London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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London County Council 1948

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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71
Handicapped children
5,968 examinations of children were made during the year with a view either to
ascertain the need for special educational treatment or to consider the need for continued
special educational treatment.
From the end of March, 1948, the practice of "ascertaining" what children
were in need of special educational treatment was applied to those suffering from a
speech defect or a stammer, and the figures given show the number of children dealt
with during the remainder of the year.

The division between the various categories under which the children were examined is as follows:—

Vision236
Hearing166
Epilepsy50
Educational subnormality1,987
Delicate2,292
Physical conditions739
Dual defects121
Speech defects321
Various examinations56

In addition 272 children were considered with regard to maladjustment and
nine with regard to diabetes.
Tables 21 to 31 in the appendix show the results of the above examinations,
divided into ages and sexes and, in the case of the physically handicapped, with
details of the morbid conditions found.
Cerebral Palsy
At the end of 1948, there was a total of 229 children known to be suffering from
Cerebral Palsy. These were distributed as under
In Day Schools for Physically Handicapped Children 184
In Day Schools for Educationally Sub-normal Children 8
In Residential Schools for Physically Handicapped Children 29
Invalided at home—unfit at present to attend school 8

A. Day Special Schools

DefectNo. of schoolsRoll
BoysGirls
Partially sighted7190185
Deaf4147122
*Partially deaf43423
Physically handicapped20819732
Delicate9621431
Educationally sub-normal241,497956
Total683,3082,449
*Special classes held in normal schools.

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