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will best meet the different and complex needs of each family with a handicapped child or
adult. Every endeavour is made to co-ordinate the services to provide not only 'first aid'
but supporting help and encouragement to assist the family to achieve some measure of
independence irrespective of the degree of handicap of the person in their care.
There is seldom a simple answer when a crisis situation arises but it is only through
accepting the challenge of resolving the difficult problems that new ideas are born and
become the foundations of future development.
Training Schools
The provisions available in the two junior training schools have been found to be adequate
for present needs and therefore there is no immediate proposal to increase the number of
schools.
One of the most important factors for the handicapped child is establishing social
competence and noticeable progress has been observed through expanding outside
activities.
Fund raising by voluntary bodies enabled the National Society for Mentally Handicapped
Children to provide a Touch Tutor—Frostig and Autobates equipment. An experimental
programme of one year was commenced during 1969 which involved specially written
programmes with some of the more handicapped children including some from the Special
Care Unit. A member of the National Society's staff visited regularly in order to test the
children and record progress. At the end of the period of one year, there will be sufficient
experimental evidence available for a decision to be made about the continued use of
Touch Tutors as part of the school's normal activities. These various forms of special
equipment have proved a great value in teaching co-ordination, accelerating reading and
language development and stimulating untapped resources within the mentally handicapped
child.
I am pleased to acknowledge that the success and progress of these schools is
attributable to the tireless efforts of the staff to avail themselves of every opportunity to
seek new approaches to the work.
Special Care Units
The provision of more special care unit accommodation remains one of the most urgent
priorities particularly for the more severely physically handicapped child and young adult.
Discussions are taking place with the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board to
ascertain what provisions can be made available in the foreseeable future for those cases
whose prime requirement is nursing care.
Without these units and the devotion of the staff who run them, it would be impossible
for some families to go on caring for the handicapped in their midst.
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