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Congenital Abnormalities
It is a responsibility of the Medical Officer of Health to submit a confidential
report to the Registrar General on congenital abnormalities detected at or shortly
after birth. The following table shows the total notified to the Registrar General
during 1971
1971 1970
Total No. of children born with abnormalities 37 38
Number of those who were stillborn 4 3
Number of those born alive who died within 10 days Nil Nil
Number born with serious defects 9 9
Number which were of a comparatively minor nature 28 29
The Observation and Handicap Register
There is a growing awareness of the importance of discovering handicapped children
as early as possible. Many children acquire their handicapping conditions in the pre-natal,
neo-natal or early post-natal periods of life. Infants who have been exposed to unfavourable
hereditary or adverse experiences early in life are considered to be at risk and a register is
kept of these cases so that they can be offered medical examination at regular intervals.
In addition, the growing child may be placed at risk by accident or illness occurring
during childhood.
In order to ensure that each handicapped child is assisted to the extent necessary
to make full use of his ability, a register known as the Observation and Handicap Register
is compiled. Children whose names appear on this register are kept under special
surveillance until they are aged 5 years by regular medical examination and full assessment
of their developmental progress.
Close co-ordination of the work of various agencies who are concerned with the
well-being of a handicapped child is essential and this involves close contact with the
general practitioners, hospitals, social workers and voluntary organisations.
The Observation and Handicap Register provides the means by which this is
achieved and when necessary ensures the future provision of educational facilities
suited to the child's ability and handicap.
The early years of the child's life are a vitally important period in his development.
The young child with a disability which may interfere with normal learning processes
needs early help to minimise or overcome the handicap before the child's optimal
learning period has passed. The development of such children is particularly vulnerable
because of restrictions which may be imposed by the disabilities on the range and
quality of the child's experience and by unfavourable or unelightened attitudes of
parents.
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