View report page

42
EPILEPTIC PUPILS
In Day Special Schools - 15
In Residential Special Schools - 5
During the year one epileptic child was recommended for placement in
a special school. Unfortunately the decision to admit such a child is often
based not upon the degree of epilepsy but upon the degree of disturbance
occasioned in the school. The views of teaching staff are therefore often
critical in arriving at such a decision. It has been usual for some years to
recommend that such pupils are accommodated at St. Giles' School. The
school medical officer, Dr. Thelma Wield, visited Lingfield Hospital School
for epileptic pupils during the year to ensure uniformity of approach since
the latter school often accepts Croydon children for whom residential education
has become necessary.
WALADJUSTED CHILDREN
In Day Unit - 21
In Day Special Schools - 11
In Residential Special Schools - 38
Awafting placement - 7
It is difficult to give any precise definition of a maladjusted child so
that diagnosis will often depend upon the judgement of individual speciar
lists and sometimes even upon the facilities available. It is noticeable
that recommendations are more usually made because of the effect of the
child's behaviour upon the school and relatively little consideration is
given to the use of special educational facilities as a therapeutic tool in
the treatment of environmental maladjustment.
A total of 15 children were ascertained to be in need of special educational
facilities in this category and shortage of places inevitably resulted
in delays in finding suitable accommodation. Moreover, the ability
to provide such help only on a residential basis occasionally led to difficulties
during the year and the provision of the new purpose-built day
special school is anxiously awaited.
The. Day Hospital Unit at the Child Guidance Clinic (page 19) continued
to provide much needed temporary relief for the care of autistic and
severely mentally disturbed young children, and the provision of teaching
facilities by the Chief Education Officer throughout the year despite staff
changes was much appreciated.