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39
The importance of early detection of handicapped children so that
adequate educational arrangements may be made in good time has been
recognised within the Service for a number of years. It is encouraging to
note that a total of 193 pre-school handicapped children are now known to
the School Health Service (Table II). The number of children recorded has
increased steadily since the system was introduced several years ago, but
concern had been expressed that such children were generally recognised
from specialist reports rather than from the observations of the pre-school
child health services. During the year extensive reorganisation has taken
place within the Department and the services for the pre-school child have
been combined with those of the School Health Service, to create a single
Child Health Service responsible for all health services involving children.
An immediate practical result has been to link the existing systems for the
detection of handicapped children into a single comprehensive service of
progressive assessment. Any child who is considered to be at risk of a
serious handicapping condition is included within this system either at
birth or at any point thereafter. Such children receive particular attention
from the pre-school services until the age of two years when, if no obvious
defect has emerged, the child is discharged from the system. The remaining
children, together with others who are recognised to be potentially handicapped,
are reviewed each birthday to assess the extent of any handicap
which may be present. Again, some children are found to be developing
normally during these assessments, and are discharged from the system.
There remains a group of children who may need special educational treatment,
and arrangements are made to review each of these children about six
months before a place in a special school is.likely to be required. Formal
ascertainment, or advice to the teacher of the ordinary school likely to admit
the child, then follows. The objective is, of course, to concentrate effort
upon the children who are likely to be most in need, whilst ensuring that
those children who do not fall within the system continue to receive all the
services necessary for the pre-school child. In future years it will be necessary
to modify Table 11 to take account of this revised system of assessment
so that a temporary reduction in numbers of children must be anticipated.
Future Tables will not include children less than two years. It must also be
recognised that the value of this Table lies not so much in the numbers recorded,
as the general trend which it indicates. By including some children
who may not require admission to a special school, there is a tendency to
over-estimate demand in some categories. Nevertheless, the Table has
already provided timely warning of the number of physically handicapped
children who are likely to require admission to St. Giles' School.
BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED PUPILS
Blind Partially Sighted
In Residential Schools 9 2
In Day Schools - 21