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It has been noticeable that the children now being admitted
come more into the "unstable" than into the "low grade feeble
minded" category and the educational attainments are on a higher
general level than hitherto.
(vi) Child Guidance Clinic.—Miss G. Hammond, B.Sc.,
Psychologist to the clinic contributes the following report:—
Owing to the increasing amount of work at the Clinic, the
report has been compiled in two parts.
Part I.—Many of the children are referred through the schools
to the Educational Psychologist for advice and help with educational
difficulties such as backwardness, failure to make progress in a
particular subject, etc.
An account of this aspect of the work carried out by the
Educational Psychologist in the schools, forms the first part of this
report.
170 children were referred to the Educational Pyschologist for
backwardness, nervousness, apathy, aggressiveness, lack of concentration
and the innumerable behaviour problems which appear to
impede a child's progress in school work, e.g., bad temper, thumbsucking,
antagonism to teachers, violence, aggressiveness, busybodying,
lying, spitefulness, spitting, apathy, exciteability,
timidity, tempers, toughness, occasional truanting.
Some of these cases were of special school grade and were
recommended accordingly. Others were ineducable. Most, however,
were helped by minor adjustments at school when the Head
Teachers were given exact information as to the real abilities of the
child. Though apparent failures at school work, many children
were working up to or even beyond their mental age level.
In one case it was found advisable to transfer to another school.
In another case it was recommended that a Candidate should be
allowed to sit for the general entrance examination for the Secondary
schools a second time on psychological grounds.
If it is deemed necessary for a home visit to be paid in order to
throw light on the school problem, the Social Worker makes an
investigation of the home situation and the child becomes a Clinic
case for statistical purposes.