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82
whole life; relationships between parents also seem to improve in the sharing and
understanding of the problems of the young child
Dr. K.A. Graf, Consultant Psychiatrist in Hornseyj also comments on the importance
of teamwork.
Mr. Walbridge, the educational psychologist, dealt with 233 children of which 75
were seen by Dr. Graf. The majority of these cases again reached the clinic through
head teachers (24) and assistant medical officers (16) Direct approach to the clinic was
made by 11 parents, and Dr. Graf was particularly pleased that more children were sent
to the clinic from hospital specialists and general practitioners (7 each) The relation
ship with Dr. Yudkin, Consultant Paediatrician at the Whittington Hospital, proved
particularly cordial and professionally useful, and Dr. Graf only regretted that the
limited time he had did not allow him to visit the wards as frequently as Dr. Yudkin and
he would have welcomed, since close co-operation with the local children's hospital is
one of the most important trends in modern child psychiatry Other referrals to the
clinic were by the Magistrates of Juvenile Courts, and the Children's Officer.
Analysis of the age groups referred showed a fairly even spread and, while
the youngest clients were only three years old, there was a shift towards older age groups
than last year, the peak ages being early adolescence, twelve and thirteen years The
number of child guidance sessions held during the year was 74 and a total of 123 new
and old patients attended. The waiting list at the end of the year amounted to 27 cases.
The analysis of the diagnostic entities of child guidance cases, which is based on
a scheme Dr. Graf drew up a few years ago and which was favourably commented upon in
the most recent report of the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Education shows
as would be expected, that behaviour problems due to environmental factors (including
parental problems and maternal deprivation) were most nun.erous but more striking
perhaps was the high incidence of school phobias, a neurotically determined inability to
attend school, which must be distinguished from truancy The low number of sex
problems and psychotic disturbance is perhaps interesting in view of public interest in
these difficulties.
Dr. Graf also records research carried out largely as a result of the enthusiasm of
the educational psychologist, with a team from the National Hospital for Nervous
Diseases, investigated the incidence of Finget Agnosia amongst poor readers in Hornsey,
and also amongst a control group of normal children. Dr. Nuttal Home of the Ministry of
Education examined a number of children with most severe reading difficulties.
A weekly evening session was held at the Town Hall, and was always fully booked
Speech Therapy
During 1962 cases continued to be referred to speech therapists by head teachers,
school medical officers and specialists.