View report page

at both the junior training schools who carry
out a considerable amount of language stimula
tion in the classes Although no formal assess
ment of speech progress has yet been made it
is hoped that this can be done in the near
future to facilitate examination of the value of
speech therapy with the severely sub-normal
Links between educational and other medical
services
Every effort has been made to increase communication
with other services in all fields and
there appears to be satisfactory linking
Speech therapy students
There are now 10 students working under speech
therapists in the borough Last summer the
vacant posts were filled by newly qualified
speech therapists whose training school
principals had recommended them to approach
Hounslow
School c linics
Due to the staff shortage which caused waiting
lists to grow the proposed study of the work
in school clinics was not made However during
the latter part of the year there was a dramatic
shortening of waiting lists and the present
policy is to see all children as they are
referred for preliminary assessment and to
advise parents Schools are also contacted in
order to explain why individual treatment
cannot be started immediately
Experimental summer school
In the 1967 annual report concern was expressed
about children with speech defects whose
almost total lack of verbal communication and
poor comprehension prevents normal schooling
This was discussed with Dr Moya C Tyson
senior educational psychologist for special
schools and special units and proved of mutual
interest A number of children seen at the
Heston Hearing Clinic had hearing losses which
seemed insufficient to account for their poor
rate of progress in speech and language
The note in the previous report indicated
that more time was needed for intensive speech
therapy while their difficulties should be
46
regarded in depth and not solely from the speech
aspect This was discussed with Dr Tyson
together with methods of helping these children
to overcome their disabilities and led to the
proposal that a project for the summer school
holiday should be organised by the speech
therapists under Dr Tyson s guidance aimed at
formulating classroom methods of training for
young children with severely delayed speech and
language The emphasis was laid on the language
disability and children with solely articulation
defects were not selected although some of the
children had poorly developed language with
difficulty in articulating
A decision was therefore reached to hold an
intensive summer school for language stimulation
for five mornings a week for five weeks The class
lasted from 10 00 a m to 12 noon and was held in
the new physiotherapy room at Martindale Medical
Advisory Unit where all the necessary facilities
were to hand The observation room with one way
viewing glass proved most useful for parents and
other visitors
The criteria used in selecting children were -
That their comprehension and or use of language
should show a significant deviation from their
general level of development
That their hearing loss (if any) should be deemed
insufficient alone to account for their retarded
development of speech
That any emotional problems should be judged
as arising out of the frustrations of the child s
disabilities and environmental pressures rather
than being symptomatic of a deeper instability
That the children should preferably fall within
the age range of 4-6 years
Eight children were finally chosen with varying
backgrounds ages and apparent intelligence One
was a pre school child whose immaturity cast doubts
on the ultimate school placement two chi Idren were
attending junior training schools one child was
attending the Martindale school and two had some
degree of hearing loss while the remaining two were
placed in normal schools
In planning the programme for the summer school
considerable use was made of Dr Tyson s experience
in centres for remedial and therapeutic training in
the USA when travelling as a Churchill Fellow
All those concerned in the project read books
pertaining to these centres and Moor House School
and the Edith Edwards School were both visited