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20 pupils from this school for normal children to act as helpers and
instructors for swimming for the physically handicapped children from
Vale Road School, of whom eight have been children with cerebral
palsy. The experiment has been a great success, the normal children
gaining in sense of responsibility and citizenship, and the handicapped
children in enjoyment, enthusiasm and ability. Supervision is by the
Borough Swimming Instructor and school teaching and medical staff.
During the year, two cerebral palsied children left the school, one
entering a unit for vocational assessment prior to undergoing further
training, and one entering a factory where she is employed on equal
terms with the other workers, with no concessions.
The Consultant has been called upon to give an opinion on the
capabilities of seven children not attending the school, and on the most
suitable provision to be made for them. The ages of these children
ranged from two years and four months to eleven years; it is hoped
that as the availability of this service becomes more widely known
babies and younger children may be referred also, as it is the handling
which palsied children receive early in life which determines the difficulty
of their subsequent treatment and to a considerable extent the
success with which they were able eventually to lead a normal life."
Delicate Pupils
This is an omnibus term covering children with a number of different
conditions, but who have in common one characteristic at least,
namely, a failure to thrive in their ordinary environment. Thus a
number of these children are asthmatics, others suffer from frequent
upper respiratory infection and one is a diabetic. Of the 36 children
concerned, 27 attend a residential open-air school and eight a day
open-air school.
Speech Defects
There are two whole-time and two part-time speech therapists
employed in the Area equivalent to three whole-time staff. The following
comments on the work of the department have been made by the
Head Speech Therapist, Miss J. Came, l.c.s.t. :—
"Early treatment of the stammerer remains our aim, and is essential
if speech anxiety and consequent secondary stammer are to be prevented.
In this context, the result of research recently published by
Miss M. Jameson, l.c.s.t., speech therapist to the Royal Victoria
Hospital, Newcastle-on-Tyne, is relevant. She found: 'There is a
greater chance of speech recovery if the mother attends for advice
when the child is still under five years of age, or if the child begins
treatment within one year of the onset of the stammer'.
The majority of children receiving regular speech therapy at Vale
Road School for the Physically Handicapped suffer from cerebral
palsy or other neurological defect. Several have a major speech handicap,
requiring intensive treatment. The invaluable co-operation of
the headmaster and his staff is much appreciated."