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40
THE FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT
for the
Year ending 31st December, 1937,
on the
WORK IN CONNECTION WITH ABNORMAL CHILDREN.
Up to the year 1934 a summary of the work done in connection with these children was
incorporated in the body of the Report.
Abnormal Children.—Under this category are included the following classes of children :
Merely dull or backward, mentally defective (feeble-minded), imbecile, moral defective, idiot, physically
defective, blind or partially blind, deaf-mute or semi-mute or semi-deaf and epileptic.
These cases are reported to the Authority by Parents, Head Teachers, Health Nurses, School
Attendance Officers, Hospitals and similar institutions, voluntary societies and private medical
practitioners. They are submitted to a special medical examination and are placed in a Special
Day or Residential School or ordinary elementary school, according to the character and degree of
the abnormality.
During the year 1937, 1,071 special children were examined or re-examined. Of the 333
original examinations included in the 1,071 examined, 46 were found to be physically defective, 14
mentally defective, 2 partially blind, 25 dull and backward, 205 anaemic and debilitated, 19 defective
speech, 3 deaf or partially deaf, 11 normal, and 8 cases of behaviour problem.
Leinster Mentally Defective School.—The certified accommodation at this school is
for 140 children and during the year under review the average number on the roll was 120. The
actual number on the roll at the 31st December, 1937, was 112 (including 28 children from the Middlesex
area). The average attendance for the year was 104. There were no children awaiting admission
to this school at the end of the year.
The staff consists of one Head Teacher, one full-time Assistant Master, and four full-time
Assistant Mistresses. There are in addition three part-time Instructors—one for boot-making, one
for handicraft and one for domestic economy.
Eleven children were allowed to leave school before reaching the age of 16 years and 12 children
were notified to the Middlesex County Council, which is the local authority under the Mental Deficiency
Acts, 1913-27, as requiring supervision or guardianship.
The Certifying Medical Officer visits the school weekly for the purpose of revision of classification
and for medical examination of the children. 109 such examinations were made during 1937.
The school dinners are brought from Furness Road Feeding Centre and served in the school hall.
On an average 75 children take the school dinners and the remainder bring their own meal.
During the year routine medical and dental inspection of the children attending this school
was carried out. 96 children were medically examined and 91 were dentally inspected. Five were