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Health Services, fortified as it is by Acts of Parliament and subsequent Regulations—the
last and operative of these being the Handicapped Pupils and Special Schools Regulations,
1959, has in itself inherent disadvantages when the school leaver is considered as a
potential adult starting a new life in the professional and industrial world.
There must be a clear differentiation between the handicapped as defined in the
Handicapped Pupils Regulations,1959, categories which are defined for educational
purposes only, and those handicapped by mental or physical disability for employment.
The two cannot be exactly related because the demands of both are different.
From the point of view of the school leaver and the adult handicapped, the categories
can and should be broadened and redefined on the basis of the degree of disability and,
(a) whether of organic nature, for example, congenital heart, epilepsy, asthma
and all the types registered by Handicapped Pupils Regulations as delicate
(b) or of a congenital or acquired defect of limb movement and use.
The questions that the employment services want answered by the school medical
officers fall into these broad outlines and not into the definitions of the education system.
Up to a point the National Insurance categories for disablement benefit attempt to do
this but this is a retrospective and not a predictive assessment.
The aims of the School Health Service are, therefore, twofold. Firstly, to ascertain
children for their education, and secondly, to make a predictive assessment of the child
at the end of its school life on the suitability of employment, and if this is beyond the
scope of the child then to act as liaison between the unemployable child and the welfare
services.
To fit the child into the education system is now relatively simple; a detailed scheme
of ascertainment and placement into a wide variety of schools provided to cover all types
of disability ensures that all children can now have education suited to their age, ability
and aptitude.
As far as the ascertainment and placement of handicapped children is concerned
there remains only the problem of the pre-school child who by the nature of his defect
or disability is precluded from enjoying the normal activities of the toddler and, most
important, frequently remains isolated in the home until he is placed in a special school.
Experience in dealing with all types of handicapped children shows that the earlier the
child learns to live with his disability and to adjust to mixing with other children, the
sooner will he be socially and emotionally mature.
So important is it that the handicapped children receive the most suitable education
that their accurate ascertainment and correct placing must be assured. To improve
this in this area we are starting a special nursery for the pre-school child, handicapped
by physical or mental disability, so that they may be more accurately assessed for schooling ;
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