St. Jude Family of Websites
Explore our cutting edge research, world-class patient care, career opportunities and more.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Home
- Fundraising
St. Jude Family of Websites
Explore our cutting edge research, world-class patient care, career opportunities and more.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Home
- Fundraising
Hearing is a gateway to learning for young children treated for cancer
Heather Conklin, PhD, St. Jude Division of Neuropsychology chief and St. Jude Department of Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences member works to understand how to protect childhood cancer survivors’ hearing and neurocognitive health.
Young children treated for brain tumors experience specific treatment-related effects from therapy, including hearing loss. A study led by Heather Conklin, PhD, St. Jude Department of Psychology and Biobehavioral Sciences found that young children (those less than 3 years old) that experience hearing loss also show lower IQs, attention spans and adaptive functioning skills, with the youngest being the most impacted. The results indicate a need for early and frequent hearing assessments and educational interventions in this population to potentially mitigate the effect. The findings were published in Neuro-Oncology.
“Given that hearing loss is potentially avoidable with adjustments to cancer treatment and that there are methods to aid hearing and support learning in children who experience hearing loss, these findings offer opportunities to improve cognitive and academic outcomes for our youngest survivors,” said Conklin.