[Report 1951] / School Medical Officer of Health, Eastbourne County Borough.

  • Eastbourne (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1951
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1951] / School Medical Officer of Health, Eastbourne County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Discharged— Dyslalia—Clear speech .. .. .. 9 Slight improvement, cases with low I.Q. .. 2 Sigmatism—Clear speech .. .. .. 2 Improved .. .. .. 2 Stammer—Cured .. .. .. .. 4 Much improved .. .. .. 1 Referred to Child Guidance Clinic .. 1 Deafness—Speech improved (all had hearing aids) 3 24 In addition to children of school age, seven pre-school children were treated for the following conditions :— Spastic speech .. . . , . . . 1 Dyslalia (defective articulation) . . .. 3 Cleft palate .. . . . . . . .. 1 Delayed speech .. . . .. .. 2 One girl over school age was treated for :— Deafness .. .. .. . . .. 1 These eight cases made 154 attendances. Mrs. Hansford, Speech Therapist, reports :— “A child with a speech defect is handicapped in its contact with other people. After being referred to the Speech Clinic for treatment, the child attends weekly for thirty to forty minute sessions. There can be no result when treating a speech defect without the active co-operation of the child; so the Eastbourne clinic is equipped with toys and books and the child can feel at ease and speak spontaneously. The co-operation of parents and teachers is also of paramount im- portance, and in this connection, two sessions monthly are devoted to making contact with parents and teachers. Dyslalia and stammering were the most prevalent defects during the year; it is better if a child can attend the clinic before reaching school age, this minimises the risk that a comparatively simple defect may grow into a strong habit. Children with defective hearing attended the Speech Clinic for lip-reading lessons and correction of faulty sounds; the three cases who attended were fitted with hearing aids : two of these children have now been admitted to a school for the partially deaf. One case over school age, who attends for lip reading and speech therapy, has a type of deafness which is not benefited by a hearing aid, and consequently she has to rely on lip reading. The incidence of serious speech defect in Eastbourne is small in comparison with the number of children in the Borough.” Child Guidance Clinic.—This Authority is a partner in a Joint Child Guidance Service, with our neighbours the East Sussex County Council and the Hastings Education Authorities.
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