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The under-five clinic is now firmly established; what is most
encouraging is the interest of fathers who often accompany their wives
with the children. It seems that young children arouse and hold
fathering instincts more easily than when they are beginning to become
independent. This fostering of fathering is of benefit to the family's
whole life; relationships between parents also seem to improve in the
sharing and understanding of the problems of the young child.
Dr. K. A. Graf, Consultant Psychiatrist in Hornsey, also
comments on the importance of teamwork.
Mr. Walbridge, the educational psychologist, dealt with 233
children of which 75 were seen by Dr. Graf. The majority of
these cases again reached the clinic through head teachers (24) and
assistant medical officers (16). Direct approach to the clinic was
made by 11 parents, and Dr. Graf was particularly pleased that more
children were sent to the clinic from hospital specialists and general
practitioners (7 each). The relationship with Dr. Yudkin, Consultant
Paediatrician at the Whittington Hospital, proved particularly cordial
and professionally useful, and Dr. Graf only regretted that the limited
time he had did not allow him to visit the wards as frequently as
Dr. Yudkin and he would have welcomed, since close co-operation
with the local children's hospital is one of the most important trends
in modern child psychiatry. Other referrals to the clinic were by
the Magistrates of Juvenile Courts, and the Children's Officer.
Analysis of the age groups referred showed a fairly even spread
and, while the youngest clients were only three years old, there was
a shift towards older age groups than last year, the peak ages being
early adolescence, twelve and thirteen years. The number of child
guidance sessions held during the year was 74 and a total of 123 new
and old patients attended. The waiting list at the end of the year
amounted to 27 cases.
The analysis of the diagnostic entities of child guidance cases,
which is based on a scheme Dr. Graf drew up a few years ago and
which was favourably commented upon in the most recent report of
the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Education, shows, as
would be expected, that behaviour problems due to environmental
factors (including parental problems and maternal deprivation) were
most numerous, but more striking perhaps was the high incidence of
school phobias, a neurotically determined inability to attend school,
which must be distinguished from truancy. The low number of sex
problems and psychotic disturbance is perhaps interesting in view of
public interest in these difficulties.
Dr. Graf also records research carried out largely as a result
of the enthusiasm of the educational psychologist, with a team from
the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, investigated the
incidence of Finger Agnosia amongst poor readers in Hornsey, and
also amongst a control group of normal children. Dr. Nuttall Home
of the Ministry of Education examined a number of children with most
severe reading difficulties.
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