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THE SPEECH CLINICS
Report by
Senior Speech Therapist
Miss R.Clarke, L.C.S.T.
This year has been an eventful one for the Speech Clinic. In September a third
Speech Therapist, Miss Patricia Peacock, was appointed, and we have been able to extend
the Speech Therapy Services as previously planned. With the kind permission of the
Education Officer, clinics (one session a week) have been started in the outlying areas
at Carpenter's Road School, (Stratford), and Godwin Road School, (Forest Gate) to serve
all the schools in these areas. They are in addition to clinics already held at Gainsborough
Road and Grange Road Schools. So far, this innovation has proved successful, and
has provided treatment for children who would not be able to attend Greengate Clinic because
of the distance Involved. In the near future we hope to open a centre in Silvertown.
We have increased the sessions at Gurney School from one to four a week, because
so many of these Educationally Sub-normal children have speech defects. The sessions at
the Elizabeth Fry Spastic Unit have been extended from seven to nine a week, as there
have been additional children admitted to the Unit who are in need of Speech Therapy.
The clinics are now arranged as follows:-
Greengate Speech Clinic 11 sessions
Outer Area Clinics 4 sessions
Elizabeth Fry Spastic Unit 9 sessions
Gurney School 4 sessions
Students of the West End Hospital for Nervous Diseases Speech Therapy Training
School, attend the Greengate Clinic for 4 sessions a week, and the Elizabeth Fry Spastic
Unit for 1 session.
A medical officer has continued to visit the clinics from time to time in order
to review each child's progress with the Speech Therapist. Any additional treatment or
investigation which may be required is arranged at these sessions. During the year
children have been referred to the Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeon, Dental Surgeon and
Child Guidance Clinic, and we are grateful for the co-operation of these Services. One
child with a severe speech handicap was accepted for Moor House Residential School for
children with Speech Defects.
It has also been possible during the last three months to arrange one session a
week at the Occupation Centre in order to investigate the speech and language problems
of the children, and to discuss with the Superintendent and staff, possible ways and
means of overcoming them. The work is experimental at present and it will not be
possible to assess its value for some time.
Once again we are grateful to the parents, teachers and colleagues who have
co-operated with our work.
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