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School visits were made during the sessions shown as worked at
Caryl Thomas Clinic. Twenty schools were visited during 1968, and good
co-operation with the teachers continued. Children were referred to the
speech clinics by medical officers, head teachers and general practitioners
in the area. Children were also referred by surgeons, neurologists and
speech therapists at the following hospitals:—
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children
Mount Vernon Hospital
Edgware General Hospital
Gray's Inn Road Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.
The total number of children referred to the Speech Theraphy
Department during 1968 was 169 (106 school age, 63 pre-school). There
were another 42 children referred for an opinion who did not require
treatment. Most of the children were seen during school visits. In addition,
there were 263 children admitted during 1967 or earlier still having treatment.
Total case load during 1968 was 474. The number of cases discharged
during 1968 was 211 (159 school age, 52 pre-school). The majority of these
children now have normal speech. However, 14 children left the area
before treatment was finished. Most of these were seen at the Stanmore
Orthopaedic Hospital. Another 25 children were discharged because of
non-attendance, and 3 children were not suitable for treatment.
Principals of two of the speech therapy training schools in London
sent students to observe speech therapy treatment in the clinics. A total of
eight students came during 1968.
CHILD GUIDANCE AND SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
I am indebted to the Director of Education Mr. W. H. J. Knight,
M.A., for the following reports on the work of the Child Guidance and
School Psychological Services during the year.
Child Guidance Service
Dr. J. R. Hood, M.B., D.P.M., Consultant in Child Psychiatry
reports as follows
The child guidance centre provides a consultative service to the
school health service, head teachers, general practitioners, paediatricians
and other hospital specialists, the Courts and the social agencies. Its chief
agents are the consultant psychiatrist and the educational psychologists,
to whom all formal requests for an opinion are addressed. The other
members of the team—psychiatric social workers and child psychotherapists
provide a special form of psychological treatment, i.e. psychotherapy,
as a means of dealing with emotionally disturbed children and their
parents.