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72
East London
child
guidance
clinic.
The East London child guidance clinic is organised by the Jewish Health Organisation
of Great Britain and is held at the Jews' free school, Whitechapel. The
director of the clinic, Dr. Emanuel Miller, reports that the clinic continues to provide
a steadily increased service on progressive lines. The work has expanded both in
the number of cases dealt with and in the field from which they are drawn. Among
recent developments, special attention has been given to remedial work for children
whose disabilities are educational, and in the speech clinic, which has been re-started,
the children are treated individually. The playroom technique continues to produce
good results, and not only affords an opportunity for studying the social behaviour
of children, but provides the solution for many individual neurotic problems through
the freedom for expression during play. Much assistance has been given by the
school teachers, and an extraordinary degree of co-operation has been shown by
parents and patients in spite of grave economic difficulties. Although many cases
have obviously been weighed down by the burden of poverty resulting from unemployment,
the reaction to treatment has been surprisingly good.
During 1935, the clinic dealt with 326 cases from the Council's schools. Of
these, 201 were boys and 125 girls. The age distribution was : under 5 years, 14 ;
from 5 to 8 years, 92 ; 8 to 11 years, 93 ; 11 to 14 years, 96 ; 14 years and over, 31.