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Given that reading, spelling and arithmetic skills are acquired through childhood, their development may be compromised following a childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). The present study examined educational skills (reading accuracy, spelling and arithmetic) at a mean follow-up interval of 6.8 years post-injury in children who had sustained a mild, moderate, or severe TBI at two ages: 'Young' (age at injury: 3-7 years, n = 48) and 'Old': (age at injury: 8-12 years, n = 36). Comparisons between the young and old TBI groups resulted in inconsistent findings. While a dose-response relationship for severity was evident for the young group, this was not always the case for the old group. Significant predictors of outcome included both severity and acute intellectual function.

Relatively little research has focused on everyday memory function in childhood, possibly reflecting the limited number of measures available. This study introduces the Observer Memory Questionnaire-Parent Form (OMQ-PF), which assesses parental beliefs about their child's everyday memory. The OMQ-PF and a selection of neuropsychological measures were administered to a cohort of healthy children in Study 1 (n 5 376; 5-16 years old) and a temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) group in Study 2 (n 5 44; 6-16 years old). Study 1 found the OMQ-PF had sound internal consistency and was significantly correlated to a learning task. Study 2 found the TLE group was impaired on the OMQ-PF relative to the healthy cohort. Everyday memory ratings were related to a wider range of neuropsychological measures in this group. Findings are encouraging in terms of the properties of the OMQ-PF and suggest further development of the scale is warranted. (JINS, 2008, 14, 337-342.)

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