The investigation of developmental reading and spelling disorders within the framework provided by cognitive neuropsychology has yielded interesting results for several alphabetic orthographies, for example English, Italian, and French. However, this approach has not attracted much attention in German speaking countries up to now. The following study, carried out with 35 German dysgraphic 3rd graders provides evidence that there is no less reason to apply this line of research to German children than to children acquiring other alphabetic orthographies. By evaluating the individual scores of the dysgraphic children on spelling nonwords and orthographically irregular or inconsistent words against the corresponding mean scores established for two non-dysgraphic control samples (grade-matched and 2nd grade), nine children could be assigned to the surface dysgraphic and 12 to the phonological dysgraphic subtype. In order to restrict the range of cognitive deficits which might have caused the spelling patterns of the two dysgraphic subgroups at more distal links of the causal chain, individual performance profiles were determined for several spelling-related phonological and visual-graphemic tasks. On average, the phonological dysgraphic children showed poorer performance in different phonological tasks than the children assigned to the surface subtype. In addition, both subgroups showed subnormal skills in visualgraphemic tasks. Dissociations between the different spelling related tasks were observed not only between but also within the subgroups. This may reflect individually varying cognitive processing deficits underlying developmental dysgraphia in German.

Background At Alice Salomon University in Berlin, the project «Healthcare Professionals - Bachelor for Interprofessional Healthcare and Management» aims at developing a joint online, part-time study course for nursing staff, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists. Objectives Based on innovative learning modules, the study course aims at improving inter-professional cooperation in healthcare, thus enhancing the quality of care for patients. Questions Do executives and professionals see a need for action with regard to interprofessional healthcare? How can employers support part-time students attending the study course alongside employment? Which requirements should the study course meet in terms of contents and structure to balance studies and employment? Methods Quantitative online survey among executives and professionals using questionnaires. A descriptive approach was employed to evaluate the quantitative data statistically. Results The executives› survey confirmed a definite need for enhanced skills acquired through higher education and revealed a strong wish for more interprofessional cooperation than what is commonly practiced in healthcare today. Innovative study formats and cooperation on the part of the employers are necessary to balance work and studies. Discussion The challenge now is conceptualizing a study course that promotes the online development of interprofessional and scientific skills, imparts future-oriented and practice-relevant contents and is flexible to accommodate the needs of employed, part-time students.

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