[Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Benfleet U.D.C., Canvey Island U.D.C., Rayleigh U.D.C., Rochford R.D.C. (South East Essex).

  • Benfleet (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1964
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Benfleet U.D.C., Canvey Island U.D.C., Rayleigh U.D.C., Rochford R.D.C. (South East Essex). Source: Wellcome Collection.

    61/76 (page 59)
    1 am indebted to Mrs. B. R. Smith, s])eech therapist, for lier comments on tlie ser\-ice as slie has found it in lier first few months ;— “ Since September, a tlierajnst has again been holding sessions at Rayleigh, Rochford, Hockley and Can\’ey Island. A number of children have remained on waiting lists longer than is desirable due to the difficulty of maintaining a continuous service; some schools e\idently hesitate to refer children for this reason. A high proportion of the children treated in this area sutler from speech aiul language defects involving serious social and educational handicap. It has been noticed that parents in the area are wisely seeking advice about their children’s s]:)eech at an early stage in development. This is thought to be due to (1) the ju'evious therapist’s policy of en- couraging early consultation, (2) the medical officer’s understanding of the need for such consultation (3) the interest of health visitors and (4) the co-operation of local general practitioners. It is seldom necessary or advisable for children under the age of 4i years to receive regular treatment. Howe\’er, much valuable preventive work can be ac- complished when parents have the opportunity to discuss their anxieties about a child’s speech development with a therapist and thus avoid wrong handling. It should be stres.sed that whereas many young children require only to be kept under observation, those suffering from cerebral palsy, serious abnormality of the organs of articulation, hearing loss or mental subnormality may require therapy or special teaching well before the inception of speech. When this need is not recognised much harm may result. From the speech therapist’s point of view, positive features of the facilities available in this area include ease of contact between departments, provision for school and home visiting in the therapist’s timetable, the introduction of the Pitman Initial Teaching Alphabet in some schools and possibly, child development sessions, although as to these it may be a little early to comment. Negative features must also be noted. These include the shortage of nursery schools, inadequate provision for the social training of young mentally subnormal children and the absence of senior speech therapists who would be able to attract young therapists to the County.” Hygienic Conditions in Schools It is pleasing to record that of the two remaining schools mentioned in my report last year as still having pail closets, one has now been convertecl to a moclern disposal system and the conversion of the other was virtually complete by the end of the year. There are still other problems to be tackled and possibly not the least of these is the task of the Education Authority in obtaining the necessary finance to effect the recommendations of the various public health improvements still required, i.e. replacement of badly sited external toilets, provision of adequate and suitably sited washing facilities, in fact, general modern- isation of the facilities at present available at some of the older schools. At the time f)f preparing the report a detailed survey is being under- taken at the request of the Schools Committee of the toilet facilities at all schools throughout the area. It is hoped that as a result of this, a phased programme of replacement over several years will be possible.