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28
"The average age of the children in the clinic is now 6 years
1½ months, a drop of years on last year's report.
"The staff of the Child Guidance Clinic has been very helpful
with advice, and the transport officer has been most cooperative."
Miss C. Borthwick took up duty at the High Street Clinic in
October, and submits the following report on the work done during
the last quarter of the year:—
"This year the clinical attendance has rather suffered from
a two months' break before I came to the clinic in October, but
there is now a waiting list of five.
"My first two weeks were spent in visiting schools. Fifty-six
children were found to require speech therapy and thirty-seven of
these children have so far been referred. All on the waiting list
should receive treatment early in the New Year.
"No waiting period exists for those whose parents are able and
willing to bring them to the clinic, but I have endeavoured to limit
the number of other children so that only four attend each hourly
session.
"Even so, children attending in groups have the disadvantage
of a shorter period of treatment and also the therapist cannot work
in such close co-operation with the parents. On the other hand,
regular attendance is ensured and the children often benefit from the
contact with others experiencing similar difficulties.
"I have found that, compared with other clinics in which I
have worked I treat very few senior children. This I attribute
to the fact that Walthamstow has long since had good facilities for
Speech Therapy and treatment has been received at an early age."
Miss A. M. Hemmings reports:—•
"Again the number of cases treated and their distribution is
very similar to that of last year. Of the cases temporarily discharged
last year, six were reviewed and discharged as cured this year,
having maintained their improvement in speech. These six are
in addition to those recorded as cured in the accompanying figures.
"Good use was made of the recording machine, mainly for
the permanent recording of long term cases: many of these are
pupils at the School for the Physically Handicapped.
"Some children have now made as many as three permanent
recordings. Unfortunately, the problem of editing has not yet been
solved, and if no solution is found, I am afraid that the difficulties
may prove to be prohibitive in the making of permanent recordings.