SCHOOLING AS A PART OF PALLIATIVE CARE IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY

For children with incurable life-threatening diseases, social reintegr ation is an illusion. Schooling for these children is both possible an d desirable, but its specific objectives must be adapted. The educatio nal career of 30 French school children with incurable cancer was foll owed. Data concerning the children's degree of motivation to attend sc hool and its evolution during the course of the disease as well as the measures adopted to maintain school attendance were analysed. Sixty p er cent of the children demonstrated a genuine desire to attend school until the advanced stages of their disease. Reading, mathematics and computer work were their favourite subjects. Increasing physical disab ility and fatigue diminished their motivation over time. Refusal to at tend school occurred in 40% of the children, who had either extracurri cular interests or poorly controlled pain. School attendance for the t erminally ill child is part of palliative care and has specific medica l and educational goals. As such, its objectives are quite distinct fr om those of other educational reintegration projects proposed for chil dren with cancer.