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136
Decertification
of P.D.
children.
Owing to the improved facilities for treatment, especially for tuberculosis
and paralysis, now available and a greater possibility of admitting to the schools
certain cases of heart disease at somewhat earlier stages than was formerly possible,
an increased number of children improve to such an extent that they are able to
return from the Special (P.D.) schools to the ordinary elementary schools or are
"no longer certifiable" as defective between the ages of 14 and 16 years. The
following is a comparative table relating to different conditions for the years 1925
and 1926:—
Defect.
Cases passed no longer
certifiable.
Cases passed lit to return to
elementary school.
1925. 1926. Total. 1925. 1926. Total.
Residential
schools.
Heart 47 56 103 17 17 34
Rheumatism 2 6 8 4 2 6
Tuberculosis 68 49 117 33 24 57
Infantile paralysis 42 41 83 12 9 21
Various 40 41 81 89 50 139
Total 199 193 392 155 102 257
There are 3 residential industrial schools, 6 residential special schools (2 for blind,
2 for deaf, 1 for defective deaf and 1 for mentally defective) with a total accommodation
for 676 residential and 222 day scholars. To each institution is allocated
a medical officer and provision has been made for dental inspection and treatment.
During the year 735 boys were admitted to Pentonville Road Place of Detention
and 271 sirls and infants to Ponton Road.
Standard of
certification
of children
for
admission
to M.D.
schools.
During the year some attention has been paid to the question of the standard
of the certification of children for admission to special schools for the mentally
defective with a view to seeing whether any material change has taken place in
recent years. The records of the mental ages of the children admitted between the
years 1918 and 1926 inclusive have been taken out in three-year periods. The
history of the certification is briefly as follows:—
When the schools were first commenced in 1892 by the late School Board for
London there were no statutory arrangements governing the conduct of such classes,
admission to which was arranged by the inspectorate, any medical supervision
being of a voluntary character. In 1898 the Medical Officer of that day was directed
to supervise the classes and in the following year two part-time assistants were
delegated the task of visiting the schools and examining entrants. After the passage
of the Elementary Education (Defective and Epileptic Children) Act, 1899, the
medical work was placed on a statutory basis from which time the records have
been preserved. In the earlier years attention was principally paid to physical
and particularly to neurological signs such as defective poise, twitchings, muscular
overaction and the various stigmata as well as to the educational attainments or
rather lack of attainments of the children in question. At that time the Superintendent
of schools for physically and mentally defective children or one of her assistants
accompanied the medical officer at his examinations and the selection was made
on a joint basis. So far as can now be judged from the past records, some children
were admitted and remained on trial for considerable periods who would now most
probably be deemed imbecile, while there were others of a higher grade who, at the
present time, would be likely to be regarded as merely dull and backward. Needless
to say this latter class profited greatly by instruction in the special school as at
each there was a full curriculum of manual occupation, and, for older children,
trade instruction such as, at that time, could not be obtained elsewhere within
the school system. The special schools have preceded trade and central schools.
There is no question but that, at that time, the Special Schools were "schools
of recovery" and that the term "mental defect" had not its present connotation
ftiiggestive of a need for permanent care, supervision and control. The very extension