Occupational Therapy focused assessment of Schooling Capabilities in pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia patients: A prospective observational study

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is one of the most common paediatric malignancies treated at our institute, affecting a significant number of children annually. Literature indicates that children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia are at risk of motor and cognitive impairments due to intensive chemotherapy treatment. These impairments have been linked to reduced academic participation and lower rates of college enrolment. Early intervention has been emphasized as a crucial strategy to prevent academic difficulties and enhance long-term educational outcomes in this population. Occupational therapists are professionally qualified to identify and address deficits in upper extremity functional abilities and neurocognitive processing in the paediatric population and hence are better equipped in detecting subtle impairments, if any, in the hand functions and cognition in pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia patients by periodic assessment and design targeted interventions for the same.

Given the prevalence of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and the intensive nature of its treatment, understanding the functional and cognitive challenges faced by these children and understanding the knowledge gap regarding the level of motor and cognitive performance and its impact on schooling as an occupation in Indian children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, we propose a prospective observational study aimed at the early identification of motor and cognitive impairments in paediatric patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia during chemotherapy. This study holds considerable potential to benefit future patients by facilitating early detection of treatment-related impairments, enabling timely interventions that address existing deficits and mitigate their long-term impact on quality of life, academic performance, and schooling outcomes.