Researchers at the Alberta Children’s Hospital are working to help children who survive brain cancer with their social skills as they recover and transition back into their peer groups.

Experts say children who survive brain cancer often experience impaired social skills as a side effect of chemotherapy and radiation.

Dr. Fiona Schulte is leading a research study to help address what she calls “social deficits”.

“For some survivors, the long-term difficulty they have with their peers is worse than the diagnosis and treatment,” said Dr. Schulte. “They can become withdrawn, they can get bullied, they can fail to connect with other kids, and they can do poorly academically.”

Dr. Schulte says those long-term effects can carry on into adulthood and many may experience a poor quality of life and difficulty in getting a job.

The study tests an eight-week group therapy program that uses games and fun activities to teach some key social concepts.

Researchers compare two separate groups of pediatric brain tumour survivors.

One group will be in the therapeutic intervention and the other will serve as a control group.

Researchers say the lessons include things like initiating conversation, managing teasing and bullying, resolving conflict, being assertive and practicing empathy.

Results are followed up with parents, teachers and classmates to measure any changes in social skills.

“Although the reasons for social difficulties among this population are not well understood, cognitive damage that occurs as a result of radiation and some of the powerful chemotherapy agents may explain some of these difficulties,” says Dr. Schulte.

The children will get a chance to hone their social skills through the program.

“Results from an earlier pilot showed the group therapy program led to improvements in social competence, such as in maintaining eye contact with peers, carrying on a conversation and playing co-operatively,” Dr. Schulte says.

Brain tumour facts:

  • A recent study of more than 10,400 patients found nearly four of five pediatric brain tumour survivors never marry
  • Roughly 60 to 80 new cancers are diagnosed at Alberta Children’s Hospital every year. Of those about 15 to 20 are cancer of the brain
  • Until the 1960s only about 20 percent of pediatric brain cancer patients survived. Now that figure is closer to 70 percent