Development of Social Skills in Boys with Brain Tumors

Abstract

Children with brain tumors often experience organically based illness- and treatment-related sequelae that interfere with the development of complex social skills necessary for confident, mutually satisfying interactions with peers. This article describes a structured, time-limited group focused on the development of social skills in boys who have a brain tumor. Social support and medical education were additional components. A parallel group for parents focused on relevant issues that arose in the boys∗ group and on the parents' general concerns about their child's social integration. The uniqueness of this program stemmed from the combination of development of social skills, specificity and homogeneity of the target population, highly structured group interventions, and parallel parent group. The program's efficacy in developing specific social skills was reported by both the boys and their parents. The authors recommend offering similar group interventions to other medically ill children and their parents, extending the model to female pediatric patients with brain tumors, and comparing time-limited versus ongoing groups for children with brain tumors.