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The thanks of the Dental Staff are due to all head teachers
and their staffs for kindly help and co-operation at all times.
A tabular summary of the work of the service is set out in
the Appendix, page 95.
SPEECH DEFECTS. This year saw the opening of the
Speech Clinic, and the report of the Speech Therapist follows.
It should be appreciated that the treatment of speech difficulties
is a slow business and requires much patience to secure satisfactory
results. This and the Child Guidance Clinic are the two
special departments which can never hope to produce spectacular
figures of the number of cases which have passed through their
hands. Their success and justification lies in the relief of small
numbers of children in more or less severe distress, and their
substantial contributions to their patients' happiness and
efficiency is an ample return for the effort expended. Judged
on this basis, it may be considered that, despite the disappointingly
large number of children who do not complete the course,
the results obtained at the clinic are satisfactory.
REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE SPEECH CLINIC
By Miss R. CLARKE
The Speech Clinic was opened for the first time in January,
1946.
During the year 79 children made regular attendances to the
clinic. Of these children, 55 have been discharged as relieved
or improved. A further 3 children made no progress, two due to
their educationally sub-normal condition and the third due to
poor home environment.
A further 20 children have attended the clinic but have
been unable to complete their treatment for various reasons.
This is mainly due to escort and travel problems.
Of the cases who attended, there were 35 stammerers, 31
dyslalias, 7 lisps, 4 cleft palates and 2 mild organic deaf cases.
Some of the children are still receiving treatment or are
otherwise under observation. Three of the stammerers were
referred to the Child Guidance Clinic for psychological treatment.
A large number of cases were referred at the beginning of
the year owing to the fact that there had been no facilities for
Speech Therapy during the war. The more urgent cases have
been given precedence.
It is interesting to note that the majority of the cases which
have been referred are boys. Of the 35 stammerers who
received treatment, only three were girls.
Attendances have not been altogether satisfactory. This is
due to the fact that some of the children who live in the far
ends of the Borough have to travel some distance to the clinic.
Also, it has been difficult to arrange for escort for the younger
children whose parents are unable to bring them.
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