To measure school achievements in spina bifida children, to relate these measures to certain variables, to obtain information on educational problems, and to study facets of cognition and its changes with age, 77 spina bifida children and 53 amputees (all aged 5 to 15) were tested. Sixty non-disabled children were at times used for controls. The findings indicated that children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus lagged behind other handicapped children in reading, arithmetic, psycholinguistic abilities, richness of interpersonal recall, and listing of occupations. The spina bifida hydrocephalic children showed better performance in verbal ability than in performance skills and tended to act socially deprived regardless of verbal intelligence. Non-hydrocephalic and amputee children seemed to show normal social awareness. Indications are that spina bifida children need earlier attention to avoid misplacement in academic levels and to help prevent cognitive and academic problems. Extensive appendixes and tables are provided. (Author/JM)