View report page

71
TYLNEY HALL RESIDENTIAL SPECIAL SCHOOL
This residential special school, situated deep in the country near Basingstoke, Hampshire, and geared
to secondary modern standards, was completely re-organised as an all boys' school from September, 1966.
It now takes up to 130 mildly maladjusted and/or mildly delicate boys whose handicap is such that they
do not require psychiatric support or medical treatment. In other words, so far as maladjusted boys are
concerned, this is not a school for those who are severely disturbed or delinquent but rather one for those
whose maladjustment is so slight that often a change of environment in itself produces most beneficial
results. Some ordinary boarders are also taken if there is room after all the handicapped boys have been
accommodated. There is a resident school nurse and a local doctor visits regularly and is always on call.
Dental services are provided at the school by a dental officer of the Authority.
NEASDEN AUDIOLOGY UNIT
The audiology unit has had another busy year. During the early part of the year the consultant
otologist increased his sessions and now attends weekly. A further weekly session is undertaken for followup
cases by one of the medical officers. In spite of these extra sessions the waiting list was long and two
special screening sessions were carried out by the otologist which helped to reduce its length. Priority cases
are seen within two or three weeks.
This year 310 cases were seen at the unit of which 113 were new cases. Children are referred
mainly from local authority medical officers in Brent, Harrow and Barnet, either from infant welfare clinics
where infants are screened for early hearing defects or from the school doctor as a result of routine audiometry.
Great emphasis is placed on the early detection of hearing loss and any infant who may have run
the risk of damage to the auditory mechanism is kept under special observation at the welfare clinic and
referrals to the unit are priority.
Children are also referred for audiometry supervision by consultants from London hospitals.
It is most important that school children with hearing handicaps are supervised at school. Deafness
imposes a handicap which is difficult to assess without trained observation, and for this purpose
peripatetic teachers for the deaf visit schools, supervising hearing aids and giving auditory training to the
children. Discussions with teaching staff enable her to assess the child's progress and at the same time the
teacher can better understand the child's problems. Any difficulties that arise are referred to the otologist
at the next clinic.
During the year a part-time peripatetic teacher joined the staff and this has reduced a little the
pressure of work.
Deaf and partially hearing children who need special education are placed at day and residential
schools. Day pupils are placed at Heston and Tottenham and are supervised there by the otologist who
visits Neasden Audiology Unit. In 1966 there were 16 deaf and 15 partially hearing children at these
schools. Children at residental schools are seen by the otologist during holidays for supervision and in 1966
there were 5 deaf and 5 partially hearing children at residential schools.
Two classes for partially hearing children with other handicaps are planned for the new physically
handicapped school at Grove Park and it is hoped the School will be complete and ready for admissions next
year as the need for such local provision is pressing.
SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE
Report from Principal School Dental Officer
The need for dental treatment in the School Dental Service does not diminish. The Local
Authority Service and the General Dental Service between them can provide the ever increasing complexity
of dental treatment necessary and the demand for treatment continues to grow.
Nevertheless there are far too many who seek treatment too late for the dentist to provide even a
reasonable complement of healthy teeth and also too many who are still satisfied with only emergency treatment
for the relief of pain. Unfortunately the dental officer can only too often offer merely a repair service
for damaged mouths. He cannot cure decayed teeth—they cannot be cured—and he is frustrated in his efforts
to prevent dental decay by lack of parental co-operation and by the lack of fluoridation.
CHILD GUIDANCE SERVICE
Prepared by Mr. C. Graham, b.sc., Chief Educational Psychologist.
Organisation of the Service.
Both aspects of the Child Guidance Service have been hard pressed during the past year. The
School Psychological Service, dealing with referrals from Headteachers, and mainly with learning problems,
ended the year with 183 children still waiting to be seen. The Child Guidance Centres deal with referrals
from all sources of those children with emotional problems. There were 56 children on the waiting list at
the end of the year for the two Child Guidance Centres (one in Brondesbury Villas, Kilburn, the other in
Church Lane, Kingsbury).
As can be seen from Table 1, of the 343 cases taken up by the Child Guidance Centres, about a
third never reached the stage of a psychiatric diagnostic investigation. Some of these children after investigation
by the Educational Psychologist and Psychiatric Social Workers were considered not to require a
psychiatric consultation but the majority did not go through for a full investigation due to the lack of cooperation
of the parents.