London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hillingdon 1972
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hillingdon]
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Handicapped Children under 5 years of Age
A total of 131 children under the age of 5 years are recorded as being sufficiently handicapped
as to need future special education. Each child is carefully examined medically and after information
and reports have been gathered from many sources, parents, hospitals, doctors, health visitors,
social workers etc., an assessment is made of the child's needs. Regular re-appraisal is necessary
because of changing factors in the child's mental and physical progress to keep the assessment upto-date.
Close contact is maintained with the school psychological service and the education
department to ensure that placement of these children in the correct educational environment will
be made at the appropriate time.
50 of the children (38% of the total) are noted to have a mental defect. During the year 76
mental assessments were made by the department's medical staff of children under the age of five
years. Co-operation between the school health service and child health service is essential in the
transfer of the handicapped pre-school child into a suitable educational setting at the most appropriate
time.
| Category | Year of Birth | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | Total | |
| Defective vision | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
| Defective hearing | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| Mental defect | 11 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 34 |
| Down's syndrome | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| Autism | ||||||
| Cerebral palsy | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| Epilepsy | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Heart disease | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 20 |
| Spina bifida | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
| Fibrocystic disease | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Other physical handicap | 5 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 24 |
| Totals | 33 | 27 | 33 | 20 | 18 | 131 |
(A) Blind Children
In residential schools 6
In day special schools 1
Children ascertained in 1972 3
Pre-school children ascertained in 1972 0
The number of blind children on the handicapped pupils register in the Borough is very small
—7 in all—5 boys and 2 girls. They are all between the ages of 5-16 years and the total number
changes little from year to year. One boy is placed in a sunshine home as a day pupil; 4 children (2
boys and 2 girls) attend Linden Lodge S.W.19, which is administered by the Inner London Education
Authority; one boy attends Worcester College for Blind; and one boy attends Dorton House School
(London Society for Blind School).
(B) Partially Sighted
In residential schools 2
In day special schools 8
In ordinary schools 6
Children ascertained in 1972 2
Pre-school children ascertained in 1972 1
159