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61
advice to them in a commonsense way, so that they can understand the reasons
for its being given. They are then always willing to act upon it.
It has been necessary in an extremely small proportion of cases to place the children
away from home, but this has been done only with the consent of the parents,
and when circumstances rendered it absolutely necessary. The principle of the clinic
is so to work that the child shall, if possible, remain at home during treatment.
Circumstances, however, sometimes preclude this.
A considerable number of patients have been sent for a short period of
convalescence to improve their physical health, or to tide over times of stress in
the home.
Valuable assistance has been obtained from school care committees and other
social organisations. Teachers and care committee workers have in many cases
followed the course of treatment with close interest, assisting by supplying useful
information and adopting suggestions made.
During the year 1931 the number of Council cases referred to the clinic was
108, of whom 63 were boys and 45 were girls. The ages of the children referred,
the source of reference, and the reasons for reference are set out in the following
statements:—
Ages of Children referred—
5 years 6
6 „ 6
7 12
8 17
9 12
10 11
Ages of Children referred—
11 years 12
12 „ 11
13 „ 12
14 „ 7
15 „ 1
16 „ 1
Total ]08
Source of reference.
*Head teachers 28
School doctors 28
*Care committees 18
Parents 13
Children's courts 8
Hospitals 6
I.C.A.A 1
Other sources 6
Total 108
Reasons for reference.
Backwardness 20
Theft 16
Behaviour in school 16
Behaviour at home 15
Nervousness 12
Stammer and speech defects 7
Truancy 5
Spitefulness 3
Word blindness 3
Enuresis 2
Unstable 2
Masturbation and sex troubles 2
Thumb sucking 2
Wandering 1
Begging for money 1
Not known 1
Total 108
*In many of these cases, reference was as a result of consultations between head teachers
and care committees.
N.B.—Children are sometimes referred for more than one reason, but the major reason
only has been included in the table.