School issues and educational strategies for survivors of childhood cancer

Abstract

School is ubiquitous in the world of children. It provides a primary platform for development and preparation for a future in adulthood. School attendance and learning can be considered the "work" of children and is an important part of their daily life. It is the community where children have opportunity to develop and practice competence in social skills and knowledge building, while also developing self-regulated behavior and self-esteem. But what happens for a child when the routine of school is interrupted by a medical condition? In the case of a diagnosis of childhood cancer, the disturbance can occur for extended periods of time while the child undergoes intensive treatment for management of a life-threatening condition. The changes in life course can be even more pervasive and long-term in nature when cognitive late effects of treatment change capacity for growth and development. Neurocognitive late effects of treatment [1] are “temporally defined as occurring after the successful completion of medical therapy, usually 2 or more years from the time of diagnosis, and it is generally assumed that late effects are chronic, if not progressive in their course” (p. 1). Although cognitive late effects are often described in terms of changes in the brain, those difficulties are also relevant for psychosocial and motivational needs. Impacts of disease and treatment can have academic, social, and emotional implications for a typical school student. The brain changes and cognitive late effects are discussed in other chapters of this volume. This chapter will explore school-related issues faced by students who have been diagnosed with a pediatric cancer and are now living as survivors of the disease.