CHILDREN treated for central nervous system (CNS) malignancies at a young age face a high risk of academic difficulties due to the vulnerability of their developing brains and missed developmental opportunities. Despite this, there is limited research on academic outcomes in this population. This study investigated academic readiness, its predictors, and its relationship with later academic performance in patients treated for CNS tumours during early childhood.
The study included 70 children with newly diagnosed CNS tumours, who were treated in a longitudinal, multisite study with chemotherapy, with or without photon or proton irradiation. Academic skills were assessed at baseline, six months, one year, and annually for five years. These assessments focused on academic readiness and achievement in reading and math.
The results showed a slowed development of academic readiness skills over time. Socioeconomic status (SES) consistently predicted academic readiness across all time points, while other demographic (e.g. age at treatment) and clinical (e.g. shunt status, treatment type) factors did not. Long-term outcomes revealed that a disproportionately high number of survivors experienced reading difficulties compared to normative expectations, whereas math difficulties were in line with expectations. Importantly, early academic readiness was found to be predictive of later academic success in both reading and math.
In conclusion, treatment for CNS malignancies in early childhood appears to hinder the development of academic readiness skills, with SES being a significant predictor of risk. Additionally, early academic readiness was a key indicator of future academic performance, especially in reading, where long-term survivors were more likely to struggle. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring and intervening in early academic skills to support the long-term educational outcomes of children treated for CNS tumours.
Abigail Craig | EMJ
Reference
Somekh MR et al. Academic Readiness among Young Children Treated for Brain Tumors: A Multisite, Prospective, Longitudinal Trial. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2024; doi: 10.1093/jnci/djae194.
