Visuomotor Function in Children Treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia With Chemotherapy Only

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate visuomotor function in children treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). The performance of 64 children, 1–7 years post-chemotherapy for ALL, was compared to that of their healthy peers (n = 56) on visuomotor integration (VMI) and motor coordination (MC) tasks. Children posttreatment for ALL displayed significantly reduced VMI, but not MC, performances as compared to controls. Children treated on chemotherapy-only ALL regimes are at heightened risk for visuomotor integration deficits. Monitoring of visuomotor skills and implementation of appropriate interventions targeting higher level visuomotor integration skills should form an important component of any ALL long-term effects program.