London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Leyton 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]
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158
CHILD GUIDANCE.
Report of the Educational Psychologist to the Forest and
Leyton Divisions (Miss M. Marshall).
The work of the Educational Psychologist has expanded during
the year, owing to the increasing number of schools and school
children in the Forest Division, and to the development of a scheme
in Leyton for helping children who are backward in reading. The
Psychologist divides her time between work in the schools and work
in the Child Guidance Clinic. Most of the individual testing is done
in the schools, but some children are tested at the Clinic, where
remedial teaching is given.
Of some 32,000 school children in the combined area, the Psychologist has interviewed and tested 364 during the year.
| Boys | Girls | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
These children are brought to the attention of the Psychologist
either by the Head Teachers or the School Medical Officers. Parents'
requests for an interview usually come "via" the school or the
school clinic, and a few direct to the Child Guidance Clinic. The
reasons given for requests for individual psychological assessments
of children were:—
Backwardness in school work (primarily reading) 55%
Difficult behaviour: at home 19%
at school 9%
Physical symptoms, e.g., tic, enuresis, stammer, etc. 9%
Requests by Children's Officer, Juvenile Employment
Officer, Probation Officer, etc. 4%
Educational advice, other than for backwardness 10%
Some children are referred to the Psychologist for more than
one reason, e.g., backwardness in reading and truancy.