Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: language deficits in children post-treatment.
The language abilities of a group of 22 children (aged between 5 years and 17 years, 9 months) treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) were investigated and compared with those of a group of non-neurologically impaired, age- and sex-matched controls. The language test battery included an age-appropriate measure from the Test of Language Development (TOLD) series, consisting of either the Test of Adolescent Language (TOAL--2), or the Test of Language Development--Intermediate or --Primary (TOLD--I or --P); the timed subtests of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Function (CELF); the Boston Naming Test; and one of either the Token Test or the Token Test for Children, depending on the age of the subject. As a group, the leukaemia subjects performed significantly worse than the controls on the TOAL--2, TOLD--I, TOLD--P, Token Test, and Boston Naming Test. The need for post-treatment monitoring of the language abilities of children treated for ALL to enable early remediation of areas of deficit is highlighted.
Buttsworth
D L
DL
Department of Speech and Hearing, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.
Murdoch
B E
BE
Ozanne
A E
AE
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000628:therapy*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D012737:Sex Factors