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As the number of children with more than one disability who do not fall clearly in one category is increasing,
there is special need for facilities to assess each child's total handicap and to provide the appropriate special
educational treatment.
Home tuition may be arranged on a temporary or permanent basis for children who are unfit for education at
school.
Children who are in hospital for prolonged periods are given help from the hospital school.
I should like to make particular comments on two types of handicapped children: —
(a) Maladjusted Children
It follows from the definition given in (g) above that the term 'maladjusted' covers a wide variation of behavioural
abnormalities from the very shy, withdrawn child to the very boisterous, aggressive, not easily controlled child.
Autistic children are for the purposes of treatment and placement therefore ascertained as maladjusted but are
given special treatment according to their needs. In December 1970 there were 14 autistic children in the borough.
(b) Diabetic children
In 1945 these children were classified as handicapped and given a separate category of their own. There were
found to be 150 diabetic children in the country who needed residential care, and 3 residential schools were
provided. On review in 1951 it seemed there were roughly the same number of diabetic children and the number
of schools provided seemed adequate. It was therefore decided by the Ministry of Education to remove
diabetes as a special category and for the future to ascertain these children under the heading "delicate".
The position is roughly the same today. The majority of diabetic children are able to have education in a
normal day school. There are 24 diabetic children in Haringey. The age range is wide and provision of special
classes would not be practical, but there is a case for providing them with special tuition about diet and
self-administration of insulin.
The table on the next page, for which I am indebted to the Chief Education Officer, shows the number
of pupils newly ascertained as handicapped, and newly placed in special schools during the year; and the
distribution of ascertained handicapped children and the number awaiting placement on 21 January 1971.
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