Return of Speech Is Not the End of Cerebellar Mutism Syndrome: Continuing Rehabilitation Across Stages of Recovery

Cerebellar mutism syndrome (CMS) is a condition that occurs in between 10-25% of children who undergo resection of a tumor in the posterior fossa region. CMS includes a constellation of symptoms including but not limited to ataxia, initial loss of speech and later dysarthria, hemiparesis and neurocognitive impairments that can negatively impact functional recovery. The need for consistent, standardized assessment tools and intervention practices across all phases of recovery is imperative. In addition, chemotherapy and radiation can present unique challenges to the progression of rehabilitation. The purpose of this symposium is to share the current state of the evidence regarding rehabilitation considerations,  practices and challenges in this population based on recent research and findings from the work  of the Posterior Fossa Society.