METACOGNITIVE FACTORS IN THE VISUOSPATIAL SKILLS OF LONG-TERM SURVIVORS OF ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA - AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO THE REY-OSTERRIETH COMPLEX FIGURE TEST

Long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) ca n exhibit increased difficulty with visuospatial reasoning tasks. The present study was undertaken to ascertain whether this difficulty refl ects underlying spatial/visuoperceptual deficits or has a metacognitiv e basis. Two studies were carried out investigating performance on the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure test. In Study 1, 51 survivors performe d the task in the standard format. They recalled fewer organizing-sche me components than normative expectation but more incidental features. In Study 2 the encoding phase of the task was manipulated. Thirty-fou r survivors were randomized to a linear (LIN) or configurational (CON) presentation and memory productions were evaluated. Organization scor es for the CON group were above normative expectation, whereas those o f the LIN group remained unchanged. Visuospatial reasoning problems in these children have a metacognitive basis and do not represent a fund amental visuoperceptual or spatial deficit.