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Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970
Through the operation of this act, a duty is placed upon local education authorities to provide
special educational treatment for children suffering from three further conditions, deaf/blind, autism
and early childhood phychosis, and acute dyslexia.
Deaf/Blind Children
As in 1971, there are three children who are assessed as being Deaf/Blind. Two of these children
attend the Pathway's Unit at Condover Hall and the third child attends Moorcroft School for Educationally
Sub-normal children.
Autism and Early Childhood Psychosis
Seven children are being educated in the autistic unit at Oak Farm School, Long Lane,
Hillingdon. This special unit has a high teacher/pupil ratio in order to give the individual child the
very personal interest and care that he needs. One of the essentials of treatment is to establish a close
relationship and so enable the child to relate to the world outside. The development of communication
is vital and this faculty is severely handicapped in nearly all of these children; communication
through language is usually impossible because language is not understood. Tremendous patience
and skill is demanded from teachers, educational psychologists, psychotherapists, and speech
therapists.
It will be noted that the unit is part of a normal school and the children have the opportunity of
integration with normal school children. This reinforces the special skills applied to the child in the
Unit and helps him to respond to the stimulus of a normal teaching and playground situation.
Acute dyslexia
There is no universal agreement concerning the definition of this term and its application to
children with difficulties in reading, but most doctors tend to include children who have specific
reading difficulties not related to low intelligence. Generally children who present with severe
reading difficulties are assessed by education psychologists and a scheme of remedial teaching is
worked out for the individual child.
Special remedial classes are set up in the Borough at strategically placed schools where several
children can be congregated and expert help be given.
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