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99 aged between 4 ys 4 mns and 4 ys 9 mns
59 aged between 4 ys lOmns and 5 ys 4 mns
There were 107 boys and 105 girls.
Hearing:
20 children were found to have some hearing
difficulty of which 6 were bilateral and 14
unilateral. It was not possible to condition 3
of the children for testing.
Language:
Those children with poor articulation. nonEnglish
speaking or unco-operative and shy
were excluded from results Of the remaining
159 children. 71 had good overall language
ability (understanding and speech a year above
chronological age). 44 were average and 29
were poor (more than a year behind chronological
age) 12 other children showed a marked
disparity between understanding of speech and
production of speech with one area very poor
Pre-school experience of a nursery or play
group was an important factor in language
development in that more children with good
language ability had this experience and more
children with poor language ability had not.
The number of children with some articulation
difficulty or immaturity of speech was 15.
There were 23 non-English speaking children,
whose native languages included Spanish,
Portugese, Polish and Serbo-Croat. There were
3 Hindustani-only speaking children.
Motor:
No children with neuro-muscular disorders
were detected. In the tests of walking and
hopping a developmental progression was
observed over the age range, with more older
children able to do these tasks satisfactorily.
Of the main sample of children, 132 showed
a preference for using the right hand in drawing,
21 the left hand, and the others alternated
hands. Of the non-English speaking children.
21 used the right hand and 1 the left. Of the
children with immature speech, 11 used the
right hand and 4 the left hand; proportionately
more children favoured their left hand in this
group. Examination or drawings showed a clear
developmental progression over the age range
46
also. While nearly half of the 3% year old
group produced disorganised scribble this
proportion lessened with age and had
completely disappeared at the 5 year old
level, while the proportion of representational
drawings (of men, houses or objects) and
attempts at writing increased dramatically
Those children whose hearing was found
to be unsatisfactory were referred for further
investigation, and the senior speech therapist
noted those children whose articulation
difficulties might need treatment. It is hoped
to follow up children with poor language
development in a year's time to ascertain
how far schooling has had the effect of
advancing the language level. It is surely
a tribute to the thorough manner in which
children with possible handicaps are detected
early in this borough that no severe handicaps
had gone unobserved It is considered that
this survey performed some useful functions,
enabling specialist personnel to give more time
to school beginners at this early stage than
would normally be possible in the light of
other duties during term time. We would hope
to repeat the survey in another part of Hounslow
in 1970.
Asthma and Allergy Clinic
Dr. Prothero reports on the work or the allergy
clinic as follows
'During the last twelve months 121 patients
(87 boys, 34 girls) attended the allergy clinic.
Thirty-four of these patients were new referrals
The largest group comprises children
sufrering from asthma (77 cases), followed by
cases of pollenosis and vasomotoric coryza
(30 cases). Five children attended for eczema,
four for angioneurotic oedema, three with
migraine suspected of allergic origin and two
with urticaria
The majority of the patients are mild or
moderately severe cases not requiring
ACTH.
If aerosols are required, Subutamol is now
usually used and recommended li is less likely
than the other available adrenergic bronchodilators
(Alupent, Isoprenalin) to stimulate the
Breceptors in the myocardium.
Pollen asthma after the age of 9 years is