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45
HANDICAPPED CHILDREN.
The Education Act, 1944, provides that children shall be
educated in conformity with their age, ability and aptitude.
An important function of the school healt service is to ascertain
which children are so handicapped by reason of mental or physical
defect as to require special educational treatment.
At the end of 1951 the following numbers of children in Ealing
had been so ascertained:
Blind 2
Partially sighted 11
Deaf 15
Partially Deaf 16
Delicate 205
Diabetic 8
Educationally sub-normal 98
Epileptic 7
Maladjusted 62
Physically handicapped 35
Speech defects 4
Multiple defects 3
Of these 156 had been placed in special residential schools, 43 in
special day schools, 6 in independent schools, 9 received home
tuition and 252 were in maintained primary and secondary schools.
The Delicate children comprise by far the largest group—
and this group is apparently increasing in number as the parents
appreciate the excellent facilities provided at the open air schools.
Many of the children do not require to go away to a special school
but are helped by extra nutrients and close supervision in their
ordinary school.
The Educationally Subnormal group vary greatly in their
capabilities, ranging from those who are unsuitable for any type
of formal schooling through those who need special day or residential
schools to those children who can manage in special "opportunity
classes" in the ordinary schools. The waiting list for these special
schools remains as long as ever.
The number of maladjusted children might appear large in
comparison with those of other authorities, but this is due solely
to the excellent facilities provided in the Borough by the Child
Guidance Centre for the detection, investigation and treatment
of the milder degrees of maladjustment which would otherwise go
untreated. This is preventive psychological medicine in its truest
aspect, since these children if left untreated would otherwise go
from one crisis to another and often end as burdens on the community.