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Handicapped Pupils
The return of handicapped pupils shown above displays the fact
that the three largest categories are children with speech defects,
educationally sub-normal and maladjusted. In contrast, the number
of pupils with what may be termed physical defects has shown a fall
over the years and, indeed, the number of delicate pupils is remarkably
low.
The reason for the difference between the "physical" and the
"emotional" groups of handicaps is not hard to discover. Over the
past twenty years advances in medical science have been tremendous
and it is possible to treat conditions that a few years ago would
have been untreatable; advances in prevention have also been great
and improved ante-natal care avoids the production of a large number
of damaged babies each year.
We are left, then, with two groups of handicaps which present
a continuing problem. The first of these is that group of children
born with an inherent continuing defect the origin of which is unknown;
this group includes those with such conditions as congenital perceptive
deafness, congenital blindness, and low mental ability. Much research
is going on to establish the basis of such handicaps and in mental
deficiency, particularly, biochemical and chromosome studies continue
to reveal fresh information. The second group in the continuing
problem of handicapped pupils is what may be termed the "emotional"
group, that is to say the maladjusted pupil. Over the years the
number of children in this group has risen, reflecting the rise in
mental disorder in the adult community. This grave problem shows
no signs of diminishing and is dealt with in the reports of the
consultant child psychiatrists later in this report.
Vale Road School for Physically Handicapped Children
I am grateful to Mr. A. J. Ives, headmaster of the school,
and to his staff, for their continued co-operation during the year.
It is no easy task to reconcile the educational needs of the children
with their need for physical treatment, but the cordial relationship
between teaching and medical staff has made it possible for both to
flourish to the detriment of neither.
The gymnasium at the school is inadequate to accommodate both
a physiotherapist and an occupational therapist, and it is to be hoped
that the building of the proposed extension to the school will not be
long delayed.
Cerebral Palsy Unit
Dr. William Dunham, the consultant in charge of the unit,
continued to attend for one session a week, and the work of the unit
proceeded on lines previously reported. Five children seen as new
patients at the clinic were recommended for admission to Vale Road
School.
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