[Report 1954] / School Health Service, Monmouthshire County Council.

  • Monmouthshire (Wales). County Council. School Health Service.
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / School Health Service, Monmouthshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Blind and Partially Blind pupils are admitted to special schools by arrangement with the Author- ities who have such institutions and have accommodation for cases in addition to their own. This also applies to Deaf pupils. Spastic children present a very special problem, by virtue of the degree of their physical and mental handicap, and in the past many have been deemed to be ineducable and registered as mentally defective, and who, had their exact nature of their disability been diagnosed and treated and training instituted at an early age, might have been able to take a normal place in life. In the light of modern knowledge, and in the interests of the children, it was decided in the last quarter of the year to under- take an exhaustive survey of all the children so disabled in the County to ascertain how best their needs could be met. Certain of these children have been admitted to the Occupation Centre, Neville House, Garndiffaith, and in consequence of intensive observation and treatment, one at least has been proved educabie. Cases were notified by Health Visitors, etc., and ail were immediately assessed by Mr. D. Nathan Rocyn Jones, F.R.C.S., who recommended and supervised physical treatment. Cerebral Palsy children attending the Occupation Centre had daily physiotherapy by one of the supervisors, under the directive of a physiotherapist, specially skilled in cerebal palsy therapy, from the Regional Hospital Board Ortho- paedic Clinic. A considerable expansion of this work is envisaged when the survey is completed. Dr. R. Wyburn Mason ceased to hold clinics at the Central Clinic, Stanley Road, Newport. A record is maintained of Epileptic children, and their medical care is now carried on by the family doctor and consultant physicians at the Regional Hospital Board Hospital clinics. Admission to special schools and institutions for suitable cases has been maintained. In case9 of multiple defects, where there is mental retardation, particular difficulty is experienced in their placement, as normal intelligence is usually required to enable the pupil to benefit from the special methods of education. During the year 1954, 178 pupils were examined for the first time under Section 34 of the Educa- tion Act, 1944. 113 were examined under Section 57. As a result of examination by a specially approved Assistant Medical Officer under Section 34 of the Education Act, 1944, and re-examination under Section 57 (3) of the same Act, 34 pupils (21 ooys and 13 girls) were transferred to the care of the Local Health Authority as being incapable of receiving educa- tion at school. Under Section 57 (5) of the same Act, certain pupils were specially examined during the last term of attendance at school and 25 (19 boys and 6 girls) transferred to the care of the Local Health Authority as requiring supervision after leaving school. There was also one girl examined under Section 57 (4). 24 pupils were referred to the Principal School Medical Officer for examination under Section 34 of the Education Act, 1944, as being possibly educationally sub-normal and also 1 as maladjusted, but on investigation were not found to fall within these categories.
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