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school are taught to swim in the hydrotherapy
pool and progress to Hounslow public swimming
baths.
51 children received speech therapy during the
year, 46 were school children in Martindale, and
5 were out-patients. Defects treated fell into the
following categories:—
10 athetoids with dysarthria and dysphonia
(4 with severe and 6 with moderate hearing
loss)
4 dysphasics
2 excessive nasality
3 ataxic dysarthria
4 stammerers
3 dysarthria and dysphonia
3 severely retarded speech and language
9 retarded speech and language development
7 dyslalics
3 dysphonics
3 dysarthrics

The Cerebral Palsy Unit
I am grateful to Dr A D Barlow MA MB BChir
MRCP DCH, consultant paediatrician, for the
following report:—
'The proportion of meningomyelocele cases is
rising. During 1967 8 children were admitted with
cerebral palsy and 5 with spina bifida, and at the
end of the year there were 67 children in the
school with cerebral palsy and 9 with spina bifida.
The waiting list at 31st December included
44
7 cerebral palsy and 8 spina bifida.
'This suggests that in a few years' time the
number of meningomyelocoele cases will equal or
outnumber those with cerebral palsy. Many more
children with spina bifida are surviving, thanks to
early closure of the meningocoele and early
treatment of hydrocephalus, but the number of
children with sufficiently good function to be able
to attend normal school remains disappointingly
small.
'It therefore seems necessary to make provision
both in the school and the unit for an increasing
number of these cases in the coming years.
'With both cerebral palsy and spina bifida
infants, attendance as out-patients is of great
benefit. Many of them come for physiotherapy and
so become familiarised with the school and staff,
which is of great help when they start school.
Much of the value in treating these children lies
not only in the physiotherapy that they receive,
but in the opportunities provided for the
physiotherapist to discuss the various problems
of management of these children with their
parents.
'The ultimate happiness of these children will
depend to a large extent on how well they and
their families can adapt themselves to their
handicaps, and how they can make the most of
their abilities within their limitations. I think our
physiotherapists and other staff are well aware of
this and do excellent work in helping not only the
child but the family too. There are, however,
inevitably some families who have greater
difficulty in facing these problems, and it is to be
hoped that our new social worker (Mrs C L
Wisdom) will be able to give them the help
they need.'