Neurobehavioral Complications in Children Who Were Previously Treated With Steroids and Intrathecal Therapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Diagnosis of standard-risk childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) * In continuous first remission * No history of CNS pathology requiring radiotherapy or surgery * Prior enrollment on one of the following Children's Cancer Group (CCG) protocols AND terminated therapy at least 1 year ago: * CCG-1922 (prednisone vs dexamethasone) * CCG-1952 (intrathecal methotrexate vs triple intrathecal therapy) * No prior enrollment on CCG-1952 arm III * No history of pre-existing neurodevelopmental disorder before diagnosis of ALL (e.g., mental retardation, Down syndrome, seizure disorder, or traumatic brain injury) * No neuropsychological assessment within the past 6 months PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age * 6.5 to 16 years Performance status * Not specified Life expectancy * Not specified Hematopoietic * Not specified Hepatic * Not specified Renal * Not specified Other * Reading, speaking, and listening comprehension of English by patient required (English and/or Spanish by parent) * No history of very low birth weight (\< 1,500 grams) PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy * Not specified Chemotherapy * See Disease Characteristics Endocrine therapy * See Disease Characteristics Radiotherapy * See Disease Characteristics Surgery * See Disease Characteristics Other * Concurrent stimulants allowed