Crippled Children’s Society And Carlson Report On Cerebral Palsy

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 80, 11 August 1948, Page 5

Crippled Children’s Society And Carlson Report On Cerebral Palsy

At the invitation of the New Zealand Government and under the auspices of the New Zealand Crippled Children’s Society Dr. Earl R. Carlson, American specialist in cerebral palsy came to investigate and report on the incidence of the disease in this country and to make recommendations for the assistance of those affected. He carried out ' clinic demonstrations at the four main centres and also .gave addresses to those interested in those ceptres. A copy of his report has been made available to the Beacon by the Whakatane Sub-Centre of the Society. In his survey of the prevalance of the disease in this country Dr Carlson found that there were .275 male and 239 female cases of the disease in sixteen of the major centres throughout the country. This group included only those affected under 21 years of age. " ■■ He mentioned in his report that those affected by cerebral, palsy do not die any younger than other people. j y‘ ‘ ] ; Four Types Of Disease The definition of the disease given by Dr. Carlson is that it is a disturbance of muscular movement, next to poliomyelitis in its s-preval-ency. It can be caused by anything that destroys or damages brain tissues, either before or after the birth of the infant. There are four different types of muscular disfunction, Spacticity a stiffness of movement; Athetosis, a squirming of a portion of the body sometimes accompanied by facial grimaces; Ataxia, lack of balance between the different muscular groups, and tremor of the muscles. In his recommendations to the New Zealand Government and the Crippled Children’s Society, Dr. Carlson advised that two diagnostic centres be set up to examine affected children before they are dismissed as non-educatable—one for the South Island, at Dunedin, and one in Auckland, preferably at the Wilson Home, as the Auckland province holds one-third of the population of the country. Careful Examination Needed The cases selected and accepted should depend largely oh the severity of the brain injury, the patient’s age, the degree of intellectual impairment and whether the disease is caused through a progressive disorder or through a hereditary affliction. This would call for very careful examination of the patient as to intelligence rating, and special disabilities such as hearing, ' vision, speech, reading and writing. • To avoid unnecessary cost in overlfpping, the centres could be used as day schools. Dr. Carlson also advised that residential schools be set up in Wellington and Christchurch to cater for 'the needs of these areas. Other day schools could be set up in

the bigger centres where the number of affected persons is not less than twelve. \ In the staffing of the diagnostic centres he considered a pediatrician, an orthopaedic surgeon, a neuropsychiatrist and other specialists such as nose, throat and ear . men would be needed. In a residential school catering for a hundred affected children a domestic staff of one cook, two assistant cooks, two kitchen maids and a handy man gardener, a laundress, eight teachers and teachers’ assistants, occupational physical, and speech therapists, three nurses including the matron, six nursing a'des, four male orderlies, and one administrative clerk would be needed. Staffing for a day school with a roll of not less than twelve would require a teacher and a teacher’s assistant, with the assistance' of occupational, physical and speech therapists. The meals would be mdqe by the parents on a roster basis, and the transporting of the pupils could be done by the Crippled Children’s Society. The part time professional staff could, in all probability, be engaged from v the local hospital or clinic. ’ ’ .. He considered that the Crippled Children’s Society could assist in a number of ways such as the transport of the . patients to the school and diagnostic centres, provision of extra material and equipment for occupational, recreational and physical therapy; also by. arranging outings and entertainment for the cerebral palsied children-and even to granting bursaries so that certain selected persons from the schools could travel overseas to the other centres of the world to study further Celebral Palsy methods. In regard to the overseas training Dr. Carlson intimated to the Society that he would be prepared to accept students of Cerebral Palsy into his clinics to study his methpds. He said he preferred them to work in his clinics rather than to come only as observers, as he considered they would get a better understanding of the position from practical experience.

Safeguarding Minds In clbsing Dr. Carlson strongly emphasised that education-occupa-tional therapy, speech therapy and other remedial activities went hand in hand in the treatment. A sound mind in a crippled body would also become crippled unless adequate channels for receptive expression of ideas were provided. The foregoing extracts from Dr. Carlson’s report were offered by the Whakatane Sub-Centre of the Society for publication in the hope that their publication might help people to a greater understanding of the task that faces the Society and the need for a generous response to its appeals for funds.