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Adults have jobs that anchor them in life, and children have school. When a child is out of school, depression, lack of interest, and poor self-esteem can result. Without their “job” or school, children can feel like a ship out of water.
Parents may think of school as a potentially threatening place for their sick child. They worry it will be overwhelming for their child or that the child will catch infections, become overly tired, and even be teased for being different.
However, it is important that children return to school as soon as possible after the diagnosis of cancer. Children have a sense of purpose in school and receive the clear message that they have a bright future and potential for a full recovery from cancer. Parents will also benefit when their lives return to a more “normal” one. Siblings will also get some much-needed extra attention. It truly is a “win-win” situation for the whole family.
Communication Is the Key
The first step is to talk with your child’s teacher about the cancer. A teacher needs to know the type of cancer, any treatment the child may be receiving, the anticipated reactions to the treatment, and how long an absence you expect. You will need to keep these lines of communication open as the school year progresses, for the benefit of both the teacher and your child. Including the school nurse in these discussions is also helpful as the nurse may be called upon should the child feel ill at school.
Talk with your child about returning to school and try to anticipate any questions his peers may have about his cancer. Explain to your child that his friends may not understand much about cancer and might say and ask some strange things. Some typical questions are: “What is cancer?”, “Are you going to die?”, “Can I catch it?”, and “Can you still play?” Review with your child how to answer these questions.
Some hospitals and schools have a school re-entry program, where a school liaison meets with the child and family, finds out what help is needed to return to school, contacts the school, and sets up meetings to inform staff of any special needs of the child. In the meeting, a social worker or nurse will talk with the teachers, parents and child about how to help the child adjust to being in school again.
How Your Child’s Cancer May Affect School Performance
Most children will readjust well to school after a cancer illness. But having cancer can bring physical, emotional and cognitive (ability to think and reason) changes, which can affect the child in school. But you can help your child by recognizing problems before they become too difficult to manage.
A child who has had cancer may temporarily have weight loss or gain, hair loss, and pain. He may have an amputation or an obvious scar from cancer surgery. He may have hearing loss resulting from high doses of antibiotics or chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may also cause fatigue, weakness, and a low blood count that may make the child prone to infection. If a child has had a bone marrow transplant or total body irradiation, he or she may experience growth delays. Radiation treatment to the head may interfere with intelligence. This is usually not an immediate effect but can occur later. If the child is younger when receiving the radiation, the effects may be greater.
Children may have some learning problems as a result of their treatment. Some of these include:
- trouble paying attention and a tendency to “space out”
- difficulty remembering visual information, such as on a blackboard or in a book
- problems with writing quickly or accurately
- trouble keeping up with new material
- difficulty with math problems, columns, or graphs
- problems planning and organizing
- inability to copy from a blackboard
- difficulty with reading
You may also notice:
- Your child was an A student before their illness and now makes C’s with a great deal of work.
- Your child reads a story but can’t retell it once he has finished reading it.
- Your child is frustrated by school and complains about not understanding the teacher.
It’s important to remember that creativity and the ability to learn through hearing (rather than reading) is not usually affected by cancer or its treatment. (See our document,
“Childhood Cancer: Late Effects of Cancer Treatment” for more information.)
If Your Child Is Having a Learning Problem
First of all, keep in mind that all children have a right to education in the “least restrictive environment,” which means your child will be with other non-impaired children as much as possible. If parents have an issue with the school and the education their child is receiving, they have the right to request a third party mediator to settle disagreements.
It is best to seek a meeting with the school psychologist or counselor who can test your child for learning problems. You may want to request this if your child has had radiation to his brain, whether you notice a problem or not. The staff will test reading, writing, and math skills, memory, comprehension, attention, concentration, and fine motor skills. Armed with that information, the school can develop an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for your child.
What is an IEP?
An Individual Education Plan is a plan developed by both parents and teachers to meet the individual needs of a student. It describes your child’s learning problem, sets specific goals for your child’s education, refers to other services if needed, such as occupational therapy or speech therapy, and provides for regular evaluation of the plan. Sometimes students will improve when their work is oral and not written. They may do better when they can use a computer, books on tape, or are given more time to complete assignments.
It can seem pretty unfair to have cancer and then to struggle with going back to school. But learning as much as you can about potential problems can help you and your child adjust faster. There are other resources that may help you.
One booklet, Educating the Child With Cancer, is written by both parents and educators and is provided free by the Candlelighters Cancer Childhood Foundation.
One booklet, Educating the Child With Cancer, is written by both parents and educators and is provided free by the Candlelighters Cancer Childhood Foundation.
Additional Resources
More Information From Your American Cancer Society
We have selected some related information that may also be helpful to you. These materials may be ordered from our toll-free number, 1-800-ACS-2345.
National Organizations and Web Sites*
Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation
Telephone: 1-800-366-2223
Internet Address: www.candlelighters.org
National Cancer Institute
Telephone: 1-800-4-CANCER
Internet Address: www.cancer.gov (search for “late effects of childhood cancer”)
CureSearch, a combined effort of National Childhood Cancer Foundation and Children’s Oncology Group
Telephone: 1-800-458-6223
(for information or to find a Children’s Oncology Group in your area)
Internet Address: www.curesearch.org (look for “after treatment” section)
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)
Telephone: 1-800-695-0285
Internet Address: /www.nichcy.org
*Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by the American Cancer Society.
Other Publications*
Childhood Cancer Survivors: A Practical Guide to Your Future, by Nancy Keene, Wendy Hobbie, Kathy Ruccione. Published by O’Reilly and Associates, 2000.
*Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement by the American Cancer Society.
The American Cancer Society is happy to address almost any cancer-related topic. If you have any more questions, please call us at 1-800-ACS-2345 at any time, 24 hours a day.
References
Leigh LD, Miles MA. Educational Issues for Children with Cancer. In Pizzo PA, Poplack DG (Eds), Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology, 4th Ed. 2002. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 1463-1476.
Revised: 02/16/2006
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