALL FOR BOOK CHAPTER PROPOSALS
Submission Deadline: 30 April 2014
Medical and Educational Perspectives on Nonverbal Learning Disability in Children and Young Adults
A book edited by Barbara Rissman to be published by IGI Global:

Introduction
Research reports that individuals with spina bifida and shunted hydrocephalus are at Level 1 risk of developing a Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD), a widely recognized and diagnosed disability in the United States and Canada where incidence is reportedly 1% of the general population. In Australia’s population of 23.4 million, 234 000 individuals may be living with undiagnosed NLD. In Australia, NLD is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed due to lack of knowledge and recognition of the syndrome. This is not a disability in the traditional sense but rather a silent, serious and complex developmental disability that persists into adulthood. “Nonverbal” in the title denotes a disability in the nonverbal areas of functioning. Difficulties threaten personal and economic independence and friendships become hard to sustain over time. Loneliness is a constant companion and unrealized goals may lead to depression, even suicide. My research in 2007 revealed a lack of understanding about NLD in five Australian schools. Educators did not conceptualize functionality in terms of verbal and nonverbal abilities and confusion and frustration led to unrealistic expectations. Inability to initiate and complete simple tasks and develop friendships was often blamed on parents and many teachers and aides attributed difficulties to the student being “closeted” or “molly-coddled”. A test battery designed for the study revealed that all students were severely learning disabled and all were high on the NLD parameter. Findings confirmed a compelling need to inform educators about NLD and its ranges of presentation and severity. Since the best outcomes are achieved from early identification and intervention, heavy reliance on the knowledge and recommendations of teachers, medical practitioners and allied health professionals are critical to gaining appropriate school and post-school support. This edited collection of chapters seeks to deepen understanding of the plight of those afflicted and offer help to those who are in the best position to shape and enhance the child's development. There is no intention to minimize the functional impact of congenital malformations but rather to offer medical and educational perspectives on the neurobehavioral consequences that face teaching, medical and allied health professionals on a daily basis.
Objectives

Objectives seek to inform educators, pediatricians, school psychologists, neuropsychologists, occupational therapists, adolescent and adult psychiatrists, government disability services, disability service providers and support workers that a young person who reads and speaks well can still have a learning disability. Difficulties have a neurological basis in the presence or absence of a causal diagnosis and any combination of nonverbal deficits will severely impact daily functioning and quality of life. Research has found that certain conditions pre-determine NLD. Functional deficits usually coexist with fluent speech which causes a misleading profile for teaching, medical and allied health professionals hence the value of the medical and educational perspectives offered in this book.

Target Audiences
1. Tertiary educators of future medical and allied health professionals
2. Students undertaking Bachelor, Master degree in Education, Bachelor and Graduate Diploma in Psychology, Nursing, Certificates in Disability Support
3. Associations for Spina Bifida, Closed Head Injury, Asperger Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, De Lange Syndrome, Velocardiofacial Syndrome, Sotos Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Congenital Hypothyroidism.
4. Government Disability Services including medical officers, support needs assessors, psychologists, occupational therapists

Contributors are welcome to submit chapters on the following topics relating to the Medical and Educational Perspectives on Nonverbal Learning Disability in Children and Young Adults. These are suggestions only that have evolved from the literature and lived experience with shunted hydrocephalus, spina bifida and the NLD profile. Recommended topics include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Neurocognitive development and the benefit of early intervention for children and young adults with shunted hydrocephalus and spina bifida
2. Medical perspectives on relationships between shunted hydrocephalus, congenital malformations associated with spina bifida, and development of NLD
3. Recent research into the incidence of NLD associated with shunted hydrocephalus and spina bifida
4. Recent research into quality of life outcomes for young adults with spina bifida, shunted hydrocephalus and NLD
5. Spina bifida, shunted hydrocephalus, NLD and parental stress: the need for support
6. The need to inform educators, medical practitioners and nursing professionals about NLD and the long-term impact on educational achievement, social and emotional wellbeing
7. Early detection of NLD and benefits to reducing risk of depression and/or suicide
8. Barriers to personal independence and community participation for youngsters with spina bifida, shunted hydrocephalus and NLD
9. The role of Assistive Technology for young adults with spina bifida and NLD
10. Consulting with schools and tertiary institutions about NLD
11. Parenting a young person with shunted hydrocephalus, spina bifida and NLD: the educational issues
12. Diagnosing NLD in children and young adults with shunted hydrocephalus and spina bifida
13. Raising awareness of NLD with psychologists and neuropsychologists
14. The need to include neuropsychological practice in school-based psychological assessment of students with spina bifida and shunted hydrocephalus
15. Managing the social and emotional implications of NLD
16. Does Sensory Integration Therapy benefit children and young adults with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and NLD?
17. Is Psychotherapy beneficial for young adults with NLD and suicidal tendencies?
18. Educational programming for children and young adults with NLD from an educator’s perspective
19. Teaching the language of social success to children and young adults with NLD, shunted hydrocephalus and spina bifida
20. Advocating for school and post-school support for a child or young adult with shunted hydrocephalus, spina bifida, and NLD
21. Diagnosis of NLD in the United States, Canada, England, India, Netherlands or Australia: does it support advocacy for school and post-school funding?
22. Oral language impairment in NLD which is characterized by language strengths
23. Recent research into the language development of children and young adults with shunted hydrocephalus, spina bifida, and NLD
24. Strategies to help young adults with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and NLD to find appropriate employment
25. Educator perspectives on the need for students with NLD to build self-advocacy and disclosure skills
26. Applying self-advocacy and disclosure skills in school and tertiary settings
27. The benefits of self-advocacy and disclosure skills to employment, relationships, community participation, and post-school support
28. Relevant medical, nursing, psychological, neuropsychological, occupational therapy and educational study findings
Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit a 2-3 page chapter proposal on or before 30 April 2014 which clearly explains the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by 14 May 2014 about the status of their proposal and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by 30 August, 2014. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Publisher
This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference,” “Business Science Reference,” and “Engineering Science Reference” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com. This book is anticipated to be released in 2015.

Important Dates
30 April 2014 Proposal Submission Deadline
14 May, 2014 Notification of Acceptance
30 August, 2014 Full Chapter Submission
30 October 2014 Review Results Returned
15 December 2014 Final Acceptance Notification
15 January, 2015 Final Chapter Submission

Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail to:
Dr Barbara Rissman
Education Faculty, Queensland University of Technology
Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 4059.
Email: bm.rissman@qut.edu.au