Determination of School-Related Problems in Children Treated for Cancer

Abstract

This descriptive and case-control study was carried out in a pediatric oncology outpatient clinic to determine the school-related physical, social, and psychological problems and problems experienced in academic achievement of children treated for cancer. The sample of the study consisted of 56 Turkish patients with cancer, aged 7-18 years, who were in remission and attending school as well as their parents, a control group of patients who did not have cancer, and their teachers. A Child Information Form, a Child Health Questionnaire Parent's Form of 50 questions, a Behavior Evaluation Scale for Children, and Young People and a Teacher's Report Form were used as data collection tools in the study. Of the children, 30.3% experienced various physical difficulties stemming from cancer therapy that affected their school life. The number of late enrollments, the number of children repeating a grade, and the rates of school absenteeism were also found to be higher in the survivors than in the controls.

The impact of language barriers and immigration status on the care experience for Spanish‐speaking caregivers of patients with pediatric cancer

“…Children from Spanish‐speaking families attended less school during treatment and were more likely to experience a delay in education. Previous studies have examined the impact of school attendance for pediatric cancer survivors, noting higher rates of absenteeism and grade repetition, but none have studied the experiences of Latino children. It is possible that less school attendance may reflect the already high rates of chronic school absenteeism reported for Latinos children of low‐income families in public schools .…”

Neurocognitive Predictors of Academic Outcomes Among Childhood Leukemia Survivors

“…For instance, according to a recent meta-analysis 17 , children with ALL treated with chemotherapy alone scored lower on several neurocognitive domains including general intelligence, the Purdue Pegboard, and some aspects of executive function. Additionally, among childhood cancer survivors, there are deficits among many academic domains including mathematic performance and reading achievement as well as science, foreign languages, art, and music 23 . Furthermore, our results support the work of Reeves et al, which indicated reading ability among ALL survivors was predicted by sluggish cognitive tempo 30 .…”

“…Despite the necessity of CNS-directed treatment for event free survival, approximately 40% of pediatric ALL survivors experience neurotoxicity most commonly manifested as diminished cognitive abilities 7–15 . These same survivors are more likely than healthy peers or siblings to experience academic underachievement and repeat a grade 16–23 . Although there is evidence that children with ALL are at risk for school-related problems, little is known about the potential impact of diminished cognitive abilities on academic outcomes.…”

“…In a population-based assessment using data from the Iowa Cancer Registry and the Iowa Testing Program, ALL survivors scored significantly lower than the 50 th percentile on multiple domains, with the most marked deficits in mathematics performance 16 . Notably, when compared to their healthy counterparts, childhood cancer survivors also have deficits in other academic domains including science, foreign languages, art, and music 23 . Childhood cancer survivors are also more likely to experience greater anxiety 23 , social introversion 23 , frequent absences 18 , and have poor adjustment as rated by parents 26 .…”

“…Notably, when compared to their healthy counterparts, childhood cancer survivors also have deficits in other academic domains including science, foreign languages, art, and music 23 . Childhood cancer survivors are also more likely to experience greater anxiety 23 , social introversion 23 , frequent absences 18 , and have poor adjustment as rated by parents 26 . Finally, at least 25% of ALL survivors require special education services 25, 27 .…”