The Effectiveness of Cognitive Rehabilitation on the Working Memory and Processing Speed in Children and Adolescents Survived from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to promote working memory and processing speed in children and adolescents surviving from acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a history of chemotherapy, utilizing a cognitive rehabilitation training. The population of this research, which is an applied and quasi-experimental study, included 60 adolescents survived from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (32 female and 28 male) with a history of chemotherapy who attended Imam Reza Outpatient Oncology Clinic (Shiraz, Iran) during last year[AJ1] (1397- 1398). The participants were assigned using target-based sampling and random assignment methods to two groups of intervention and waiting list (control group) (n=30 per group, 16 female & 14 male). The subjects in the experimental group were provided with 12 forty-five -minute sessions of cognitive rehabilitation training, using the software “CogMed”. The data was obtained using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-4) in three stages of pretest, post-test, and follow-up (2 months after post-test). Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics (analysis of covariance). Results showed significant improvements in the scores of working memory and processing speed in the intervention group (p < 0.01, working memory mean in pretest in experimental and control group respectively: 12.4 and 11.60 & in post-test: 17.25 and 11.50; and processing speed mean in pretest in experimental and control group respectively: 51.45 & 51.70 and in post-test: 59.95 & 51.70). Thus, cognitive rehabilitation appears to be useful for adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Keywords

• acute lymphoblastic leukemia
• cognitive rehabilitation
• working memory
• processing speed
• cancer survivors