View report page

28
During the past year we have been fortunate in securing the professional
services of Mrs. Davies-Eysenck to act as Consultant Psychologist.
She will test and check the progress of children attending the
Special Unit, and it is hoped that eventually she will be able to assess
other children within the Borough, and advise upon their learning problems.
Two members of staff left in 1966. Miss Tresider left to be married
in the Spring, and she was replaced by Miss Stavenhagen. Mrs. Allder
left in December to live abroad, and it is hoped to appoint her successor
shortly.
As in the past, the Croydon Speech Clinics have had several official
visitors during the year. Students of speech therapy have also continued
to attend regularly, for clinical observation and practice. Talks have
also been given to various clubs and organisations within the Borough,
and two very successful Parents Evenings have been held at the Central
Clinic.
Statistics will be found on page 59.
WEIGHT CONTROL CLINIC
Dr. Phyllis Gibbons, School Medical Officer
The Weight Control Clinic has continued to meet for group sessions
throughout the year 1966/67. Four groups have been formed of similar
constitution to the initial one, and there is a waiting list of girls anxious
to start new groups when possible. The pattern of meetings has continued
as originally planned, the girls are all weighed, results discussed
gether and diets criticised \\here necessary. Visual aids are used extensively
to reinforce the nutritional education and maintain enthusiasm.
Results from this type of therapy are difficult to evaluate but can be
assessed partly on the basis of actual weight reduction achieved by individual
girls and partly on the attendance records compared with similar
clinics which are run on an individual basis.
Table 8 shows that, of the 54 girls attending the clinics during the
year, eight achieved weight reduction to the ideal for their age, height
and body build; and twelve have already lost more than two-thirds of their
excess weight. These results are satisfactory when the fact that approximately
three-quarters of the girls attending the clinic have previously
attempted-and failed-to lose weight, is taken into account. Of the
twelve girls who left the groups, two have left school, two have moved,
one was found to have diabetes, and the remainder either gave up because
the clinic time clashed with vital lessons, or because they became discouraged
with their own lack of success.