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" A great factor in increasing recovery rate is regularity of
attendance for treatment and the assistance given by the parents
in carrying out the treatment at home. In the early stages of a
new clinic the intake and discharge of patients is always at a
slower rate.
" Each patient is given individual treatment and in the later
stages work in association with other children is introduced in
addition to the individual treatments.
" In some of the speech clinics in Kent we have the assistance
of Senior Speech Therapy Students from the hospitals, who help
with the simpler routine treatments, working under the supervision
of the Speech Therapist; this has proved most satisfactory,
both in giving aid to the Students and in increasing the
possibilities of the work in the clinics."
EXCEPTIONAL AND HANDICAPPED CHILDREN.
A special clinic is held at the Municipal Offices on Saturday
mornings to which all exceptional children including those requiring
to be certified as handicapped are referred. The total
attendances during the year was 157. Details of all handicapped
children are shown in Table VIII.
CHILD GUIDANCE.
(See Table III, Group V)
The care of children requiring Child Guidance is the
responsibility of the Kent County Council and all cases are
referred to the County School Medical Officer for treatment at
the Child Guidance Clinic at Chislehurst. 14 cases were so
referred during the year, after reports had been received from
the head teacher of the child's school and an environmental
report had been received from the School Nurse.
MILK IN SCHOOLS.
The permitted quantity of milk throughout the year has
been restricted to 3 pint per child per day, and a return to the
Ministry of Education shows that on a single day in October the
percentage of pupils receiving milk based on the number in
attendance was 94 per cent.
SCHOOL MEALS.
During 1947 the raising of the school leaving age added to
the difficulties of the service, but, notwithstanding the lack of
proper facilities, the number of pupils remaining for the midday
meal continued to increase. A return to the Ministry of Education
showed that on a single day in October, 78 per cent, of the