London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hounslow 1966
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hounslow]
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Other congenital abnormalities 9
Dystrophia Myotonica 1
Defective vision (no glasses) 6
Defective vision (with glasses) 22
Defective hearing (no aid) 27
Defective hearing (with aid) 3
Receiving speech therapy 35
Receiving treatment at Child Guidance Clinic 14
| No tested | No failed | Percentage failed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Schools | 4,650 | 178 | 3.8% |
| Marjory Kinnon School | 44 | 7 | 16% |
| Junior Training Centre | 81 | 25 | 31% |
| Social classes | I | II | III | IV | V |
| Children 'at risk' | 3 | 6 | 21 | 14 | 7 |
| This may be compared with the distribution of children in the school into social classes (Table 2) ie | |||||
| Social classes | I | II | III | IV | V |
| Children 'at risk' | 3 | 11 | 57 | 39 | 41 |
*
Cerebral Palsy Meningitis
Hydrocephalus Asphyxia at Birth
Microcephalus Prematurity
Hypothyroidism Twins
Down's Syndrome Forceps Delivery
Phenylketonuria Breech Delivery
Hypercalcaemia Caesarian Section
Convulsions
It will be seen that a higher proportion of the
children in the upper social classes experienced
hazards either ante-natally or in their early years.
The Problems of a Day ESN School
The motto of the school is 'I can if I will' and this
is a symbol of the aims for every child to follow.
The staff always try to give the children
encouragement and confidence to attempt things
which may at first seem beyond their capabilities.
The system of motivation aims to help the
children to achieve social adequacy and to believe
in themselves, and at the same time perhaps
attain a reasonable and serviceable basic
educational level to the limit of their ability. This
is done by setting the children a series of goals
which are attainable without too great difficulty
so that they may experience the satisfaction of
success. It may be considered as a form of
'programming'.
The home background of the children is very
important for the attitude of the parents to the
school will greatly influence the child. It is vital
in a special school that parents should contribute
towards the motivation of their child and
encourage him to develop good work habits.
It was not difficult to establish a thriving parent/
teacher association, but at Bedfont the scope has
been widened to form a 'Friends of the School
Association'. This now includes parents of past
and present pupils and others interested in
mentally handicapped children, and provides an
informal background for discussion on many
topics. The relationship between the staff and
some parents can, however, be difficult, especially
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