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42
have to be worked to as the children's speech defects do not have a common
aetiology. As indicated in last year's report, it is the probability of the
child's defect being remedied in the Unit which more and more has come to
govern the question of admission and not a diagnosis of aphasia.
Of the seven pupils who left the Unit, five returned to ordinary school
where they are managing successfully, but the other two children are still
giving some cause for concern and are still being followed by the Speech
Therapist.
Dr. Worster-Drought, who acted as Consultant to the Unit, finally
retires at the end of the year. His unrivalled experience in the field of
Speech Disordered Children has been of the utmost value to the Unit over
the four years of its existence. The Borough has been fortunate to secure
the services of Dr. Hierons, again a Consultant Neurologist, to take Dr.
Worster-Drought's place. The difficulty of diagnosis these children may
present makes it essential to have as adviser someone not only highly
skilled but with special interest in this field, which Dr. Hierons has.
I am grateful to Mr. John Brook, Principal Speech Therapist, for the
following report:—
During 1970 seven children have been discharged and five have been
taken on. This means that at the end of 1970, ten out of the twelve available
places are filled. In October 1970 Miss Brownlow, the Senior Speech
Therapist responsible for the Unit, left to take up a post abroad. Applicants
for the post were still being interviewed at the end of the year. As
mentioned in last year's report, there is a wide range of ages and abilities
in the group. To help deal with this problem a part-time teacher,
Mrs. Frackiewicz, was appointed in the Summer Term in addition to the
full-time teacher in charge. Permission was also given for a second
classroom, but it has not been possible to bring this into being yet. The
additional staff is a very great help. Children can now be grouped in
various ways along team teaching principles. The teaching and therapy
staff are able to work together, often usefully interchanging roles to increase
the overall effectiveness of the team. Steady progress is being
made in the application of programmed learning techniques, and the
establishment of a firm linguistic basis for each child on which speech
and education can be built
The Unit functions within a normal primary and infants* school, and
it is very much a class within that school. The working philosophy on
which all teaching and speech therapy at the Unit is based assumes that
the planned integration of the children into the everyday working of the
school is the most effective technique we have in the effort to establish
normal social communication. The Head Master and his staff are unstinting
in their interest and practical halp with this difficult remedial task.